Meet and Eat: Teatime Extraordinaire at Gartine

Meet and Eat: Teatime Extraordinaire at Gartine

Dec 8, 2011 |  by  |  Spots
About the author
Hi, I'm Sophia, a fiery redhead in the wondrous world of Amsterdam. I find my joy in singing, good food, cocktails, cute hidden places in our city and talking to crazy, inspiring and creative people.

In a little alley near het Spui, I found a little piece of heaven. After a friend of mine took me there for lunch, it stole my heart. Gartine is a tiny place, easily unnoticed in one of the least attractive alleys of Amsterdam.

When the Overdose.am girls were organising a meeting, I decided to invite them to Gartine. Under the pretext of brainstorming, but really to introduce them to this wonderful place and enjoy the food. Gartine is tiny, but charming. The walls are painted in natural colours. There are a few dark wooden tables, a beautiful flower piece on the wall, and a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The kitchen is extremely small and open, and there’s a glass case displaying all kinds of delicious looking home-made pies. Above the kitchen is a little balcony, with one extra table.

Maybe the ambiance is a little girly, literally everything is cute (but guys, you’ll forget about all of this once you taste the food). All the knifes and forks are different, the coffee- and teacups are made of beautiful porcelain and there were little screams of delight at the sight of the tiny salt and peppershaker. Only two people run this restaurant, with a little help from a waitress when it’s busy, which makes the service friendly and personal.

Gartine

The Edibles

Now, let’s talk food. Our lunch was divine. We had soft, tender, toasted brioche bread, with tasty Parmezan cream and portobello mushrooms, we had a beautiful ‘fall salad’ with blue cheese and pear, served with bread, and a juicy, soft salmon tartar with fresh toast and truffle mayonnaise, everything served up with fresh salad. It made me sincerely happy. The cakes and pies in the aforementioned glass case were calling our names, so for dessert we had Lemon Meringue pie and white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry, which were both close to perfection. They were accompanied by a huge porcelain teapot of organic tea. Besides the lunch menu, they also serve breakfast and high teas with several cakes, sandwiches and tea and coffee.

One more thing to make all this even better: all the food is organic. The owners have their own market garden in De Beemster, where they have chickens and grow their vegetables. Whenever a product is not available, they buy from local organic farmers. I think it shows in the pure, refined flavours.

Be sure to make a reservation! There are only few tables available, and the lunch and high teas are already super popular.

Gartine

Where: Taksteeg 7, 1012 PB, Amsterdam
Online: http://gartine.nl/home

Photos by Faye Lui

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