Amarone

High quality cooking

When asked whether non-alcoholic beverages can also be served during dinner, our hostess Yoshiko van Dobben-Takayama’s eyes light up and she assures us it’s perfectly fine. As it turns out, this is more than just true. For the aperitif, we receive a beautiful Champagne from Edmond Bourdelat alongside a delightful glass filled with rhubarb juice, elderflower lemonade, and soda water. This is accompanied by sea bass tartare with ponzu and two different basil preparations. A bold flavor explosion, indeed—because if you start with such a flavor bomb, how could the starter possibly measure up? Yet it manages to do so brilliantly. Owner-chef Jan van Dobben prepares French cuisine with Japanese influences, and the buttery-soft hamachi with rhubarb and green apple leaves us closing our eyes in pure bliss. The Schloss Lieser Riesling paired with it fits like a glove, and before we know it, the next course is already on the table. That’s precisely the charm of Amarone; the staff intuitively sense it’s a weekday evening and that we’d rather not dine until midnight. Following a fantastic mocktail made with ginger, lime, and a 0.0 Martini, we are served partridge and lamb. Both come with a jus so good you’ll want to lick your plate clean, and the meat is so tender it simply melts in your mouth. The sweet dessert highlights strawberries with a spicy note added by pink peppercorns. The cheese course arrives on a cart, where we select four pungent varieties, including a firm goat cheese with honey, though a blue monastery sheep’s milk cheese aged in white wine truly steals the show. A solid establishment. It scores a firm 66.

A staple in Rotterdam's culinary scene since 2006. With the arrival of the owner couple Jan van Dobben and hostess-sommelier Yoshiko Takayama eight years ago now, things have only flourished. Their Japanese-French cooking style is ve...

Owner-chef Jan van Dobben and his Japanese wife and oenologist, Yoshiko Takayama, have over the years transformed Amarone into a tranquil oasis in the bustling heart of Rotterdam. Both European and Japanese influences are clearly reflected in the restaurant’s tasteful interior design as well as in its cuisine. We visit on a quiet day and appreciate the warm hospitality and creative dishes. The courses arrive at a comfortable pace, accompanied by engaging anecdotes, such as the origins of the ingredients, wines, and crockery. Paired with an alcohol-free cocktail, two exquisitely presented amuses arrive at the table, most notably the super-crispy pepper ring served with an oyster poached in wine and its own juices. It delivers a wonderfully intense and fresh pepper flavor. A charming detail: the ring rests on an inverted bowl shaped like a sea urchin. For the starter, there is veal tartare surrounded by small tufts of vadouvan cream and slices of mini zucchini in an ox-tail dressing with ponzu and herb oil, crowned with a rosette of horseradish cream. Truly a visual treat. The savory, fresh dressing and the vadouvan enhance the flavor of the fairly finely chopped tartare. The horseradish itself is barely noticeable; instead, tarragon takes center stage in the cream, which has a somewhat firm consistency. For the main course, sommelier Sanne Poppen pours a generous glass of aromatic Chardonnay Mâcon Milly-Lamartine from Domaine Carette in Burgundy. It pairs excellently with the perfectly cooked cod, glazed with garlic and veal jus. The fish is topped with a fan of very lightly fried Pata Negra and served alongside a bright, creamy sauce featuring yuzu kosho, a fermented pepper infused with yuzu peel. A lovely counterpoint to the salty Pata Negra. A side of vegetables or pasta would have been a welcome addition. We conclude with another stunning dessert: almond puree with amaretto ice cream, hibiscus foam, a striking red-and-green sauce made with hibiscus and basil oil, and a hibiscus-shaped, hibiscus-hued sugar leaf. It is delightfully creamy and refreshing, without being overly sweet. Aside from a few minor imperfections, dining at Amarone remains a feast for the eyes and the palate. It ranks 66th this year.

Located on the popular, busy shopping street De Meent in Rotterdam, the hustle and bustle of the city is left completely behind upon entering. The interior is calming and serene, featuring tables carefully dressed in linen, comfortable kimono chairs, Japanese photography on the walls, and beautiful origami-shaped lighting above the bar. Jan van Dobben, who has been working as head chef at Amarone since 2012, took over the establishment in 2018, and together with his wife, the originally Japanese oenologist Yoshiko van Dobben-Takayama, he runs his fine dining restaurant with great finesse and supreme craftsmanship. His cuisine is international with a slight emphasis on French cooking, interwoven with subtle Japanese influences and techniques acquired through his annual trips to Japan. His art lies in allowing main ingredients to shine as much as possible, for example by serving them raw, and letting them complement each other rather than overpower one another. We taste this in thin slices of raw mackerel, served on the skin, with mango and sesame pearls, garnished at the table with a coriander crumble and surrounded by a pour of fresh, tangy tiger milk. Also excellent is the perfectly cooked tender entrecote, served at the table with a rich beef tail jus and a spicy mustard seed cream, topped with creamy bone marrow, black garlic, and green cabbage. Sommelier Sanne Poppe, a walking wine encyclopedia, pairs it with a Portuguese Herdade do Rocim - Vale da Mata Tinto. The powerful yet elegant flavors of this wine – with restrained tannins – complement the tenderness of the dish perfectly. We finish with a cheese board, enjoying among others a full-bodied blue cheese with passito-soaked cranberries and a characterful Portuguese São Jorge from the Azores. Rises to 63.

