Culinary excellence in Amsterdam
This month the five star Hotel Okura Amsterdam, which is renowned for its culinary excellence, is opening its fourth dining experience – ‘Serre Restaurant, inspired by Ciel Bleu’.
This will enable a wider number of guests to enjoy the quality and style for which the hotel’s two Michelin star French restaurant, Ciel Bleu is renowned but presented with a lighter touch and in a more informal setting.
Serre Restaurant will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first time making it possible for guests to enjoy a luxurious full-service breakfast at the hotel. The restaurant’s signature dish will be ‘Serre’s Bento box’ – a sumptuous box recommended by the Chef de Cuisine that contains a complete feast of culinary delights including seafood, meat and vegetable dishes, as well as dessert and an optional glass of wine - that guests can enjoy within 50 minutes.
In addition to the new Serre Restaurant, Hotel Okura Amsterdam has an impressive array of three other restaurants, as well as its own ‘Taste of Okura’ Culinary Center, where Okura’s chef’s offer cooking workshops to guests. The hotel’s French Ciel Bleu restaurant has been a holder of two Michelin stars since 2007 and its traditional Japanese speciality restaurant Yamazato has been the proud owner of one Michelin star since 2002. Sazanka, the hotel’s Teppanyaki restaurant allows guests can sit around a hot iron plate whilst delicious fresh cuisine is prepared in front of them.
Marc van der Tang, (29) former Sous Chef of Ciel Bleu is the Chef de Cuisine at Serre Restaurant and will be guiding the kitchen team and creating innovative, yet classic dishes that reflect the essence of Ciel Bleu. He has worked with Onno Kokmeijer at Ciel Bleu for seven years and has completed the ‘Starclass’ course, which is the most exclusive cooking course for young professionals in the Netherlands.
Onno Kokmeijer, Ciel Bleu’s Executive Chef and Manager will also be overseeing the restaurant menus. Commenting on the new development he said “We wanted to give our guests more options to enjoy our flagship French cuisine. While Ciel Bleu is available for an extensive á la carte dinner, guests can now also visit Serre Restaurant for breakfast or a quick business lunch.”
Serre Restaurant features a modern interior design, allowing guests to enjoy their food in a relaxed, informal setting. A semi-open kitchen enhances the restaurant’s ‘buzzy’ and contemporary atmosphere. In addition, the restaurant has a spacious terrace, where guests have a view of the Amstel Canal from their dining chairs.
Jan Wilson from the London architectural firm of RPW was commissioned to design Serre Restaurant. She has been responsible for a number of other areas within the hotel and in this case has stamped her hallmark on the design with a deep rich blue interior featuring an internally lit porcelain chandelier which undulates above the central dining area and an impressive wine display as the backdrop.
The restaurant will be open daily from 7am until 11pm. A ‘Serre Bento Box’ costs €34.50 or €39.50 per person with wine. Reservations can be made via: serre@okura.nl
A one night stay at Hotel Okura Amsterdam costs from €210 per room per night excluding breakfast and 5% city tax. For details visit: okura.nl
