Amsterdam, Chef Schilo at Tunes and Conservatorium Hotel


Can you name a famous gourmet Dutch dish? Amsterdam is not really known by its gastronomy, but
this is all about to change, passionate  Duth Chef Schilo at Tunes Restaurant at the
Conservatorium hotel, is at the front of this slowly changing food scene,
delivering beautiful and well crafted dishes. Schilo is a world-class chef who has worked in
Michelin starred restaurants in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Before accepting his current position Schilo van Coevorden was
executive chef at the Finca Cortesin resort in
Marbella, Spain.

A two day exploring the Amsterdam food scene, open gardens, meeting Chef Schilo,
sampling his floral menu and staying overnight at the elegant Conservatorium Hotel was a delightful experience that has
somehow changed my views about Amsterdam as a food destination.
THE CONSERVATORIUM HOTEL
very stylish reception


The Conservatorium Hotel, a 5* establishment and part of the Leading Hotels of The World,  is located in the museum hub of the city (Museumplein). The hotel was been completely refurbished and opened it’s doors in 2011. The grandeur of the Neo-Gothic building is breathtaking. Originally built in the end of the 19th Century and transformed in a design-lead contemporary luxury lifestyle hotel 5 years ago, this building is steeped in history and culture of it’s location, the former famous Sweelinck Conservatory of Music. After, the Conservatory departure to another location, the property was originally designed by the renowned Dutch architect, Daniel Knuttel, was left abandoned.

To restore this majestic building to its former glory, award-winning Milan-based interior architect and designer Piero Lissoni, sympathetically guided the project to deliver a stunning venue where classical and contemporary styles meet  and blend in harmony. It consists in 129 luxury guest rooms and suites, meeting spaces, well-being spa, gym, restaurants, bars and a small cluster of high-end shops.

A sky-high glazed atrium is the central focus of the entire hotel, it meets the original
masonry exterior, while the steel stairs and multiple catwalks accentuate their meeting points through arched windows and portals within the brick facade. The furnishing are design classics from Kartell to Cassina, set prominently in the rooms and communal areas.
detail of the modern sitting area in the atrium
The Brasserie
busy service
MY DUPLEX ROOM
Fabulous and comfortable,  sleeping room: a massive double bed with crisp white bed linen and an enormous TV, 2 big  beige and light brown coloured bathrooms with his and hers basins decked out with L’Occitane toiletry, Nespresso coffee machine, a small living room area with yet another TV and a glass bright yellow working desk and wifi that works!
behind the wall on the right : another shower room!

 

SPA

ph: The Set

AKASHA
– gym, yoga, spa and hair & skin care center – I had a excellent
and relaxing sunflower massage treatment; the special My Temple 60
minutes massage with heavenly organic nutrition
massage oil. I felt like as I waking on clouds afterwards.

Afternoon eating and walking around Amsterdam:

SLA 
 SLA, meanings salad in Dutch. Its a funky and reasonably priced salad bar with Amsterdam as they say: ‘an abundance of healthy guilty pleasures that give you all-day energy’. I wasn’t so sure about this place, but once I tried it, I loved the food and the fact that they are committed to source and serve fresh, sustainable, local and vibrant seasonal produce. Provenance is at the heart of their business. 
Impressive salads with added superfoods, sprinkled with seeds and all goodness available; fresh juices, organic teasanes, very fragrant coffee and my first ever vegan cheesecake – surprisingly good! mango, goji and lime: crumbly and very textural base and a smooth, tangy creamy topping with a beautiful sweet aroma of mango. It was a welcome change to my eating habits.
for more info and menu: SLAOPEN GARDENS
The Tuinen Dagen, (open gardens days) was taking place when we were there. It happens once a year, canal private gardens are open to the public. We visited a couple of gardens, some with fruits orchards; kitchen and herbal gardens and some manicured and well kept landscaped gardens. Unbeknown to walkers by these gardens are hidden treasures. Even though it rained a bit just before we set off to our adventure, it didn’t really spoil the afternoon exploration. The next Open Garden days in Amsterdam will take place on the 19th – 21st June 2015, a three day ticket costs €15/person. More info: www.opengardendays.nl

Museum Van Loon

a private office garden
BOTANICAL-INSPIRED DRINKS AND DINNER 
BY HEAD CHEF SCHILO VAN COEVORDEN
Back at the hotel and to celebrate the Canal Open gardens Chef Schilo hosted a beautiful cocktail party at the Conservatorium’s terrace. Botanical G&T, violet macaroons on chocolate soil, small and delicious rose ice cream cones and little bottles with rhubarb cola were the highlights.
THE TERRACE
 TUNES RESTAURANT
ph: The Set
Contemporary and refined deco at Tunes restaurant
in the kitchen with chef Schilo
Stunning special flower menu for the Open Garden Days:
beautiful food and service at Tunes restaurant

amuse bouche: new season herring slightly pickled, bright beets macaroon and chive mayo, striking contrast of colours and tastes- wine: an aromatic white wine from Penedes near Barcelona, a bright yellow-straw, with apricot, pears and citrus notes with long and smooth finish, brilliant match with the herring.

