Sinck
To take a break from reviewing “places I’ve passed a million times but never been to“, today we’re talking about a (fairly) new restaurant in Amsterdam: Sinck!
Hayden and I ended up at Sinck for a date night after realizing that nowadays you’re supposed to reserve your spot for any Italian restaurant in this city 2 weeks in advance or something. I tried booking Ceppi’s, Tozi or Toscanini with no luck. 1 week in advance, for a Thursday! So I started googling what’s new in town.
What I liked about Sinck straight away is that you can reserve a spot right next their open kitchen. As if watching 3 million episodes of cooking shows wasn’t enough, I definitely wanted to see the action (spoilers: it’s less dramatic than Hell’s Kitchen, and no one’s shouting – sigh).
Sinck is a “wine bar and restaurant” that opened in December 2021. It has 2 floors, so you can also just go to enjoy a glass / bottle of wine. But I think it’s worth getting the whole shebang – cause they do food pretty well.
To start, we shared the Steak Tartare. The meat is mixed with a delicious spread, it comes with smoked yolk, and it’s nothing short of delicious. Hayden’s never had one before, so I was really hoping for a good first experience, since I’m crazy for tartares. We both loved it. Bonus points – look how pretty this thing looks!
Moving on to mains, I chose the Pork Belly, slow-cooked in red wine. It’s something I know I’ll never make at home, so had to take advantage of the opportunity. The meat melts in your mouth, and while the dish is a pretty heavy one (obviously), it was easy to finish. I recommend getting a salad or something light on the side to balance it out. My tummy was pretty happy with my choice.
Hayden had the Truffle Gnocchi. To be fair, you could have anything on the menu – if there’s gnocchi, it’d be pretty hard for him to skip it. I’ve seen pics of the dish while browsing through the reviews (like normal people do…no?). I knew it looked pretty, so I was pretty confident it will deliver. And it did. The truffle was subtle enough to not take over the dish. The parmesan added its own depth. The fennel added that touch of color and freshness. Excellent dish by Sinck, I’d say. Hayden adds: it was a bit too small (big guy, I don’t know…).
Since we could see the chefs in front of us putting together all these beautiful things, we knew we had to try one of the desserts too. We went with the Lemon Parfait, which I think was the perfect choice. It has a touch of caramel and elderflower, too. It was light and summery. A great end to a great meal without making us feel too full. It was a close one, though.
Along the way, I enjoyed glasses of a Rosé wine I liked, but of course they’re there to guide you through their (very extensive) list. The staff was great and really made the experience better. Never had a glass empty for too long, all courses and drinks were explained to us (it’s my bad I forgot everything about the wine). We even got to taste something we’ve seen them add to the burrata starter – a mustard sorbet. It tastes better than it sounds!
If I had to pick one thing I wasn’t crazy about it’s the fact that they charge for water. This is a nice place; won’t break the wallet, but it’s not a cheap night out. A dinner for 2 with drinks would cost at least 100 EUR. I think there’s a point where water should really just be…on the house.
Overall, restaurant Sinck was a very pleasant find. I’d totally recommend it for a date night, or taking family / friends out when they visit. It’s made for wine lovers, so it would hit the spot mainly with this crowd. However, the food on its own is reason enough to visit.
I believe their menu changes seasonally, so what you just read about is their summer menu. The steak tartare and dessert were my favorites. Hurry up to get the same (delicious) options!
– great, I just depressed myself realizing summer’s ending soon –
Value for money: 9
Food Quality: 9
Location: 9 (Prinsengracht 422h)
Service: 10
Website: https://www.sinckamsterdam.nl/
