Taste of Culture is the Chinese restaurant in Amsterdam where all the chefs eat
During my student years, I had it all figured out: a nice part-time job in a casual eatery (which was mainly a brown café), closing down Cooldown, Bubbels or Joop several times a week and then rolling home — because I lived on Korte Leidsedwarsstraat. It was also the period when I discovered that not all restaurants around Leidseplein are tourist traps, because you can actually eat very well there too. Like at Taste of Culture.
Taste of Culture has been popular for decades. With tourists, with locals and even with star chefs.
A favorite of Johannes van Dam
When the late Johannes van Dam was still writing the culinary reviews for Het Parool, he could make or break businesses: a good rating meant immense crowds, a failing grade… Then you might as well close your restaurant. Fortunately, Taste of Culture fell into the first category: they were rewarded with a 9 and ranked in the all-time Top Ten of Johannes van Dam.
And that’s a good thing, because otherwise I would never have known that this Chinese restaurant, with its unpleasant fluorescent lights and nonexistent terrace, has a fantastic menu.
Taste of Culture: that Peking duck!
Because Taste of Culture is neither cozy nor atmospheric, but that’s not what you come for either. Joris Bijdendijk is a frequent guest here, and he always orders — just like many others, because this is the dish they are renowned for — the Peking duck.
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Under the fluorescent lights
It is difficult for a restaurant that has been praised to the heavens like Taste of Culture to maintain its quality over all those years. Some say they have not succeeded, but I would say: try it for yourself. You can also do so via delivery, by the way, if those fluorescent lights put you off a little too much. Culinary reviewer Monique van Loon did too and she was very pleased with it.
Taste of Culture, Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 139-141, Amsterdam
Read also:
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