Zoldering is one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. This was my 5th dinner there, but strangely enough this is the first blog I’m writing about it. Zoldering was established in 2019 by Tomas Bron (chef), Job Seuren (sommelier), Wout Jans, and Joost Clarijs. They have worked at Michelin-starred restaurants like Librije, Bokkedoorns, and Ciel Bleu, and decided to start for themselves. They wanted to create a casual ‘neighborhood’ restaurant with the quality of food and the wine at the level of a Michelin-starred restaurant, and they have succeeded! In 2022 they received a well-deserved Michelin star ‘by accident’ (as that was not their goal, although of course they like the recognition). It can’t be a surprise that Zoldering is very popular; it is full every night. You can reserve a table from one month in advance, and reservations fill up very quickly. This is the main reason why I haven’t been to Zoldering more often. They do keep some tables for walk-ins, so it is worth calling for the same day or just dropping by.

Zoldering doesn’t have a tasting menu, just a short à la carte menu. There are 6 different small bites like oysters or toast with something on it (around 5 euros), 5 different starters (17-23 euros), 6 different mains (26-42 euros), 6 different cheeses (4 euros each), and 5 different desserts (9-13 euros). Zoldering has an extensive and interesting wine list, with a good selection of wines by the glass and reasonable markups (especially for the more expensive wines). Château d’Yquem by the glass is 75 euros — which is not expensive at all if you consider that a bottle retails for about 400 euros.

We started with a nice glass of champagne, a Domaine Lagille Grande Réserve, made from equal parts of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Noir, and aged at least 5 years on the lees before disgorgement. I had asked Job to pair wines with the dishes we had selected from the menu.

As a first bite I had a toasted piece of brioche with a sardine fillet and a delicious salsa verde on top. The salsa verde had great balance; unfortunately I forgot to take a photo. This was accompanied by a field blend of 9 different grapes from Dâo in Portugal, nicely balanced and complex.

The following wine was the 2020 Sec du Château Closiot from Barsac, France. As sweet Sauternes (and its lesser-known neighbor Barsac) are unfortunately becoming less popular, many wineries there have moved to making dry wines. This was a blend of 70% Sémillon and 30% Sauvignon Gris, aged in oak. It had a very nice minerality and great texture.

For every wine, Job first pours a single sip, so you can taste it before deciding to have a full glass. I don’t remember the wine that he came up with first, but I didn’t care for that one, and this tasty white Bordeaux was with Job came up with as an alternative.

It was a good pairing for the raw red mullet with toasted hazelnut, a crispy sauce that included beurre noisette, and capers from ramps. From the description of “beurre noisette” I had expected a more buttery sauce, but it was actually quite crisp, and a nice contrast with the toasted hazelnuts. The red mullet was impeccably fresh; this was a very nice dish.

The wine for the main course was a Langhe Nebbiolo by Borgogno e Carbone. Medium-bodied with a nice aroma. By itself the tannins were quite powerful, but with the meat it was very nice.

The dish was Iberico pork fillet (lomo) with charcoal grilled runner beans and a delicious sauce. The pork was very tender, juicy, and flavorful, and cooked just right. The smoky runner beans were great with it. I’d describe the sauce as a gourmet version of barbecue sauce. The contrast between the tender meat and the crunchy beans was also very nice. The beans were perfectly cooked — runner beans can be crunchy in a ‘squeeky’ way that is unpleasant, and that was not the case here at all.

I had some “Lazuli” blue cheese, a Dutch version of Gorgonzola, to go with…

…a glass of 2000 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée du Château. This Monbazillac was nicely aged with an aroma of saffron.

For dessert I opted for a Xixarito Pedro Ximénez sherry, aged for about 15 years in a solera, with a whopping 400 grams of residual sugar per litre. Very complex and balanced, despite the high sugar content.

It was an excellent pairing for the dark chocolate parfait with hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans, and bastogne (Speculoos-type cookies). You can’t see the chocolate parfait because it was completely covered by the (lightly toasted) nuts.

I think it is clear why this is one of my favorite restaurants. Casual, not pretentious, but high quality of dishes and wines, friendly service, and very affordable. I’ll be back soon!