A sneak peak in the refreshing kitchen of Wils
Olympic fire
Situated next to the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam South you will find Wils. Wils is named after Jan Wils, who is the architect of the Olympic Stadium and who brought back the olympic fire to Amsterdam with this architectural piece of art.
From the terrace of Wils, located at the 3th floor, you will have an amazing view on the Olympic Stadium, so it is the perfect place to have an appetizer. After our appetizer we took a seat at the bar that provides a perfect view in the open kitchen. The chefs are literally cooking right in front of you and they will definitely make sure that you will have a evening to remember. There is a lot of interaction between the chefs and the guests and you will see the Olympic fire burning right in front of you!
Atmosphere
Although Wils has a Michelin star, it is a very accesible restaurant. You can either choose to get dressed in a fancy way or simply wear some nice casual clothes. Since it was our first time in a good restaurant since the lockdown, we decided to go a bit fancy which was kindly noticed as we entered the room. However, we did not feel overdressed, despite the fact that half of the people were pretty casually dressed.
Wils is located in an open space with windows on both sides, a nice modern open kitchen with bar en cosy round tables on the side.
The interior of Wils is slick and modern, as is the service. The people of Wils are kind, interested and not afraid to interact and make a joke. It will make you feel at ease and relaxed. In other words, the perfect atmosphere to enjoy some great dishes with amazing wine pairing.
The food
Before heading over to the food, I want to take a moment to give credits to the awesome sommelier of Wils. A very cool lady that did a great job with finding the perfect balance in every wine pairing and also managed to get the dishes to a higher level. Great job! Of course I will share a few of these great combinations with you – don’t worry.
The dishes of Wils can be best described as fresh with a smokey component. There are a few exceptions, but you will definitely taste that olympic fire in the dishes. Moreover, the menu consists of meat, fish and vegetarian (even vegan) dishes. A wide variety of dishes that prove that Wils has a broad set of skills. Believe me, you will definitely taste that.
Start with dessert
If you go to Wils any time soon, you have to promise me that you will not skip dessert. I don’t care about your diet or anything, you cannot skip it. This dessert is one of the best I have had – note that I have been to Room4Dessert by the legendary Will Goldfarb – and missing out on it would be an awful mistake.
The dessert had so many cool layers: the freshness of the raspberry, combined with the comfort of sesame praline and the slightly salty sea weed. A perfectly balanced dessert that will blow your mind and will leave you craving for more. In short, the perfect ending of a great evening. The dessert was accompanied by a saké. Usually I would not go for a saké, as it is not really my taste. However, the combination of the saké and the dessert worked perfectly as it perfectly combined with the fresh, salty and comfortable flavors of the dish. A fun, unexpected and innovative combination!
However, before this amazing dessert we also had some other great dishes. For example the extremely fresh trout with charcoal cream, radish and a puree of lettuce. The trout was accompanied by a beautiful chablis. The delicious subtle fresh taste of the chablis perfectly supported the smoked and fresh flavors.
Let’s also not forget about the monkfish with Opperdoezer Ronde potato, tartar made of razor fish and a beurre blanc of razor fish. The monkfish was accompanied by a beautiful aromatic picpoul, that came close to a chardonnay in combination with the dish. That was actually perfect, given that the fatty structure of the beurre blanc really needed an aromatic wine. Again: a dream team!
Favorite dish
One of my favorite dishes was the cauliflower. However, I must say that I went totally crazy when I have the monkfish combined with the picpoul. In my opinion that dish was a perfect example of good team work. Oh, and let’s not forget about that insanely good dessert with the sesame praliné. Conclusion: no favorite, all good!
Highlight
The atmosphere combined with the great food-wine pairing. The open kitchen is a really nice feature and creates an amazing open space which enables loverly interactions with the chefs. A great price-quality ratio that is worth every penny!
Stadionplein 26, 1076 CM Amsterdam
à la carte or a 6-course menu for EUR 90
Lisa Proof(t) 