Love classic French cuisine? Then head to Amsterdam’s new top traiteur La Chaleur

Going out to eat is generally wonderful, especially when someone cooks incredibly delicious food for you, the ambiance is just right and, of course, because you don’t have to do anything yourself. But you can do that very well at home too! For that ambiance, light a candle or put on your favorite music, and those other two factors? For those, Amsterdam’s new traiteur and caterer La Chaleur is the perfect place to go.

The chef at La Chaleur is no ordinary chef: with extensive experience at, among others, restaurant Mos (with a Michelin star!), this young, passionate guy has mastered and executes robust, layered French cuisine down to the last detail. Where can you find him? In Amsterdam’s De Pijp.

A different mindset

Born and raised in Amsterdam, Karim has been cooking since he was young and learned the finer points of the trade at various restaurants, including the highly refined Mos. At Mos, besides the atmosphere and good service, of course, it’s all about fine dining, with exceptionally stylishly presented plates and exquisite dishes. Karim is very good at that, but after the reset brought on by the pandemic, he realized he needed more rustic, more down-to-earth cooking.

From tweezers to ladles

He also wanted to move away from plates that usually have four other chefs adding something haute-gastronomic with tweezers before those plates leave the kitchen (these are my words, not his), and return to basics—to the rich, flavorful French dishes he knew from the cookbooks he had been reading as a teenager. And not fifteen different dishes at once either: no, a small menu with just a few dishes, executed perfectly. With that idea, he recently launched La Chaleur.

Perfect if you find choosing difficult

And so a menu was created with three main courses to choose from, one starter, a sweet dessert and a cheese board. When we visited, there was onion soup to start, and a choice of boeuf bourguignon, bouillabaisse, or a beautiful savory celeriac and mushroom stew with potatoes. Dessert was lemon meringue pie, followed, naturally, by those cheeses—with fig compote, grapes and walnut bread.

Time and love

We’ll keep it brief (and we ate everything except the vegetarian dish): it was delicious. Karim makes everything himself (apart from the cheese and the bread, which comes from a very good bakery around the corner), with expertise, great care and hours of time. And you can taste it. A broth that has simmered for a whole day, onions that truly caramelize for hours as the base of the soup, a perfect rouille for the bread served with the fragrant, steaming, generously filled bouillabaisse—it’s all TOP.

Have it delivered or stop by for a chat

Everything comes hot from the pans (not from the microwave) and is served generously in good takeaway packaging. You can order online via Deliveroo, but it’s even more enjoyable to stop by (you can also call and order in advance), have a chat and perhaps choose a bottle of delicious natural wine as well.

Open during the day too

By the way: you can also get deliciously filled baguettes for lunch! In keeping with the whole idea of dishes that aren’t overly complicated but are executed exceptionally well, you can (at the moment, but check the menu) choose between a baguette with smoked mackerel mixed with capers, pointed cabbage and sesame; a baguette with Brie mousse, radish, port syrup and walnut; or a baguette with duck rillette, shallot compote and cornichons. Doesn’t all of that sound insanely delicious?! You can also order the dessert and cheese board during the day.

Hurry over to De Pijp

As far as we’re concerned: highly recommended. The baguettes cost between €5.50/€6.50, and the main courses €11–€14. And unless you’ve also cooked in a Michelin-starred restaurant yourself, we don’t think you’ll easily match this level in your own kitchen. And you don’t have to—for these prices, we wouldn’t even try ourselves! You’ll find La Chaleur at Van Woustraat 48 in Amsterdam, and be sure to check the website for more practical information and to see exactly what deliciousness Karim has cooked for you today. Bon appétit!

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