Restaurant Bougainville review
MICHELIN * 2023 | Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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Restaurant Bougainville is the flagship restaurant of the Hotel Twenty Seven in Dam, directly in the heart and centre of Amsterdam. It's located in a blink and you miss-it entrance, with multiple tries for me to locate it. There is a festive feeling in the air, with Dam already lit up and the interior of the hotel adorned with the spirit of Christmas.
First impressions
Bougainville is on the third floor of the Hotel Twenty Seven building. From the ground floor, you are welcomed by hotel staff and your reservation is confirmed at the entrance before you’re allowed to go up. Coat hangers are also on the ground floor. On entering the floor of the restaurant, there is a floor to ceiling array of glowing bulbs with different changing luminescent colors creating a distinct hue to the restaurant’s pathway. Artworks lined up on the corridors from Cobra Arts. Walking into the restaurant, you will be asked again for confirmation; I guess this is to know if you are dinning or will be at the bar. The restaurant is shaped in an L layout with a bar at the tip of the L. The bar is demarcated in a separate room and a separate reservation is required for the bar.
There is an acute level of detail that went into the design and decor of the restaurant, from the ambience, to exquisite ceilings and more artworks. The view from the window is directly into Dam square and may be one of the best views for a restaurant in the centre.
As you sit, you are asked immediately about champagne even before having a look at the drinks or food menu. I found this a bit odd, and it was the same thing for the next diners that came in by my side. This will make sense if it was a free welcome champagne from the Chef but likely it wasn’t.
The Food?
Bougainville has three sets of menus, the Bougainville tasting menu, the Chef’s signature tasting menu and an a la carte. I’ll tag the cuisine as modern with a dutch twist. The two tasting menus could be 5 or 6 courses, with a vegetarian option available. Both tasting menus largely contain the same courses apart from langoustine & caviar, Wagyu and a chocolate dessert. In my case, I opted for the Bougainville tasting menu, and also customized my desert with additions from the a la carte dessert section. I added a passion fruit souffle extending my night with an extra course. My entire night took about 4 hours +, but my additions and customizations extended the experience.
Highlights
Amuse Bouche (Starter): The start to the evening was a huge win with three petit bites. The first was tuna & caviar rolled up in a cylindrical shape akin to a small cigar. It was a silky smooth and rich bite. The second was foie gras in a sphere and coated in a liquorice gel. Amazing flavor balance between the liquor and duck liver. The third was Cherry and hazelnut, cream with foam and truffle. I was not too much of a fan of this particular starter, the taste was bland however the first two were amazing
(L-R) Tuna & Caviar, Foie Gras 
Cherry and hazelnut Scallop (Course 2): One of my favorite dishes of the night. Nicely seared scallops, with a creme made with Satay, a typical dutch sauce that's based on peanuts. The course also came with two other treats; a Pumpkin toast & hazelnut, and also a bao bun. The bao bun came in a beautifully designed clam shell
Course 2a: Scallop (Sear, golden crust is on the side not displayed in the picture) 
Course 2b: Bao Bun Quail (Course 4): This course worked beautifully, topped with hints of grapefruit, vinaigrette with garlic, onion, pepper and salt. The texture of the quail was consistent, and the flavor mix on the plate was delicious
Course 4: Quail Deer (Course 5): Great tasting deer with some peppermint, and delicious pickled beetroot. One of my highlights for the night. The deer did not feel consistent, as some parts felt well done and others mid-rare. However, the course still worked beautifully
Course 5: Deer ‘Pornstar Martini’ souffle (Course 7 - A la carte): It is quite surreal to put into words how I felt having this souffle. It is up there as one of the best souffles I've had. The base of a ‘pornstar martini’ is the deep passion fruit flavor which worked absolutely beautifully for me. There was coconut flour and a touch of prosecco. The course came in three parts all served at once; first was the passion fruit curd, the second was iced passion fruit served in a hollow passion fruit, and the third was the souffle. When the souffle arrives, it comes with a fire display, and the top of the souffle is torched to perfection. The course was so good, I ordered it twice. Yes, I had a second round.
A la carte: ‘Pornstar Martini’ souffle Petit fours: The petit fours selection was made of beautiful and succulent madeleine, a curled up zure matten, a mini tart and array of chocolates to choose from. Some of the selection were Dark chocolate with salted caramel, popcorn, cinnamon cookie mixed tangerine, and palm sugar based chocolate
Petit Fours
Neutral
Banh Da Lon (Course 6): This is a vietnamese steamed cake with different layers on the plate. The bottom is a flan based on oolong tea, layers of tapioca, pandan, vinaigrette based on oolong tea and topped with white chocolate. I liked the taste but the flan at the base felt a little flat
Course 6: Banh Da Lon Rutabaga (Course 3): This is the root vegetable course with a bullion and taste of different herbs. It was topped with copious amounts of hollandaise sauce. I wanted to like this course, but the hollandaise sauce drowned everything else and was overpowering. The hollandaise was also made with Japanese bbq sauce, onion and other condiments
Course 3: Rutabaga
Low point
Mackerel (Course 1): The mackerel dish did not work for me. It had tangerine, and radish made in different preparations that should theoretically work flavor wise. However the execution was lacking. The dish was finished with coconut vinaigrette and felt like an average dish falling off from the great Amuse Bouche high that the evening started with.
Course 1: Mackerel
What I missed
I would have loved to also have a Lobster based dish on the menu, and tasting menus that are longer. I was able to extend and customize mine to 7 courses, or actually 8 courses since I ordered the souffle twice. I think the current 5 or 6 course menu may be too small.
Drinks
I opted for a customized passion fruit mocktail that was not on the menu. The service staff worked with the bar to build it from scratch
Passion fruit mocktail, and a shot of Seven Up
Front of house treatment
There was good harmony amongst the front of house staff, with a welcoming feeling observed by everyone. I particularly saw standout performances by Sylvia and Ronald; showing exceptional levels of service. I was treated exquisitely right from the very first interaction on the ground floor, up till all the front of house staff that awaited me on the third floor. They worked with high levels of excellence worthy of a Michelin star nested within a five star hotel.
Their treatment alone is worthy of a return to Bougainville. My only criticism is closer to the end of the night, there was no mention of petit fours until I asked about it. There was a bit of a communication gap here.
Parting words
It's a GC-WAV (Worth_Another_Visit).
Bougainville excels beautifully in most of the courses I had, and it was a great night as a whole. I particularly enjoyed the service experience from the front of house staff, and most of the evening courses tasted amazing. I believe two stars may be within reach if they continue at the levels of excellence.
You know the drill
Would you be going back to Restaurant Bougainville
Yes
Would you recommend Restaurant Bougainville
Yes
Did you feel happier leaving the restaurant than when you came in?
Yes
Till next time.
JR (for Gourmet Circuit)