The Netherlands - FG Restaurant

So far, FG Restaurant is the most costly restaurant I've ever been in the Netherlands (since 6 months ago). But still, I'm gonna highly recommend this restaurant to you because I was extremely impressed with all the dishes presented for lunch today. 

Thanks to the restaurant week deal, I pay much less than 100 euros. Not for 3 courses, but actually for much, much much more. I'll cover the review of each dish later. So basically, if you don't order wine and additional dishes, you pay 52.50 euros because it's a two-star Michelin restaurant and there is an additional cost of 25 euros for the 3-course meal.

The setting was splendid. It doesn't give the "too fancy to enter" feeling, which is perfect for me.

The way they store the cutleries is pretty cool. Each table has a drawer with the utensils, and every time a new dish is to be served, the server pulled them out of the drawer while wearing black gloves.

The utensils are pretty exotic-looking. For example, this bread knife's handle. I like it!

So, enough chit chat about the little stuffs. As I mentioned earlier, there are actually much more than 3 courses even though I was supposed to be paying for a 3-course menu.

There were multiple appetizers before the three listed courses, and that took me by surprise because I had ordered one extra side dish. My stomach felt like exploding at the end of the courses, but it's a kind of happy explosion.

So, the first one: piccalilli ice cream on crispy carrot sheet and licorice as the cone.

It's a type of savory ice cream: a bit sour like pickles, a bit salty... well, piccalilli is a pickle after all. The surprise came actually after biting the "cone". Suddenly there was a burst of flavour - I think there was cheese too - and then there was a crackling sensation in my mouth. That was a really pleasant surprise! I never would have expected pressurized carbon dioxide crackle pops below the ice. I'm giving this a 5 out of 5 based on overall pleasantness :)

The next one... hmm, this is tough. It's hard not to jot down the description of the dish because it tend to be long and after a while it disappeared from my head. So.. I hate to say that I don't know the name of the dish. But it's crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, topped with foie mousse on top. It's a typical classic dish from Bordeaux. My best guess for the dish name is les tricandilles.

Next came the bread along with olive oil and salt, and what I think is Brie. Then, followed by bruschetta with all kinds of tomatoes and feta cheese. The bottom-most dish is cucumber ice cream on tomato jelly and tomato water. The tiny, short straw in the shot glass was to drink the remaining tomato water.

Let's skip the boring part about bread. Okay, it's good, it's warm, it has a good texture. Next!

The bruschetta was great. There was a different flavour profile for each tomato type. I think I also saw something resembling tomato ketchup beneath the tomatoes. It was a refreshing dish. I'd give the bruschetta a 4 out of 5. Now, for the more exciting one...

The cucumber ice cream was surprisingly delicious even though I hate the smell of fresh cucumbers. The tomato jelly broke nicely in my mouth, releasing tomato flavours that complement the cucumber ice cream. All in all, it was very refreshing and it kind of cleansed my palate, too. I'm giving a 4 out of 5, just because I hate cucumbers and yet it still tasted good in my mouth.

That ended the pre-course. Now, time for the real deal!

The first course: young skrei from the north of Scandinavia, topped with Catalonian brioche, fried egg, water cress cream, dried rosemary, melted foie, and then finished with yogurt mousse. On the side was skrei ceviche.

From the appearance, you might think... hmm, not so appetizing. My friend even said that the black stuffs looked like insect on the photo, but wait till you start digging in. It was simply a flavour explosion. I was totally mind-blown. The moment the runny egg yolk touched everything, magic happens. And the key - according to the man who served me - is to have every component in your mouth at the same time. The ceviche provides a lot of flavour from the fish which went very well with the rest of the components. I was even surprised that the water cress cream actually delicious on its own. I'm giving this a 5 out of 5. I absolutely love this dish!

Now, I ordered an additional dish: the scallops.

Very beautifully decorated with pumpkin prepared in three ways (similar to the one I had at FG Food Labs), crispy sheet of crepe and pecorino cream, topped with salad (with flowers, too!). The presentation was not the only thing that is gorgeous. The dish itself was amazing. The scallops were perfectly cooked, and it went very well with the pumpkin. I was somehow in love with the pecorino cream. I'm giving this a 5 out of 5 as well.

