At Cantina Caliente, the South American food is so delicious you’ll want to lick your fingers
On a drizzly Sunday afternoon, we walked into Cantina Caliente without a second thought. We were then blown away by a beautiful and delicious selection from the rich cuisine of Latin America. This undiscovered gem in the capital is one you really need to know about.
The best chefs in South America
Cantina Caliente is the realization of Tom van den Broek’s dream. He lived and worked in Latin America for more than six years—including for major chefs such as Gastón Acurio (Peru’s most famous chef and an award-winning cookbook author) and Jorge Vallejo (owner and chef of Quintonil in Mexico City; the highest-ranked Mexican restaurant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list).
Now Tom wants to introduce people here to a selection of what he considers the best Latin American dishes.
Food trucks and Foodhall
Tom is no unfamiliar name in the Dutch culinary scene either; since 2015, he and his team have travelled throughout the Netherlands and Belgium, serving Latin American dishes from food trucks. They have also been at Foodhall Mout in Hilversum for more than four years. From the beginning, the goal was to open their own restaurant, and with Cantina Caliente that dream has come true. We’re excited!
Large terrace
Cantina Caliente occupies the corner building on Roetersstraat that housed Café De Roeter for many years. Outside, there is a large terrace with sunshine all around. And with the university across the street, students have gained a lovely local hangout. Tom explains that, because of these students, some concessions have been made on the menu. Ideally, he would serve only truly authentic and slightly more experimental dishes, but he can’t avoid it: you can also order nachos and burritos here.
Interior
Inside, it is bright and homely, with a Latin American atmosphere. An old Chilean license plate on the windowsill, a large mural of Frida Kahlo, cacti by the window.
Tostadas to die for
We’re curious about Tom’s favourites, and he is happy to let us taste a selection from the menu. We start with a small version of the tostadas (deep-fried tacos): one with mackerel and one with cauliflower and pumpkin seeds. Both are incredibly fresh and packed with flavour. We could easily order a second portion of the bolinhos de bacalhau (cod croquettes), but we don’t, because there is much more to come, Tom promises.
Ceviche
Of course, we’re also curious about the ceviche, Peru’s national dish. The concept of ceviche is simple: take the freshest fish and cook it for a few minutes in a marinade based on citrus juice (tiger’s milk), then serve it immediately. Tom serves several varieties. We taste the classico, with sea bass, and the mixto, with sea bass and octopus. Both are an incredibly delicious interplay between the freshness of the ceviche and the sweet creaminess of the sweet potato served alongside it in the bowl. The different types of corn in this dish are also special (in Peru there are more than 300 (!) varieties of corn).
Tamale
The next dish is tamale, a well-known breakfast dish in Mexico consisting of corn dough filled with a savoury or sweet filling and wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks. The parcels are then steamed. Almost every city in Mexico has its own variation on the tamale. Cantina Caliente’s tamale is made with chicken stock and filled with pork, chicken and mole (pronounced: molé—a typically rich Mexican sauce), and is served with three sauces. It’s hard to imagine a more substantial breakfast.
Peruvian grilled octopus
Sometimes you eat something that immediately makes you want to start a conga line. The grilled octopus with Kalamata mayonnaise, chimichurri and sweet potato is one such dish. The combination of fresh flavours and perfectly cooked octopus is delicious. The table next to us clearly sees how much we are enjoying it and promptly orders the same dish.
Delicious drink
Of course, you can order tequila here, but what if you don’t want alcohol and would like something surprising? Pacha de Cacao is made from the cacao fruit. It doesn’t taste like chocolate, but like a wonderfully soft and mild tropical fruit drink. Highly recommended.
Tacos
The tacos are fantastic too. Tom serves us one variety with beef barbacoa and another with mushrooms and cheese. Once again, these are two outstanding little dishes. Anyone who has ever tasted truly good tacos will never really want anything else. In fact, these tacos alone are reason enough to eat at Cantina Caliente.
We’ll be back for this
For everything—and especially the Colombian arepas and Brazilian fish soup, because after tasting half the menu, we genuinely couldn’t manage any more.
¡ Vamos, vamos, vamos!
Amsterdam has gained a genuine Latin American cantina (in other words, a restaurant, café, bar and meeting place all in one). What a fantastic place—go!
Cantina Caliente, Roetersstraat 192, Amsterdam
Read also:
