november-2010

SHORTS | NEW RESTAURANTS
TASTE
BUDS
Bo Cinq
AMSTERDAM
The shouty
neon jungle of
Amsterdam’s Lange
Leidsedwarsstraat
has never been
associated with fi ne
dining. But keep
your head down
and run the gauntlet
of tirelessly jaunty
door touts and you’ll
fi nd a very different
dining experience.
Bo Cinq doesn’t
need to holler its
credentials. In fact,
the place is so
discreet as to be
barely perceptible.
Established
earlier this year,
Blavis
BARCELONA
A cosmopolitan
city packed with
chefs, Barcelona’s
cuisine can have
a distinct air of
one-upmanship.
So it makes a
refreshing change
that Blavis, a small,
local restaurant
with space for only
14 diners, is causing
such a stir.
Run by young
couple Sonia
Devesa and Marc
Casademunt,
Blavis has built its
reputation on the
it’s billing itself as
a new concept on
the Amsterdam
hospitality scene,
and while its fusion
food isn’t quite as
ground-breaking
as it would have
you believe, the
restaurant is well
worth a visit. The
French-Arabic
kitchen is overseen
by two chefs
(Marilyn Lukies
and Mohammed
Mahraoui) who
each specialise
in very different
cuisines, and the
establishment has
the cosmopolitan
air of a members’
club, boasting one
of the longest bars
in Amsterdam, a
lounge stuffed
with recessionshrugging
furniture,
and a smoking room
that recently won
the “golden lighter”
award for best
in class.
Mains are
dominated by North
African staples such
personal touch.
Sonia attends to
Blavis’ six cosy
tables and Marc
mans the kitchen,
visiting the market
daily and picking
out fresh seasonal
produce to create
his three-course
Mediterranean
lunch menu. Blavis
is also open on
Thursday and
Friday evenings,
but it’s the lunches
(served from 1pm
to 4pm weekdays)
that have the city’s
foodies buzzing.
100 | TRAVELLER | 15 TH BIRTHDAY ISSUE
as tagines and
koftas that have
been dressed up
with nifty brasserie
fl ourishes like the
moreish harissafl
avoured fries.
Take a deep
breath and order
the carpaccio of
pigs’ feet served
with Parmesan
and dried fruit,
The wagyu burger
with foie gras is
delectable and
anything involving
seafood is going
to be a safe bet,
because they won’t
the cold almond
and garlic soup,
or “Grandma’s”
lentil stew with
sausage. Mains
include dishes
serve it unless it’s
super-fresh.
Dessert fl ipreverses
the ethnic
balance with,
among others, a
dinky trio of vanilla,
such as salmon
stuffed with brie,
served with roasted
sweet peppers,
or rustic chicken
soup with potatoes
coffee and mint
crème brûlées
for a superb end.
93–95 Lange
Leidsedwarsstraat,
tel: +31 622 0682
Mark Smith
and mushrooms.
And for dessert?
You won’t be
disappointed with a
slice of homemade
Santiago pie – a
delicious Galician
almond torta.
Come Thursday
and Friday
evenings, Blavis
stays true to its
Cátalan roots and
serves up tapas
that have diners
queuing right
around the corner.
85 Calle Saragossa,
tel: +34 935 182 005
Regina Winkle-Bryan
PHOTO © SUSANA GELLIDA