The final dish was beef cheek with potato and mushrooms and shallot pickles, topped with beef gravy and finished with freshly grated black truffle (right in front of me).

After the two extraordinary dishes I've ever tasted, this one somehow lost in comparison, although it was because I was very full at this stage. I had this paired with a glass of Toscano Rosso, smooth and mellow from the centre of Tuscany. The beef cheek is full of collagen, making it very, very tender and kind of 'melt' in the mouth. There was a nice balance of flavours, although it was a little bit hard to single out the flavour of the black truffle in the dish. I'm giving a 4.5 out of 5 for this.

As I wait, the table next to me was preparing for a Nitro. This supplementary menu was also available at FG Food Labs, and it was an interesting dish indeed. You have to grind some ingredients on a stone pestle and mortar, and then server will do something with liquid nitrogen (thus, the dish is called Nitro). I didn't order it, though. I figured it would be too much for me.

So... the last course from the 3-course menu: vanilla ice cream with macadamia coated with foie gras, topped with olive oil from Spain.

W-what? Olive oil??

Yeah, I never thought that olive oil would go so well with vanilla ice cream! The ice cream was soft and not too cold. The server emphasized that I have to eat the macadamia nut with the ice cream. Ohh, it was so good! The olive oil flavour was rather overpowering, but the whole experience in the mouth was just splendid. The flavour slowly emerged one by one in the mouth. I'm going to give this a 4 out of 5.

Aaand that's it. Time to pay the bills... no. It's not finished yet! Oh god, there's no more space in my stomach!

Instead of just a piece of mint or chocolate, I was served with a cloud of candy floss and a slurpie of mandarin and star anise. The slurpy was very refreshing, thank goodness! Oh, what's that thing on the left? It's a rehydrable, compressed towel. The server poured warm water in front of me and suddenly the towel just grew. I've seen this kind of towel before, but I thought that pill was actually food haha.

There were also additional stuffs hidden within the cloud of candy floss.

I can't remember anything the waiter said anymore, but it's kind of like a biscuit with cream on it. And on the right is blueberry candy, special from the house. The funny part is that I think the print was reversed. It should be like this:

But anyways... for the experience, I'll give this closing dish a 4 out of 5. Because eating is also about having fun :)

Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with FG Restaurant and if I have the time (and money *cough cough*), I would love to go back to this restaurant again to try their actual menu. 

FG Restaurant

Lloydstraat 204

3024 EA, Rotterdam

Ph: +31 (0)10 425 0520

Website: http://www.fgrestaurant.nl/en/

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The Netherlands - FG Food Lab

I'm always interested in molecular gastronomy. The last time I did it was when I was doing my bachelor studies in the US. I bought a molecular gastronomy kit and made some green tea "caviars" using alginate. And then applied the same concept again for my product development project, making blueberry "caviars". It's a bit tricky because it's acidic, but I had a lot of fun.

Some time ago, I was talking to one of my colleagues at work, and she mentioned FG Food Lab. So, hey, it's restaurant week, let's try it out!

Not a big fan of the setting, to be honest. It gives me a bit of a 'cold' feeling. Maybe it's just because I like cozy, warm places.

I don't really like sitting on tall stools, especially for dinner. It makes me somewhat not able to focus on what I'm eating. Maybe it's nicer when you have at least one companion with you. But anyways, the ambiance was okay.

Ok, settings aside, let's talk about the main reason I came here for: the food.

I know that the concept of molecular gastronomy is to have gastronomy experience in a different way, but I feel that putting bread on a bowl not very appealing. I love the olive oil bottle, although it's not the most practical container to use. And again, I love the fact that they're trying to make you interact with the food, containers or utensils more. I had to grate my own Himalayan rock salt.

There is no difference in price for lunch and dinner with the restaurant week deal, so, yes, this time it was a dinner after work. I had the same 3-course menu.

As a start, the starters (forgive the puny joke): steenbolk (a type of cod - also known as pouting) with red beet and lentils.

