Ron Gastrobar
Ah, here we are – one top restaurant off my list! Ron Gastrobar has always been a must do for me, but I’ve always waited for some extra money to make the step. My wonderful friends Kendra and Ben gave me giftcard for my birthday and made this wish come true! Therefore, starting the post with a huge thanks to them.
Ron Gastrobar belongs to the famous Ron Blaauw. The restaurant holds one Michelin star and proudly presents itself as high quality “minus the fuss”. It’s also one of the best value for money that you will find in Amsterdam for such an experience.
The menu structure is pretty simple. You can choose from an a la carte version or a “best of Gastrobar “menu, consisting of 6 dishes that will set you back 70 EUR / person. Not bad for a one Michelin star venue, I think.
The venue is located in Zuid, right next to Vondelpark. It has a beautiful garden, but you’ll probably have to wait another 9 months to enjoy that. The interior is lively and they have an “open kitchen”, so you can see how everything is prepared. Ron Gastrobar is where it all started – Oriental and Indonesia followed.
Both Hayden and I chose the 6 course menu. My favorite part about the “minus the fuss” concept is that you can freely choose to have beers with it, without getting the stink eye. Perfect.
Before our first course arrived, we got some warm bread with homemade butter. I had about 2 slices thinking that I definitely won’t be stuffed from a tasting menu. I was wrong, but more on that later.
First course! Sashimi of mackerel with red meat radish and elderflower dressing. I’ll admit I had no idea what a red meat radish was, so I just Googled that. The radish had a gingery/lemony taste that went really well with the fish and caviar. Hayden ate half of it, which is A LOT for someone who can’t stand raw fish. No worries, I happily ate the rest.
Next, we had the steak tartare: chopped beef with crispy ‘pide’ of brick dough, anchovy and piment. Loved the concept of the steak tartare coming in a crispy, doughy bed. The pimento added a nice spicy kick (that Hayden hasn’t noticed but what does he know). The dish was covered with oyster cream.
Third course brought more fish to the table: brill baked on farmhouse brown bread with shiitake and ponzu gravy. Time to note that this was one of my favorites. The fish itself was slightly sweet and perfectly balanced by the bitter-ish brown bread. Together with the gravy, the combination between the 3 flavors worked wonderfully. Ah, Hayden loved it – again, not a fish guy, generally.
Next up we had the ravioli of lamb with sweet and sour watermelon,
feta and ras el hanout. I wouldn’t have known this was lamb, as the texture was very similar to pulled pork. Anyway, I wanna talk about the feta cheese sauce which was delightful. I am a sucker for a feta and watermelon love story to be fair, but I never pictured them together in liquid form. The dish was very rich (with only 2 ravioli) and at this point we realized we’re definitely not leaving this place hungry.
Our fifth and last savory dish was Ron’s famous boneless spareribs with crunchy sauerkraut and homemade sambal. The quality of this dish was exceptional, with the meat melting in your mouth and the crunchy sauerkraut making all the difference. The ribs are slightly sweet and the sambal adds that spicy touch that we all love (I hope?). We both struggled to finish – seriously should have skipped that second piece of bread.
The sixth course: Ron’s surprise egg! Our waiter asked us if we want him to explain the dish or if we just want to try and figure it out. I said I’d like an explanation as I am reviewing this. However, I’ve decided the surprise egg should remain exactly that, a surprise, for those reading. I will say nevertheless that this is the best dessert I had in Amsterdam and the third best ever. The first 2 spots are occupied by my mom’s cheesecake and chocolate lava cake, sorry.
6 courses and 3 beers later, I was wondering what was I thinking wearing a tight dress. Asked for the bill while trying to catch my breath, and received one last surprise: a tiny slated caramel ice-cream (our favorite). Hayden said “God damn it, this is even the best ice-cream I’ve ever had”.
Ron Gastrobar absolutely met my expectations. While I wasn’t 100% impressed with the first 2 dishes, the experience was amazingly pleasant and the culinary trip was well worth the money. I am eager to try Ron’s Oriental soon and I hope to be just as satisfied.
If you’re looking for a nice dinner our, something special but without necessarily needing to suit up or order a 80 EUR bottle of wine because you don’t have another choice…this is the place for you. Truly high quality food, minus the fuss.
I’m giving Ron’s Gastrobar a 9 because I am judging it slightly harsher than I usually do, given the Michelin star.
Value for money: 9
Food Quality: 9
Location: 9 (Sophialaan 55)
Service: 9
Website: https://rongastrobar.nl/en/sophialaan/
Have a suggestion, question, or just want to hola at me? Find me here: sayhello.eatandtell@gmail.com