This pleasant and brilliantly renovated restaurant by chef Jan van Dobben and his wife, hostess-sommelier Yoshiko Takayama, has found its footing after four years. Situated on the bustling Meent in the heart of the Maasstad, it serves as an oasis of tranquility and style, with the excellent cuisine adding a touch of culinary elegance. There are no mandatory multi-course tasting menus here, only traditional à la carte dining. Maître-sommelier Jasper Verhagen pours glasses of Sauvignon Gris from the Belgian Hageland region at wine estate Petrushoeve; it is smooth, fresh, and flavorful. It accompanies amuse-bouches such as lightly smoked eel in crispy nori and apple, and a Spéciale Geay oyster from Marennes-Oléron, presented in yuzu foam with Rotterdam-style tamari soy sauce. These are delightful bites and fitting calling cards for a remarkable kitchen. The kitchen then reveals its finest side with a langoustine starter. Served raw, sliced into tartare with a knife, and further seasoned with jeruk purut, citrus gel, sour cream, algae, and seaweed. Delicately salty-sweet and velvety, this crustacean can only taste this way when it is fighting-fresh. For the main course, the sommelier selects the Spanish Macabeo Gaspi, Valencia, from Kazakh winemaker Shukhrat Khakhimov. It is rich, elegant, and expressive. It pairs with Dutch turbot fillet, a superb fish, beautifully pan-seared and served with potato cream, lamb’s ear, mustard seeds, small cucumbers, and preserved lemon. A stunning classic-modern dish. The meal concludes with a sweet-and-sour pairing of strawberry and tomato, enhanced with vanilla and huacatay (Peruvian black mint). To drink, an Australian Moscato ‘Mrs Wigley’ from Wirra Wirra. Amarone—with its white tablecloths, renowned mirror wall, and welcoming, impeccably dressed service—has made a complete culinary comeback. It ranks 68th this year on the Dringen aan de Top list.

Jan van Dobben, who trained in French Michelin-starred restaurants, and his wife Yoshiko Takayama—who worked as a sommelier at the renowned L’Arnsbourg in Alsace (where they met) and at &Moshik in Amsterdam—have now been the proprietors of this stunningly renovated restaurant, following a devastating fire, for three years. It is situated in the shopping district around the Laurens Church. Elegant crockery and glassware set on white table linens, 'kimono chairs', streamlined and expert service, and exquisite French dishes with a Japanese twist served from the semi-open kitchen (encircled by a white three-dimensional wall) lend this established restaurant an extra touch of cachet. Amidst a refined tranquility, we sample a beautiful marbré of cured beef cheek with duck liver and pear, paired with a glass of Pinot Blanc made from Auxerrois grapes (Schoffit, 2017), followed by slices of salmon toro with pea cream and salmon roe. This is accompanied by a crisp Riesling from the Frey estate in Rheinhessen (2018). For the intermezzo, the skilled maître Jasper Verhagen serves properly cooked veal sweetbreads with onions and verjus gel in a mushroom sauce. Yoshiko pairs it with Trementinaire: a ripe, spicy white Grenache from Catalonia (Herencia Altes, 2016). Cod takes center stage as the main course, cooked to perfection alongside pieces of squid, edamame, and a foam made from Iberian pork bones. Hostess Tham Cao, now a familiar face at Amarone, pairs it with Creation Estate: a delicate, golden-hued 'Cool Climate' Chenin Blanc (2019) from South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Beautiful colors, flavors, and textures, coupled with outstanding wine selections. To finish, two preparations of watermelon served with goat yogurt, kombu, and meringue. Accompanied by a glass of sweet Austrian 'Illmitzer' Spätlese (Tschida, 2017). Quiet elegance on the banks of the Meuse.

Following a devastating fire that struck restaurant Amarone in August 2019, the establishment has since firmly regained its footing. The interior has been completely refreshed: luxurious 'kimono chairs' upholstered in grey fabric, round tables elegantly dressed in linen, a stylish fireplace, a Japan-inspired artwork by photographer Casper Faassen, origami bird-shaped pendant lights above the bar, and as a standout feature, a white three-dimensional wall surrounding the open kitchen. Amarone exudes an almost serene tranquility. The culinary style of chef-owner Jan van Dobben, who has been the sole owner of Amarone since 2018, draws inspiration from both French and Japanese cuisine. Together with Yuri Wattimena and Koen van Kempen, he cooks honestly and purely, letting the natural flavors of the ingredients speak for themselves. Jan van Dobben says: “We strive to incorporate everything beautiful found in and around Rotterdam into our kitchen. We complement this with a few specific products from Japan.” His fascination with Japan is no coincidence. His wife, Yoshiko van Dobben-Takayama, is originally Japanese; she graduated as a sommelier in Japan and as an oenologist in France. They now run the restaurant together, and alongside being a gifted wine connoisseur, Yoshiko is a wonderfully warm and welcoming hostess. With maître-sommelier Jasper Verhagen, they have curated a beautiful and thoughtfully balanced wine list, following the loss of their carefully built wine collection due to smoke damage. Amarone is ready to move forward at full strength!