Lobster : sweet and luxurious local farmed lobster in cherry sauce, the plate was dotted with spheres of olive oil, vocano leaves (purple) , asparagus, edible flowers, with a small circle of pepper on the side of the plate.
Fleur de courgette: quite good size courgette flower stuffed with a very tasty chantarelle concoction, broad beans, tarragon, blossoms, with freshly shaven Old Texel’s sheep cheese, a lightly salty Dutch cheese-  the sheep are feed on the local salty grass.
Wine pairing: Pinot Bianco 2012, a fine Italian pinot blanc, fruity (apples, peaches). Quite pronounced,
clean, elegant, grapey flavour, medium-bodied with a fresh
finish, it went perfectly with this vegetable dish.
next wine: Santenay 2011, a French red Burgundy, a  well structured Pinot Noir,
ruby colour, earthy with cherry notes and palate with blackcurrant flavours. Good pairing with our next dish: calves sweetbread.
calves sweetbread in a sea of vegetables , piccalilli, cauliflowers, quail egg, the sweetest mini cucumber flowers, which I have tried before in London, a quite aggressive pickled radishes, black sesame. My least favourite dish, sorry but the radishes were quite strong.
Monkfish dish and wine pairing was a winner.  The monkfish was wrapped around by ‘millefeuille’ potato on a bed of mash parsnip cream and seaweed, a feast of textures and pleasant flavours. Wine pairing:  A light, fresh and crisp Spanish, Albarino with apple and pineapple aromas combined with a hint of citrus.  Soft on the palate, well balanced acidity.  Smooth and refined, culminating in a long finish, classic pairing with seafood.
dessert: Nasturtium.  Full of textures, an array of mouth-watering chew noisily macaroons, velvety ice cream on rich and crumbly chocolate soil,  pistachio cream acting as  flower stalks – genius! In this beautifully and imaginative presented dish Schilo expresses his love for Nasturtiums. A very enjoyable finish to our meal.
dessert wine: a complex Chilean and smooth wine that glides along nicely. Good pronounced flavors of ripe papaya and
honey holding form through the finish. It sounded like honey tricking down my throat. I wasn’t convinced that matched the dessert, but by itself it was pleasurable.
Schilo’s menu showcase the season and local produce with well designed and executed dishes with artistic presentations.The focus of this particular menu is on Summer botanics, edible colourful flowers and fresh herbs.
prices : menu in July 2014, a very reasonable considering this is a fantastic menu and a unmistakably distinctive experience: €89.  with wine pairing an extra €55.
Tunes Bar – sophisticated yet informal, excellent place to relax over some more botanical cocktails. G&T are signature drinks of this bar. A wide variety of around 30 kinds of gins and more than 6 different tonics, champagne anyone? The bar also serves light bites: fresh and luscious sushi, Modern Asian fare and Spanish tapas.

BREAKFAST

A comprehensive buffet and a la carte menu are available it offers a wide range of baked and freshly prepared dishes.

HONING VAN DE KONING – HONEY FARM
One of Conservatorium’s suppliers,  Honing Van de Koning is situated about 18 kilometers from Amsterdam, in Vinkeveen.  A traditional beekeeping they supply all the honey for the hotel, from the little pots on the breakfast table to big pots as cooking ingredients. Honey has been called a food of the gods since ancient times.  Therapeutic value of honey is well known, together with its uses in all kinds of ailments. Provide relief from cough, cold and headache.The pharmaceutical industry has discovered the value of honey and used in soaps and facial creams. Honey in a glass of milk is an effective sedative. It soothes the respiratory tract and stomach. Honey on burns works soothing and prevents infections. Nowadays, it’s used in hay fever treatment.
‘Honey gets its start as flower nectar, which is collected by bees,
naturally broken down into simple sugars and stored in honeycombs. The
unique design of the honeycomb, coupled with constant fanning by the
bees’ wings, causes evaporation to take place, creating the thick, sweet
liquid we know as honey.’
‘Beekeepers harvest honey by collecting the honeycomb frames and scraping off the wax cap that bees make to seal off honey in each cell.


Once the caps are removed, the frames are placed in an extractor — a
centrifuge that spins the frames, forcing honey out of the comb. The
honey is spun to the sides of the extractor, where gravity pulls it to
the bottom and it can be collected. Straining and bottle the honey takes place in another location nearby’
the Dutch countryside
I really enjoyed my time in Amsterdam, it was short and sweet. My Conservatorium stay was first class with a service to match.
WALKING AROUND AMSTERDAM
Idyllic walks by the many canals, 160 canals and over 1,250 bridges. Make sure to take some time out to
stroll along the different canals, admiring the houseboats and
architecture along the way.
plenty of cute litlle cafes and great shops too
Plenty of bikes! the easiest way to get around the Dutch capital
bikes make approximately  50% of Amsterdam traffic

Conservatorium hotel: guests rooms costs from €345 – €600 to penthouse from €4500 (July 2014)


All photos by Hot&Chilli unless otherwise stated.
Disclosure: I traveled and enjoyed a stay as guest of Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. I received no further remuneration to write this post. All opinions are my own.



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3 Comments

  1. Lisa Serrano Diaz
    June 30, 2014 / 9:58 pm

    Wow, so many beautiful delicate details to the food & decor. Thank you for sharing such beautiful pics. It's like I was there.

  2. June 30, 2014 / 10:39 pm

    Thanks Lisa, it was an excellent foodie experience. The hotel is fabulous too x