5 reasons to gallop to the ultra-hip Capital Kitchen
Trends in the Dutch hospitality world follow one another at lightning speed. A few years ago, plants hung above your plate everywhere, then everything was painted black and you drank complicated cocktails from a copper tankard—not to mention all those complicated concepts you got minute-long explanations about at the table. If you want to be completely up to date in the here and now in one fell swoop, trot at full speed to Capital Kitchen in Amsterdam. All the latest trends in one place, and you get a delicious plate of food too.
Funny how fashion works: what is already completely passé in Amsterdam and makes people in Rotterdam yawn is now absolutely the thing in smaller cities. Playing jeu de boules in a restaurant, board games on the table, a beach bar in a place without a beach, or a theme restaurant devoted to avocado, kimchi or raw fish: maybe you live within the ring and this is already soooo last year to you. If you’re a hipster, you’ll definitely want to check out Capital Kitchen in Amsterdam’s Capital C, to discover where the hospitality industry is heading in the years to come.
Big names
Creative hub Capital C was conceived by property developer Cor van Zadelhoff and media entrepreneur Willem Sijthoff, who turned the old diamond exchange on Weesperstraat into something special. Creativity is central, and art is a must, so he worked with all kinds of big names in Dutch design to make this place something special. Here you’ll find an art gallery, space for creative companies, unusual meeting rooms and yes, a restaurant too: Capital Kitchen. What new trends can you pick up here?
Reason 1: Art is all around
Stylist and creative Maarten Spruyt designed the restaurant, with tables inspired by the human interior, art on the walls with nerve pathways and eggs, eye-wateringly expensive wallpaper and chairs that all have slightly different organic shapes, making them resemble body cells or bacteria—whatever you want to see in them. At the bar hangs a work of art by Joep van Lieshout, reflecting on the precarious situation of middle-aged white men today (you have to see it to understand it, as Cruyff would say). Unique, for sure.
Reason 2: Wine, beer, cocktails
The wine list is tip-top. Capital Kitchen arranged that by giving Harold Hamersma free rein. Plenty of Dutch wine on the menu, which makes everyone happy—Mother Earth most of all. But of course there’s beer too (curated by beer expert Ronald Giphart), and behind the bar, beneath that work by Van Lieshout, a cheerful woman mixes cocktails with a firm hand. Want kombucha? They have that too, so it’s going to be a feast.
Reason 3: Someone has a moustache
When sommelier Reggi comes to your table, you immediately know: this place is Very Very Hip. Because he has a fairy-tale moustache, with elegant curls and a cheerful face above it. Bonus: he’s incredibly friendly, can’t stop talking about the wine list and pours exactly the right wine for your dish. Finding staff for a new restaurant is almost impossible these days, but Capital Kitchen managed it: besides Mr Moustache, all kinds of adorable young people walk around here who may not have much hospitality experience, but more than make up for it with their fresh moods and infectious enthusiasm for their work.
Reason 4: Local rules
You can’t really call that a trend anymore; it’s a long-running development: the more local the ingredients, the better. Capital Kitchen hasn’t started growing lettuce on the roof, but sources its groceries nice and close to home. Steak from the Beemster, mackerel from the North Sea, a stew made with Ouderkerk beef and an advocaat to finish—that’s what the Netherlands tastes like. Sustainability, the environment, CO2—name it. Being environmentally friendly isn’t difficult when you’re sitting here, because the food is fantastic. No fuss, beautiful plates, great flavours (keep it up, Chef Dave Wijnschenk), so sit back and enjoy those karma points.
Reason 5: Wacky meetings
Not for eating, but for meetings: they have fantastic spaces here that you can book to discuss the annual figures, set out the strategy for the coming quarter or simply hold an editorial meeting (hint). They’ve also all been designed by different artists. Impressive: the soft-pink meeting room with furniture designed especially for this place, or a clock tower where hundreds of old clocks tick, rattle and cuckoo. Plenty of inspiration!
Read also:
- These 8 food trends you don’t want to miss in 2021
- Trend: flatten your hamburger
- 10x the grossest drink requests made to bar staff
