Dinner on the Amstel River
Published:Thursday | June 6, 2013 | 12:00 AM
Barbara Ellington, Public Affairs Editor
The cuisine of a country is usually a good gauge of its culture and heritage. When 15 journalists from Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Jamaica toured the houses of Ketel One Vodka in Amsterdam and Cîroc Vodka in Cognac, France, from May 20-26, they were in for a treat of gastronomic delights. And they were not disappointed.
As a prelude to the first evening's experience, cocktails of Cosmopolitan featuring Ketel One Vodka were expertly mixed by the hotel's bartender, Marcel Valken. These were enjoyed inside the lobby of the 122-room Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht hotel.
Larry E. Head, of Global Event Solutions, who has provided more than 15 years' service to Diageo, organised the packed itinerary seamlessly throughout the trip.
DINING ON CALM WATERS
As summer approaches, the evenings are long in Amsterdam and Paris. Dusk falls as slowly as the boat navigates the calm waters of the Amstel River. Night falls just minutes shy of 10 p.m. The evening's plan, according to Head, is to take each course from three of the city's most famous hotels along the river. As we await each course, the captain, through our interpreter, tells us about the city.
The verdict: The first course, cream of asparagus soup from the Amstel Hotel, was the best anyone had eaten in a long time. One could literally taste the freshness!
We slowly meander by restaurants bearing endearing names such as Everything on a Stick and Easy Times Coffee Shop. It was fun to watch the line of waiters bearing each course from the hotels' kitchens to the anchored boat and down the steps into the dining room.
With each stop, the captain also gave a history lesson of the location and hotel. Riverboat rides are ideal for sightseeing around Amsterdam - the waters remain calm and dining is uninterrupted throughout. Many riverboats are permanently anchored and people live on them. This is evidenced by the furniture and plant life on decks. The Anne Frank museum is a popular landmark, as is the infamous red-light district.
The second course from the Breitner Hotel (restaurant) comprises a choice between halibut filet with kimchi of cabbage and citrus, young spinach and dried chorizo, compote of fennel and mustard seed or Iberico pig crispy sautéed with young onion, pan-fried cauliflower, crispy bacon, green asparagus au jus with laure.
For dessert, we had to choose from the Hotel de L'Europe's home-made sorbet with fruit or chocolate dessert and ended the meal with coffee or tea with chocolates and biscuits. Copious amounts of Ketel One vodka were enjoyed by everyone our return to the Andaz Hotel.
Barbara Ellington's trip to Amsterdam and Paris was sponsored by Diageo.