A lovely dinner experience, but you cannot book online for just one person: Restaurant Watergang (9. June 2024)

Given I had a day of spoiling myself with walks through the channels of Amsterdam and some interesting museum visits (with a live performance of Marina Abramovic), I figured, I should end the day with a nice and luscious meal, which I did. The choice of ‘what you want to eat’ is none, as there is just a menu you can have. I went for the “five-course menu” (EUR 65.00), which started with an amuse bouche in the form of a “gazpacho” from the kitchen, which was nicely thick and refreshing at the same time.

The first course of the evening was a”bell pepper filled with pearl barley and an onion emulsion”. Frankly, it did not only look pretty in terms of colour combination, but it also turned out to be absolutely tasty.

Next in line was “white asparagus, sauce Hollandaise, smoked eel on a toast”. I was a bit surprised since, at first, I couldn’t see the toast with the eel, but it turned out to be a perfect combination of flavours and textures. I mean, I love a good sauce Hollandaise, but with the saltiness of the eel and the crunchiness of the toast, it turned out to be a great combination and a great dish.

Next in line was “veal sweetbread, vol-au-vent, coconut milk” and I must say, it didn’t look entirely intuitive in terms of flavour combination, and it wasn’t. Sure, I get somehow that the combination could work, but frankly, the mussels were something, where I didn’t really see the value add in terms of flavour and texture. Luckily, I love sweetbread, so, overall, the dish was still quite delicious.

The “brioche with butter”, which was served with the previous course, was perfect. Firstly, because the brioche was perfectly delicious, and the butter was mouth-watering. Secondly, because the brioche would allow you to put your bread in the sauce of the previous dish and soak it up – and clean the plate empty. Perfect.

The main course was “lamb cheek with lamb neck, stuff morel, pea purée”, which was, overall, good. The flavour of the meat was absolutely outstanding. Especially the flavour profile of the lamb neck was something else. However, the texture was rather something to get used to (at least for me), since there was a lot of fat in that piece, which is not something I necessarily enjoy too much, however, given the intense and delicious flavour, one could definitely enjoy this.

Since I am usually not that much into sweets, I decided to go for the “cheese platter” (+ EUR 5.00), which was decent. Sure, three cheeses is not that much, but given the size of the restaurant, it’s actually okay.

In general, the place is rather fun in terms of layout. You basically have 3 (and a half) floors. On the ground floor and the first floor, there are tables for the diners. On the third floor, you find the toilet, and on the floor in the middle, there you get a glimpse into the kitchen. Frankly, I always admire how they get to do such miracles in such small spaces.

The waiter was superbly friendly and attentive throughout the evening, and was even adjusting the wine pairing slightly to my gusto (since there was too much Pinot Noir on that wine menu). All in all, I enjoyed the dinner at the Watergang quite a lot – the only thing I didn’t like so much was that you are not able to book a table for 1 online, but you would have to call or write an email. After having asked why, he explained “because else a seat at a table stays free”, which I do conceptually understand, but still find it rather annoying, to be honest. In any case, given the place is small, I would highly recommend for you to book your table well in advance.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Watergang

Weteringstraat 41

1017 SM Amsterdam (NL)

Tel.: +31 6 38 67 81 70

E-Mail: info@restaurantwatergang.nl

Homepage: https://restaurantwatergang.nl

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.