Graham’s Kitchen is a medium sized place made up of a couple rooms. An open kitchen faces the small wood tables in one room and I would ask to sit there, just to watch the “show”. Graham Mee has been a chef at Michelin starred restaurants and opened his own place about a year ago. He is from Liverpool, England and thus speaks great English and enjoys chatting with his guests. Tables are fairly close but noise level didn’t seem to be a problem even with the soft music playing in the background. Service is efficient and super friendly. It is a 3 – 6 course tasting menu at night with several choices of optional add ons.
We were quickly greeted with chips and dip. The chips were made of beef tendon and nicely crisp, thin and tasty. The white bean dip was perfect with them for a snack to whet the appetite. We chose to have a Dutch gin and tonic to start and this included a tonic with cinnamon and orange flavors and star anise and orange in the glass of gin. The anise stayed perfectly placed when you drank and gave your nose a nice hit of its smell. A fun variation on a standard drink.
A couple snacks arrived before the menu started. A cream cheese mousse with radish, crispy bread crumbs and a melange of Indian spices. It was yummy, creamy, crispy goodness. Also an English breakfast with cream of eggs adorned with croutons and bacon. It was tasty and good but not as good as the other.
Bread is served in small half slices with a really nice butter. I wondered about this but after a few of the generous sized portions I realized that keeping people from filling up on bread is helpful.
Sea bass ceviche was plated with avocado, peas, jalapeño cream, and wild quinoa – lots of good tastes that blended well. The quinoa gave it a nice texture and the jalapeño lended a slight spice. The avocado was perfectly ripe and tasty. The ceviche seasonings were not so sour or tart as they often are and gave the fish a lovely texture. Fresh flavors in this fun course.
White asparagus were combined with morel mushrooms and foam made from smoked sheep cheese. Chinese greens, ramsons and something spicy rounded out the plate. The asparagus was really nice and enhanced by a bit of blackened thyme. A good plate.
A cod fillet was adorned with Dutch brown shrimp, kohlrabi, seaweed, miso juice and kombu. Some spinach puree completed the plate. The darks strips on top are a Japanese product that was unique with a great taste. The little shrimps are totally tasty and the fish was terrific as was the dish.
Lamb was served nicely rare and plated with red and green tomatoes, lentils from the Netherlands, eggplant and burrata. A small piece of well done neck meat was alongside. The lamb was tender and tasty and all the ingredients combined nicely.
A cheese course included 4 cheeses, that you didn’t have to pick, along with raisin/nut bread, quince jam and pasta dough crisps. The cheeses were a goat cheese aged in charcoal, a Belgian cheese, a white winter milk cheddar, and a sharp blue cheese. It was a nice assortment of cheese and all were quite good. The quince jam and nut bread were good accompaniments.
Dessert was Dutch strawberries with Chartruse parfait, rhubarb and homemade granola. The granola was really tasty as were the strawberries. A nice amount of sweetness and crunch made a perfect end to the meal. We paired it with a glass of sipping gin recommended by the waiter – a good choice.
Final treats were a milk chocolate bar with fudge/caramel filling, kiwi jellies, and macaroons of peanuts and jelly. For the first time in a long time I loved the macaroons – a YUM here.
