Choux is the first floor of an office building. They offer a special lunch for workers in the building and you will see many of the workers walking down the stairs to set up with computers or meet with colleagues at the tables. Tables along the wall are for “outside patrons” who get a choice of a 3 or 4 course menu. They also offer wine pairings at 7 euros per glass and you can choose how many glasses you want or select from a reasonably priced wine list. At night the menu is larger and reservations are a must as they have been full every night in the two years they’ve been open. There is no passed menu just an oral presentation. I was able to get one after the meal that is included here. An open kitchen is on one end of the room and service was friendly and helpful.
Our 4 course menu started with kohlrabi ice cream with grated kefir cheese, yogurt and sorrel. It had lots of interesting tastes and a great chew to the wild spinach leaves. The kohlrabi was presented in the shape of a large pasta tube – visually fun. Everything tasted quite fresh. The tart bits blended into a sweetness from the cheese melting into creamy goodness. A good plate.
The sour dough bread had a good crust and a nice chew to the interior. It was served with tasty and nicely softened butter.
Next was a spelt risotto with morel mushrooms, butter sauce, wild garlic, sweet and sour carrots, savory oil and crumbled hazelnuts. The carrots were the most surprising thing here as they were almost gray and were little nubs, but tasted just like a pickled carrot. This was a really tasty dish and made better with the crunch of the carrots and hazelnuts. The spelt had a good consistency for a risotto. A good dish full of nice flavors.
A baked flat white fish was served with cabbage that had been boiled in kelp juice. It was perfectly cooked and definitely had the taste of kelp. The tasty fish was served on a beurre blanc sauce and barely cooked so that is was perfectly tender and moist. It blended wonderfully with the sauce. A nice plate.
Rhubarb and chocolate made up the dessert along with rose flower sorbet. A pistachio sponge cake and pistachio crumbles along with a few fresh raspberries rounded out the plate. It was very good and all the ingredients combined nicely.
I love the interior of Chaux in Amsterdam. I love the red stairs, and it hardly looks like a former office building. They must serve great food to have had so very many customers in two years. Frankie is adorable looking at the napkins! The spelt risotto with morel mushrooms looks great! The bread looks great! The rhubarb and chocolate, along with the rose flavored sorbet looks very yummy! I think Frankie and you three are becoming quite famous! So many people have held him! It was a great blog, Helen!
Thanks Dana! I don’t know what the floor where Chaux is now was before but there are still offices on the floors above. I didn’t know how to explain this very well but the people that office in the building are offered a “special lunch” that I’m guessing is cheaper and no one bothers them if they have the computer set up on the table, so they get a good number of them at lunch – more than of us visitors. At dinner it’s all visitors although I wouldn’t be surprised if people that have an office in the building get a reservation with friends for dinner, too!