Restaurant Spectrum** by Sidney Schutte launches compact menu: fine dining without spending hours at the table
Restaurant Spectrum at the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam has been known as a culinary hotspot for years. No surprise, with two Michelin stars and 18.5 points from Gault&Millau. Chef Sidney Schutte’s dishes are truly spectacular, featuring top Dutch products and international influences. Spending five hours at the table is nothing unusual here. But there’s good news for anyone who wants to enjoy top gastronomy without sitting at the table until deep into the night: Spectrum is launching a shorter menu, so you can dine faster, but no less spectacularly.
Fine dining, but slightly fewer hours at the table
Spectrum is a wonderful place for dinners that fill your entire evening. But not everyone has the time (or desire) to count courses for five hours. That’s why Sidney is now introducing a smaller menu: four or five courses, featuring a selection of the finest dishes from the regular tasting menu—which, including amuse-bouches and dessert, consists of thirteen courses (!). Perfect for a weeknight or if you simply want to enjoy haute cuisine in a more accessible way.
“The aim is to make Spectrum a little more accessible on Wednesdays and Thursdays,” Sidney explains. “So you can also enjoy a culinary experience in the middle of the week, without rolling away from the table at half past eleven.”
Sidney Schutte: master of flavour contrasts
Sidney’s cuisine is known for elegant dishes, but also powerful flavours, pronounced contrasts and spectacular presentation. At De Librije***, where he was the right-hand man of the late top chef Jonnie Boer for ten years, he developed his inventiveness. At Amber*** in Hong Kong, where Dutch chef Richard Ekkebus recently received his third Michelin star, he learned the refinement of Asian cuisine.
In 2014, he returned to the Netherlands to establish (what was then) Librije’s Zusje at the Amsterdam Waldorf Astoria for Thérèse and Jonnie Boer. In 2019, they stepped back and Sidney continued independently as Spectrum.
“I don’t need to go abroad for the best products; everything is here,” Sidney once said. “From North Sea fishermen to farmers with generations of knowledge. This inspires me to create new flavours and dishes every day.”
Together with his team, he serves a spectrum of flavours: every bite is an adventure. Whether you choose the regular menu or the shorter menu, you will always eat at the highest level.
What’s on the menu?
Spectrum’s tasting menu is a journey through surprising combinations. Think of dishes such as watermelon (arranged like a croissant!) with lemongrass, tomato, horseradish, pistachio and mint. Shiso (made from the serrated leaves of the Asian perilla plant) with chicory, green olive, morel and farmhouse Gouda. The crispy shiso leaf, that morel… that sauce—it’s insanely delicious. And just look at that beautiful plate with its leaves and branching pattern!
Snail with snail eggs
Or how about snail with snail eggs (presented at the table—have you ever seen those eggs?) with octopus, Jerusalem artichoke and bacon. And: snow fungus with chestnut strands, cumin, lovage and mandarin. With every dish, you wonder, ‘What am I tasting?’; it’s so layered, so creative. The same goes for the presentation—what beautiful plates!
The atmosphere: understated luxury on the Herengracht
At Spectrum, it’s all about the overall experience. The high-end service from maître Cas Kratz and the rest of the team feels attentive but not stiff. Every course is accompanied by a story, and every wine or alcohol-free cordial pairs perfectly with the dish. The location is, of course, very special too. The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, home to Spectrum, is housed in six 17th-century canal houses.
Inside, you’ll find subtle class and understated elegance, with top-notch service and beautiful details. From Zalto glassware to a—yes, really—preheated coat when using the valet parking in winter. Every detail is right.
Not just Spectrum: new restaurant Rust Wat by Sidney Schutte
As if he weren’t busy enough, Sidney recently took over restaurant Rust Wat in Blaricum together with his partner Gigi van Es. A different kind of adventure, because alongside the top restaurants Molina* in Kuala Lumpur, Cocina de Autor* in Mexico and Spectrum**, he will give the menu a fresh boost, with beautiful French dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. “No pursuit of stars, just simple and good,” he says enthusiastically when he briefly joins the table. Meanwhile, he remains focused on Spectrum.
Fine dining at your own pace
Whether you choose the extensive menu or the more compact version, at restaurant Spectrum you will always taste Sidney’s creativity, finesse and passion, along with that of Chef de Cuisine Danny Spoel and the rest of the kitchen team. And with the new shorter menu, you can now enjoy two stars on your plate on a weeknight too—without needing a midnight taxi home. Four courses cost 210 euros, while five courses cost 230 euros. And you’ll receive not only a memory, but also a flavour that stays with you forever…
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