Gertrude

Last weekend, the best thing happened – 2 full non-working days, filled with sun. The first one of the year! Naturally, terraces and restaurants were filled with people eager to enjoy the miracle. I wonder how many sick days were taken last Friday? Anyway. Together with our friends visiting from Paris, we also ventured into the world…of a French restaurant: Gertrude.

Although I’ve passed this spot dozens of times, I have to admit I had no idea about it. The very cute looking restaurant has a fairly small, seasonal menu, put together by chef Amadou. You can enjoy a chef’s menu (I don’t remember how many courses this was), you can get a classic starter + main + dessert, or you can combine everything that sounds good to you, and share with the table. That’s what we’ve done.

To kick things off, we had a lovely glass of bubbly that I wish I could tell you more about…but when you go out with your very knowledgable wine friends, you take a step back. I believe it was the Chenin Blanc. Anyway, I’ll take this opportunity to say that the staff was lovely, and great with recommendations.

After enjoying some bread with smoked butter (yesss!), we shared oysters. The group’s favorites were the ones with shallot, hibiscus and radish.

Next up: yellow beats with kimchi and saffron. My vegan friend loves these. I reckon she has a higher appreciation for veggies. For me, the flavor didn’t have much depth, but it was a beauty to look at.

Speaking of veggies…the carrots with couscous and hazelnuts were nothing short of amazing. A complete dish on its own, which isn’t easy to achieve with carrots as the main character. Certainly one of the highlights of the meal.

The mackerel with vermouth, orange and trout egg was another pleasant surprise. A wonderful mix of flavors, where the sweetness or vermouth and acidity of the orange elevated the hell out of that fish. Overall, a great plate.

The kohlrabi 3 ways with black garlic and furikake was not a huge hit. I appreciate the ingenuity (oven roasted, creamy, sweet & sour), but the dish just didn’t really do it for me.

Coming up next, a pork tostada with chipotle, mandarin and coriander. Very good dish, which is not surprising looking at the components separately. Was expecting a flavor bomb, I got one. Only criticism: a tiny bit too salty.

Last but not least, the ribeye with salsa verde was cooked perfectly, and the cassoulet around it didn’t take over the main component. A great plate.

Besides everything above, we’ve had the red cabbage as a side, which I don’t recommend. It was ridiculously salty – and I love salt. Maybe it was a one time thing, but that was my experience. We’ve also shared the chocolate, pecan, caramel dessert, and the kletskop with pink pepper, lime leaf, citrus caviar. The latter was my favorite, as the chocolate one was a too sweet for me. Both good plates, though!

Overall, we’ve had a great lunch at Gertrude, with a couple of amazing plates, and some good ones. We’ve shared a couple of bottles of wine (great wine menu, by the way!), and the atmosphere was great. If it’s a sunny day, enjoy their beautiful terrace, or get the window table.

To sum up, if looking for a fancier lunch when in West…go for Gertrude.

Just don’t get the red cabbage. You’re safe otherwise.

Taste: 8

Value for money: 8

Location: 9 (Bosboom Toussaintstraat 28-H)

Service: 9

Website: https://www.gertrudeamsterdam.nl/