I love the presentation of the red beet and lentils very much, although the moment I saw the fried fish, my first reaction is "Oh God, this is so Dutch, deep frying everything, even mussels". The red beet cream was made with centrifugation technique. I have a mixed reaction about this dish because I generally hate beets, but I love the way the fish was cooked. The flavour was rich and it's juicy. I'd give this a 3 out of 5, but bear in mind that especially for this dish, my hate for beets need to be considered.

Next on the menu: pork belly and pumpkin, prepared in three ways: chutney, sweet and sour, and tuille.

This was fantastic. The pork belly as very succulent and flavourful, and it went very well with the pumpkin. This was my favourite dish from the 3-course menu here. It's a mix of tangy, creamy, savoury, crunchiness... it was a great dish. I'd give 4 out of 5 for this.

And finally, the dessert: bread pudding with citrus.

Sadly, I was quite disappointed with this. I don't eat bread pudding that often, but I don't think it should be served lukewarm. The citrus ice cream on top was alright, but somehow it just disconnected with the bread pudding. It's like there's no harmony in there. The presentation was alright, but again... it was below my expectation. I don't like to give bad reviews, but I've got to give this 2.5 out of 5. If you eat things separately, it's not too bad, but that's not the point of combining things together in one dish.

My experience here was not quite exciting, but I think it's because I ordered the discounted menu. Typically, molecular gastronomy restaurants are never cheap; I think 27.50 euros is too cheap for a 3-course molecular gastronomy menu.

Maybe I'll come back to try the normal menu again some time before I leave Rotterdam. Better start saving some money from now!

FG Food Labs
Katshoek 41
3032 AE, Rotterdam
Ph: +31 (0)10 425 0520
Email: info@fgrestaurant.nl
Websites: http://fgfoodlabs.nl/ and https://www.facebook.com/FGFoodLabs

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The Netherlands - The Harbour Club

Because of the National Restaurant Week, I gave myself an extra push to discover more restaurants around Rotterdam area. I went to The Harbour Club on the first Sunday of the Restaurant Week.

The Harbour Club is located just next to Euromast Tower, a little bit south to the heart of Rotterdam but is still reachable by bike or by tram. You can take tram number 8 from the Central Station to reach Euromast, then walk here.

There are plenty of parking space, and valet parking is 15 euros.

The interiors are great. It looks somewhat like a cozy bar and a nice place to hang out and have some drinks at the front. However, they also have fancier table settings behind. The restaurant is fairly large.

This restaurant is specialized in seafood.

Since the weather was great (~16C on that day), most people were seated outside. The restaurant was not too crowded at 1 PM, but it was getting more and more crowded after 2.

So, I went ahead with the 3-course menu. In addition to that, you can also order extra recommended dishes that go along with the other courses.

Let's start with the starters: mackarel ceviche with a cream of avocado and radish varieties.

Very scrumptious. I don't mind eating raw fish and in fact, I kind of love some of them. The fish was fresh, and there was a really good balance in flavour and texture. I was not too excited about the sun-dried tomato, but I'd give 4 out of 5 for this dish.

I actually ordered an additional dish for 7.95 euros: scallop filled with salsify and Pata Negra.

The scallop was very juicy and succulent, and The Pata Negra melted nicely in mouth, adding creaminess into the whole set. Again, there was a great balance of texture in this dish. The warmth of this dish was just perfect. I'd give 4.5 out of 5 for this one.

The next was the main dish: skrei (Atlantic cod), skin fried, served with Opperdoezer salad, spinach and more gravy.

Again, I'm satisfied with the dish. I like fatty fish because of its soft texture, so it's guaranteed to score high in my opinion. The gravy was tasty. It was kind of like a mix of barbeque sauce and caramelized onion; a bit sweet and salty, with a hint of bitterness. However, compared to the scallop I had earlier, this was less exciting. Still, I'd give a 4 out of 5.

And then the last course was the dessert: creme brulee, scented with lemon grass, coconut ice cream and coconut crisps.

I would say that this was maybe not the best creme brulee I have ever had, but it was okay. Somehow they didn't really go well together that much. I'd give a 3 out of 5 for this.

Nice seafood accompanied with live music under the sun? Can never be bad!

Want to visit this restaurant? Check out their website here or book a table for the restaurant week here!

