Truffles for everyone at the Truffle Boutique
Truffles are magical, delicious and wonderfully decadent, too. And difficult to get hold of, chef Lars van Holst discovered. ‘I could buy preserved truffles with no flavor at all. But as a private individual, you can’t get fresh truffles anywhere. That’s why I started the Truffle Boutique, to introduce everyone to truffles.’
‘Magical,’ says Lars when you ask him what makes truffles so special. ‘No one knows how versatile truffles actually are. I’ve discovered that you can make many delicious dishes with them, and I want people to taste them.’ That’s why Lars opened his restaurant Truffle Boutique last month. Six years in the kitchen, working his way up from doormat to chef, and a career as a barista and cocktail shaker, with a stint at the Rietveld and training as a graphic designer thrown in: all that experience comes together in the atmospheric little building on the Overtoom, near Vondelpark.
His own truffle dogs
He currently goes through two kilos of fresh black truffle a week, and that amount is only going to increase. Because everything, absolutely everything, in this restaurant revolves around truffles. ‘I buy them from a small family business in Umbria; they search for the truffles with their own dogs.’ The Truffle Boutique is now open for lunch, and in the evenings Lars serves various sharing boards that are finger-licking good. ‘With charcuterie, with cheese only, or with a combination. That’s the idea: dipping, tasting, talking to each other. It’s all wonderfully rustic and indulgent.’
Perfect combination
Perfect ingredients form the basis. Those fresh truffles, of course, as well as handmade sourdough bread, special blue cheese infused with truffle, and good Manchego: Lars has his favorite suppliers. Combine that with his craftsmanship and love of truffles, and you get a chef who experiments extensively in his cellar because he wants to make as much as possible himself. Such as the house-made white truffle oil mixed with pure honey from a beekeeper. ‘Then you dip pieces of eight-month-old Manchego into it; those flavors are perfect together. No younger Manchego, because then you can’t taste the cheese anymore, and if the Manchego has aged too long, you’re simply eating aged cheese. This is the right balance.’
Truffle grilled cheese?
Let’s take a quick look at the menu: popcorn with truffle, toasted sourdough bread with truffle butter, little crackers with truffle mascarpone and even a truffle grilled cheese sandwich. ‘That’s my four-cheese grilled cheese with mozzarella, Gouda, Parmesan and cream cheese. Then I shave fresh black truffle over it.’ The wine list features a small selection, such as a pale pink rosé and a full-bodied white, all from the same region as the truffles. ‘Every so often I change something on the menu to keep things exciting. New red wine is coming soon. And then, if all goes well, in the autumn, we’ll also offer the option of dining with us.’
We can’t wait.
Wine marathon
Are you also taking part in the Amsterdam Wine Marathon? Good idea, because Truffle Boutique is one of the stages. Check online how to get a race entry and what your training schedule looks like, then you’ll be well prepared to enjoy a truffle snack – with a delicious matching glass, of course.
