Starting March 19, the Conservatory will have a big name in it: Ottolenghi will open his first Dutch restaurant there, right in the middle of the Museum Quarter. Yotam Ottolenghi comes not only with his well-known cookbook status, but also with a clear plan: a vegetable-driven menu, lots of grilling, lots of fermentation and, above all, working with seasonal produce from here.
The restaurant nestles in the glass atrium of the Mandarin Oriental Conservatory. So you are literally sitting under glass, with the hotel around you and the great museums and famous concert hall within walking distance. The setting suits what Ottolenghi has in mind: an all-day restaurant where you can go from early to late, without rigidity but in a luxurious hotel environment.
The cuisine is all about vegetables, but Ottolenghi style: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors, many layers in a dish and always something fermented, something from the grill or both. Officially highlighted dishes say a lot about the course. Think white and green asparagus with pickled pepper, anchovies and a crispy seed dukkah. Familiar seasonal food, but full of spice and acid, right in his style.
The cuisine is all about vegetables, but Ottolenghi style: Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors, many layers in a dish and always something fermented, something from the grill or both.
With the opening, announced for months through both the hotel and Ottolenghi Group, and with online reservations opened just before the launch, the Conservatory positions itself even more strongly as a culinary player in the Museum Quarter. And for the city, it means that an internationally recognizable chef is establishing his first permanent restaurant here, in between Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk, Van Gogh and the concert hall. You're going to hear that often at the table in the near future: “Shall we meet at Ottolenghi's in the Conservatory?”