The Harbour Club
Kievitslaan 25
3016 CG, Rotterdam
Ph: +31 10 436 8888
Website: http://theharbourclub.nl/en/

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The Netherlands - Bicycle Insurance (Fietsverzekering)

(image: karateinsurance.com)

In essence, bikes are essential if you want to live in the Netherlands for a long term. Because of that, there is actually such a thing called the bicycle insurance, or in Dutch, fietsverzekering. I knew you can buy insurance for cars and house, but bike insurance is something new to me. I didn't know about this until the bike that my landlord lent me was stolen yesterday.

Unless you live in a big city or own a car, it's hard to survive without a bike in the Netherlands.

Biking is rather safe here beacuse there are designated paths for bikes almost everywhere, so the only danger you will face on the road is hitting fellow bikers or pedestrians. Or maybe dangerous car drivers. In Wageningen, where my university is located, sometimes you just have to walk on a bike lane because they only care about the bikers. Before I was able to ride a bike, I actually had to do that frequently and bikers in the Netherlands don't like to go slow. I even had to write "please build more paths for pedestrians" in the student satisfaction survey.



Parking your bike is very easy, too. There are many designated parking space or poles on road sides. Recently, Rotterdam Centraal Station just opened a cool underground parking space just below the station.

Just go swoosh on the travellator

It looks like a parking garage for cars!

Why should you buy insurance for your bike? I mean, it's just a bike!
I did some research, and this site mentioned that according to Telegraaf, a Dutch news agency, 450,000 bikes are reported stolen every year. Meanwhile, according to CBS, a statistics agency, only one out of three theft incidents were reported in 2008.

It's kind of sad that I'm only one out of the 450,000. I feel so puny. Tsk.

Is it worth the money? I mean, you can get second-hand bikes for 40 euros.
The cost of bike insurance in the Netherlands can go as low as 2 euros per month at HEMA. Like car insurance, the premiums depend on the type of bikes you own and in some cases, age and city. The bigger the city, the more expensive the insurance cost. For example, from the same company, you'll have to pay 6.50 euros if you live in Rotterdam and only 3.75 if you live in Wageningen.

And by the way, some bikes just cost a lot.

(image: fietsenwinkel.nl)

This kind of bikes can cost you around 500 euros. Meanwhile, you can buy an old, used car for as low as 800 euros. The electric bikes? 1500-2000 euros. Imagine the pain of losing it.

How does it work?
What they do is they will give you money based on the purchase price. They will also make sure to take into account depreciation. Meaning, if your bike costs 80 euros from the shop and you've been using it for more than 3 years, you'll get less money back from the insurance.

That's why it's good to keep the receipt of your bike. It's probably difficult to still get a receipt when you buy a second-hand bike, but some people still keep the receipts. When I bought my first bike, I got a receipt from its previous owner :)

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The Netherlands - Rotterdam Centraal Opening Day

My morning today was greeted by a lovely live performance of Bob Marley's song "Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright".

There was definitely something going on in Rotterdam Centraal Station. There were multiple live performances at the station, covering a wide range of music like pop, jazz and classical. The spirit-lifting mood began early in the morning. I came around 8 AM today, and it was already quite lively.

Activities were usual: during the rush hour, there was a stream of incoming and outgoing people going to school or work.

But still, it was very nice that people would stop to listen to the performances, even for just a couple minutes.

Today, the 13th of March, was the official opening day of the central station. The station had been going a series of renovations and sometimes I found it annoying to have some paths outside the station partially blocked due to construction works. Well, now it's finally done!

It seemed that the King also came to celebrate the opening of the station. Too bad I was at work. It seemed that there were a lot of people coming to celebrate.

On the way home from work, I had to stop by at the station again and there was an even bigger band performance starting at 6 PM.

And of course, the smaller performances closer to the train platforms still continued. This time, there was an opera performance, which I found very captivating. I stayed to listen to 3-4 songs they performed.

I left the station around 7, and the station was still pretty lively from simultaneous musical performances. It was a very joyful moment for me, especially after getting mentally exhausted from work.

Until I found out that the bike I parked behind the central station was stolen. Ah, bike thieves, thou art heartless bitches. I locked it against a pole with a chain, and also locked the wheels with an additional lock. And it was still gone :'(

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