The welcome in this beautiful establishment immediately conveys a sense of hospitality. The new tables and armchairs are neatly aligned, with polished mirrors mounted above them, awaiting guests who wish to be pampered tonight by owner-chefs Jan and Yoshiko van Dobben and their brigades. The atmosphere is luxurious, characterized by dark tones and fine materials. The acoustics are excellent, and the table layout ensures sufficient privacy. A crisp glass of Viognier from Yves Cuilleron’s Les Vignes d’à Côté accompanies amuse-bouches such as a choux pastry filled with calamari and chorizo, a light duck liver mousse, and three different preparations of peas served on a crispy pastry base. Tasty starters. We begin our menu with thin slices of scallops, served cold with paper-thin Iberico ham and black truffle shaved tableside. Delicious, although the flavorless truffle slightly detracts from the overall dish. The accompanying Parmesan cheese ice cream is sublime—beautifully mellow in flavor and not overpowering. Yoshiko, who graduated as an oenologist in France and qualified as a sommelier in Japan, then pours a magnificent Amarone della Valpolicella Conte Gastone, Massimago, 2015, alongside a generous portion of lamb, served both sliced and bone-in. The meat is cooked to a lovely pink and is accompanied by a slice of cœur de bœuf tomato topped with a garnish of green olives and pistachios. The jus is finger-licking good. The international cheese selection to finish is generously portioned, offering cheeses from France (soft-ripened), Austria (blue-veined), and the Netherlands (camembert-style). It pairs excellently with the final drops of the Amarone. It ranks firmly at position 60.

Former owner-chef Gert Blom has partially stepped back and handed over kitchen operations to his former sous-chef Jan van Dobben, who had previously become his partner. Jan learned his trade in French starred restaurants, has been cooking at Amarone for six years, and his wife Yoshiko Takayama assists sommelier Shannon Hofman. They want to restore the establishment's allure. This is immediately evident from the amuse-bouches. Delicacies of flavor and texture arrive at the white-tableclothed table beneath the mirror wall: yogurt, duck liver, and matcha meringue; crispy cod skin with ravigotte marshmallow; cep toast with XO mayonnaise and pepper; crispy prawn with sesame and chili. Plus notes of soybeans, smoked eel, and asparagus foam. We pair it with a Bachelet-Monnot 2014 Bourgogne Blanc, a brilliant Chardonnay, alongside roasted red mullet with celery root and black garlic, accompanied by a nori meringue. A beautiful starter, salty and earthy, soft yet firm. Next comes slowly cooked and glazed pork belly with smoked eel, shallot, green apple, and a sanbai vinaigrette. Soaked Canadian lobster follows, served with raw and roasted Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut, and a ponzu foam sauce. Savory depth, creaminess, and bite vie for dominance. What a lovely middle course. Halibut takes center stage, softly glazed in the oven and served with melted duck liver, a nut crust, parsnip, fried little gem lettuce, and a poultry-garlic sauce. On the accompanying plate: creamy, fragrant truffle risotto with poached egg, Parmesan, and chopped truffle. Pure class, yet Amarone still slips two places down to a score of 60.

Owner-chef Gert Blom delegated part of his responsibilities to head chef Jan van Dobben, who is now a co-owner of the establishment, but the fruits of their collaboration do not yet seem to have been reaped. The chic ambiance along the trendy shopping street and the stunning mirror wall remain, but we do spot quite a few shortcomings. Almost immediately after our arrival, mini-croissants, foie gras macarons, and black olive madeleines arrive at the table as amuse-bouches, followed by a crispy wonton filled with spicy belly pork. However, the lack of a knowledgeable sommelier stands out. The recommended Portuguese Portal da Calçada is too complex for the yellowfin tuna dish, which, incidentally, is beautifully presented alongside a juicy and crispy warm langoustine. The Canadian lobster is then generously portioned and well-cooked, but the pairing with black olive sorbet is less successful. The Holzfass Chardonnay from Oliver Zeter, however, is a sound choice: with its saline profile, it pairs well. Serving cod, beef cheek, and red wine jus together on a single plate does not appeal to everyone. Meanwhile, the turbot on the other plate is pan-fried on one side until so crispy that the remainder of the fish turns out too dry. We also find the bread pudding served as an inter-course amuse too heavy: it leaves us without an appetite for the sweet course. Fortunately, the selection of well-aged and flavorful international cheeses is a hit, particularly when paired with a glass of full-bodied Amarone. We will wait until the menu changes, the kitchen brigade improves its execution, and the price-to-quality ratio strikes a better balance. Amarone drops four places to 58.