Ottolenghi Amsterdam opens inside Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium
Yotam Ottolenghi has opened Ottolenghi Amsterdam inside the Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium, marking his first Dutch restaurant and second in mainland Europe.
The restaurant will be staffed by a local team trained by Executive Chef, Neil Campbell and General Manager, Marisha Wilson, who have a combined 18 years’ experience at the helm of Ottolenghi’s London restaurants, Rovi and Nopi.
Keeping with the Ottolenghi ethos of local sourcing, ingredients on the menu include dairy and cheeses from Over Amstel Boerderij, salads grown by TopKrop Farm in Molenlaan and aubergines farmed by fifth generation family produce growers, Zwinkels, located just an hour outside Amsterdam.
Menu highlights include beef carpaccio with pickled Jerusalem artichoke and labneh; lamb chops with grated tomato and cumin salt; brothy chickpeas with parmesan stock, amba and shatta; braised carrots with lentils and pickled kumquats; fish kofta with tomato caraway sauce; coffee rubbed chicken skewers with toum; and crispy potatoes with lovage and preserved lemon butter.
Desserts feature squash and pear fritters with coconut sorbet; preserved lemon pavlova; and apple mille feuille with calvados butter.
Drinks include natural wines and signature cocktails such as the Shatta Margarita, a tequila based cocktail with mezcal, green chilli shatta, agave, lime and urfa; Ottolenghi Martini, with gin, vodka, vermouth, nori, preserved lemon, pickled mooli and cucumber; and Cheong Sour, mixed with jenever, rhubarb, blood orange, lemon and ginger. There’s also a curated range of non-alcoholic wines, artisanal soft drinks and zero cocktails.
The restaurant sits beneath the hotel’s glass atrium, part of a landmark building originally constructed as the Rijkspostspaarbank and later the Sweelinck Conservatorium. An outdoor terrace will open in spring.
Designed by longtime collaborator Alex Meitlis, the space evokes an indoor living forest with planted trees. Artwork by Gilles & Cecilie Studio, inspired by Dutch landscapes and Delft ceramics, adds abstract detail.
