The Netherlands has long suffered from a reputation for dullish cuisine. As in any country, of course, you can find heavy, unimaginative food without really trying. With a little effort, you can also find restaurants that match or strive to reach the highest standards. Most of these offer Dutch, French, or Indonesian cuisine, and some offer all three. Indonesian is popular because of Holland's former role as an imperial power in the Far East. The selective list below is of restaurants with distinctive Dutch ambience and a clientele in which businesspeople are prominent. Reservations are essential.
Bali:95 Leidsestraat.Long established and famous for its Indonesian dishes, particularly rijsttafel (literally, "rice table") a sumptuous meal featuring over a dozen small samples of exotic foods. A real dining adventure.
Beddington :6 8 Roelof Hartstraat. . The formal atmosphere can be intimidating. But as French actress Arletty said, "Make your own atmosphere." Meanwhile, the chef makes some of the best dishes in town.
Bordewijk: 7 Noordermarkt. . Rather trendy, but the food and service are excellent.
Dynasty: 30 Reguliersdwarsstraat. . Behind the Singel Canal flower market and in a neighborhood with more than its share of gay bars and cabarets. Chinese and Thai dishes.
Kersentuin (Cherry Garden) :7 Dijsselhofplantsoen. . Good, if super yuppie. In the Garden Hotel, opposite the Hilton.
Le Pecheur:32 Reguliersdwarsstraat.Designed to make an impression, with its food as much as its decor. Specialty: fish.
Raden Mas: Stadhouderskade 6. A new, excellent Indonesian restaurant (a well known name already in The Hague and Rotterdam). The mayor pops in, along with gourmets from far afield. You can even arrive late and eat steadily for four hours.
Silveren Spiegel (Silver Mirror), 4 Kattengat. . Quaint, excellent, and a favorite with the business set. Opposite the Sonesta.
Speciaal: 142 Nwe Leliestraat. Probably the best Indonesian and Chinese food in, town. The Duke of Edinburgh has certainly eaten here; rumor has it that the local head of the KG13 has also dined.
't swarte schaep (the Black Sheep): 24 Leidsedwarsstraat. . Set in all the liveliness of the Leidseplein nightclub area. Very highly recommended.
