212 - Amsterdam

Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: €100+ Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Blue Lobster Cooked in Warm Lobster Jelly, Sea Bass Puffed on the Scales

I have dined in a lot of Michelin star restaurants but 212 was up there with the best of them. The staff are amazing but the food is next level, there wasn’t one dish that disappointed and the owners/chefs talk to the diners explaining the dishes, a nice touch. It is obvious that there is talent to burn in the kitchen but a pleasant surprise was that it is fairly priced and extremely good value for money. I would not be surprised if the third star is awarded in the near future.. Dietary restrictions: Catered for my wife’s Coeliac condition without loss of flavour. She commented that the gf bread was the best she has had.

Wat een fantastische ervaring! Mooie tafels rondom de open keuken. Eigenlijk chefstable 2.0. Je ziet hoe de prachtige gerechten in de keuken worden voorbereid waarna de finishing touch aan tafel plaats vindt door de bediening of keukenbrigade. We hebben genoten van mooie gerechten zoals als ravioli en krab als amuses, zeebaars met tijgermelk,mergpijpjes van aardappel, kalfstartaar en gerookte haring, kreeft, heerlijk bereidingen van zeebaars en reerug. Als afsluiters een ruime keuze uit heerlijke Hollandse kazen en 2 mooie in het oog springende deserts waarbij het appeldesert wel heel bijzonder was. Dit alles begeleid door door het prestige wijnarrangement geserveerd door een zeer kundige sommelier. De bediening was een feestje! Wat een lieve, attente en gezellige meiden. Van stagiair tot maitre allemaal passievol, super vriendelijk en niet te formeel! Hier worden we blij van. 212 is absoluut een aanrader. Tot een volgende keer!

The foods are good, but I expect more from two stars. I did not experience new taste. The lobster is a bit overcooked. And the deer could have been better. The service is good. But the flow of the food is a bit sporadic and sometimes a bit too long. And it would have been better with some introduction about the theme of the food.

For someone like me who has passed the SVH Diploma Sociale Hygiëne in the Netherlands, I really cannot stand the hygiene on 212 how they handle the cheese, not to mention why this restaurant has got a 2* Michelin. Despite the expensive price, I am only impressed by the bread and the smoked butter, the butter is among one of the top best quality butters I have ever tasted so far. Another star I am being generous to give it to the Chef who enjoys preparing the ingredients and dishes in front of customers and shows his enthusiasm. Environment is ok, toilets are just a pass, but the high chairs are not really a Michelin star standard, not comfortable at all for sitting more than 30mins. Also, cutleries are self served in a hidden drawer, this idea is good for home storage, but then where is my service at a restaurant? I genuinely believe silver service is still important.