Restaurant Spectrum ** in Amsterdam

Want to have a truly special dining experience in Amsterdam? Book a table at two Michelin star restaurant Spectrum at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Previously known as Librije’s Zusje, restaurant Spectrum will give you a dining experience that you won’t forget easily.
From the beginning to the end, everything is taken care of and you’re served by a professional yet friendly staff that will make sure that you’re not falling short of anything.

Chef Sidney Schutte and restaurant manager Sasha Speckemeier have worked together since 2015 to create a unique restaurant experience. They’ve known each other for 10 years when they worked together at 3 star restaurant De Librije. After that they both followed their own culinary path in Asia and in 2015 their paths crossed again in Amsterdam. They opened up Librije’s Zusje and within a year of opening they were already rewarded with two Michelin stars.
As they’ve developed their own style and grew professionally, it was time for a new name for their own restaurant: Spectrum.

At Spectrum you can go for a full fine-dining experience with their 10 course menu. And to make it complete you can get a wine-pairing to really bring out the flavors of each dish. They’ll keep your wishes into account and you can also go for a vegetarian menu. My friend went for a no meat menu, but with fish and I went for the vegetarian menu.

There aren’t many Michelin star chefs that are so good with vegetarian dishes as Sidney Schutte. He really dares to experience and bring different flavors and textures together. It seems to me that he doesn’t see vegetarian as a restriction and that the dishes are at least as creative as the ones with meat and fish.

You start your dinner with 4 rounds of amuse-bouches. Pictured from top to bottom they were shiitake mushroom with za’atar and pickle, cauliflower with grapefruit ceviche, smoked bell pepper with green olive and egg yolk and the kohlrabi with fennel seed and smoked olive oil pictured here. As you can see each dish is presented in its own unique way.

This was one of the amuse-bouches from my friend who had the non-vegetarian menu and I thought it was too pretty not to share.

Even the bread at Restaurant Spectrum in Amsterdam was special. The bread is home made and served with Jersey milk butter and caramelized goat milk butter.

The first course was this watermelon dish. It looks like a heavy dish but underneath these thin watermelon slices was a light dish of dried lemongrass and tomatoes, horseradish pearls, pistachio and mint.

My friend had this piece of art as the first course. Everything you see is edible, which is almost hard to believe. It’s herring with puffed potato and dill, dill milk, miso cinnamon cream and egg yolk.

All the dishes at restaurant Spectrum are spectacular, the one even more artistic than the other. This dish is made with roasted sugar corn, Mexican tarragon, pineapple piccalilly, black sesame, avocado, crosne and pickled almonds.

Every dish had it’s own plate that fits the look and taste of the dish. This beetroot dish for example was served in a bowl where they added the layers of red beet, dark chocolate, wasabi-pesto, green appel and potato. With your spoon you could combine all the layers for each bite. The puffed buckwheat added a crunchy flavor to this dish.

Just when I thought the dishes couldn’t get more spectacular I got this work of art. It’s crispy black truffle with pumpkin cream, apricot seed oil and truffel milk. I never had a dish that looked this spectacular. And I’m a big truffle lover so this dish was absolutely one of my favorites.

The next dish had the very original combination of blackberries and shiitake mushrooms. It was served with a verbena vinaigrette, Belper knolle cheese and Jerusalem artichoke.

At restaurant Spectrum in Amsterdam you get two desserts. The first is a cheese dessert but it’s a lot more original than the standard cheese platter. This beautiful cake is made with goat cheese, lime leaf, beetroot, tamarillo and almond.

And to satisfy your sweet tooth there’s also a chocolate dessert. This dark chocolate Bros is served with lovage ice cream, mulberry, Jerusalem artichoke and black truffle. I love truffle but I never had it with my dessert, I have to say that it gives a very interesting touch to your sweet dessert and it combines great with the dark chocolate.

After your dinner you get chocolates that are inspired by the flavors of the dishes you had during the evening.

Having dinner at Restaurant Spectrum at the Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam is a very unique experience. If you’ve got something to celebrate or if you’re looking for a unique night out, I recommend you reserve your table at Restaurant Spectrum.

If you’re in Brabant and you’re looking for a good two Michelin star restaurant, I recommend De Lindehof in Nuenen.