Vinkeles
Netherlands
Vinkeles brings contemporary French cooking to The Dylan Amsterdam on the Keizersgracht. Its intimate dining room occupies a former eighteenth-century bakery, where surviving ovens connect the present-day restaurant with the building's earlier purpose. The menu places ingredients at the centre of carefully composed dishes. Published examples pair European lobster with lavender, nashi pear and crisp potato, while celeriac and black truffle show the same attention applied to vegetables. A chef's signature menu and wine pairings allow the evening to follow the kitchen's progression. Private dining is also available for smaller groups, extending the same approach to a more secluded room. The combination of historic setting and precise cooking makes Vinkeles particularly appropriate for a planned occasion. It is a restaurant to give time to, with the canal-house surroundings contributing as much to the atmosphere as the detail on the plate.