Kaagman & Kortekaas

Once in a blue moon, Hayden and I go out for a proper date night. I mean a 6 course meal, 4 hours long dinner, more wine than we should drink…the whole package. We’ve lately been hosting family and friends quite often, so was in dire need of an “us” night. That’s pretty much what brought us at Kaagman & Kortekaas!

The first thing I noticed – and loved – about this place is how unpretentious it is. I hate the idea that you can only have a nice meal and experience if you’re super dressed up or have to politely whisper to each other. Ugh. Good food with good vibes is pretty much what I’m looking for, even on “fancy” nights.

We chose a nice red bottle of wine, and patiently waited for the chef’s menu extravaganza. Before any of the food arrived, we got delicious bread with homemade butter. +1 points for me – no matter what, we weren’t gonna leave hungry (they refill the bread and butter throughout the whole night). Our waiter also asked us if we’d like to kick it off with some oysters. While that’s always a “hell yeah” to me, I was surprised Hayden also went for it. And so, he tasted his first oyster, ever. I think he expected it to be weirder than it actually was. “It tastes like…the whole ocean”. He didn’t hate it, and “could have one again”. I’ll take it.

Over the course of the next hours – a lot of hours; they definitely don’t hurry you or anything – we’ve received 6 delicious meals. Seafood was the main focus for the first half of the meal. We’ve enjoyed local anchovies with smoked creme fraiche, a cold soup (ish?) of leek and truffle, skate fish (probably also a first for me) and scallops with quail egg and veal marrow.

There was a lot going on in each of these dishes, which makes you wonder if it’s all gonna work together. It does! The leak & truffle was memorable, and so were the flavours in the scallop dish, although a bit over-salted.

The “mains” were on the meatier side. We first had a veal cheek with a reduction of smoked eel skins, which melted in your mouth.

Lastly, Hayden’s favorite bird (to eat, I mean, I don’t know what his favorite bird is) hit the table: the duck! A beautiful duck breast in the spotlight, and duck bitterballen made of hearts and livers. The bitterballen tasted delicious, but I struggled a bit with the structure. It’s a me thing, no fault.

We’ve ended the night with some dessert drinks, and headed home after a long, delightful meal. The staff was incredibly nice and even asked the chefs to sign a card for me. I’m trying to get a souvenir from all the chefs in Shortlist Amsterdam .

The menu, of course, changes all the time, so if you pay them a visit, you’ll get different dishes. I am however pretty sure the quality stays high and you won’t be dissatisfied.

I highly recommend Kaagman & Kortekaas for a spectacular meal, in a relaxed ambience. I’m not sure how well they can accommodate a vegetarian / vegan diet, but worth asking. Obviously, this isn’t the spot for your cheap night out – but once in a while, you gotta live a little, eh? I don’t know. That’s what I tell myself when I check my bank account. #noragrets #notevenasingleletter

Value for money: 9

Food Quality: 9

Location: 10 (Sint Nicolaasstraat 43)

Service: 9

Website: https://kaagmanenkortekaas.nl/en/

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