On Boxing Day we went for the third time this year to Bougainville. It was the first time we went there with the two of us. Previous times one of us visited the restaurant with a friend and another time we were here with friends. Now a romantic dinner in an over the top restaurant, which we love. We love the interior of this restaurant / hotel. It is very warm, very decadent and they have a great eye for details
Bougainville is located in hotel Twenty Seven on the Dam Square in Amsterdam (Dam 27, Amsterdam). Hotel Twenty Seven is the most expensive build hotel in The Netherlands. It only has suites.
Bougainville received its first Michelin star within one year of opening. The Executive Chef is Tim Golsteijn. The sommelier is Lendl Mijnhijmer, he was named the best wine specialist in The Netherlands. The chef and sommelier are very friendly. The chef did not arrive at our table, but in previous visits we have shaken his hand.
Entering the hotel through the doors at Dam Square brings you to a different environment. Especially when the elevator brings you to the third floor where the restaurant and bar are located. No noises from the city centre, but a calm relaxing ambiance.
Next to the restaurant is the bar of hotel Twenty Seven. You can start you aperitif here. Drinking Champagne with views over Dam Square in an interior of extreme luxury with beautiful pictures is the perfect way to start a fancy dinner.
Bar 
Bar Great photo Look at the Queen
This time, we are not here for the bar, we are here for the food so let’s go to the restaurant and enjoy the evening.
Menu
For Christmas the restaurant serves a set 7-course menu. Normally guests can choose between a set menu and a-la-card but tonight there was a fixed menu. We knew this upfront and we even received the menu upfront because I wanted to know if the meal was not a copy of our last dinner. It was not, the kitchen made a lot of new dishes compared to the card of two months ago.
Olive 
Cheese 
Peper leaves with chicken egg curd
We started with 4 appetizers. Three appetizers we already knew from previous visits. The olive on the spoon is a dish that splashes in your mouth. If you bite in the olive the olive juice is released, a great first appetizer. The second one is cheese, an old Dutch appetizer some cheese with a bit of bread.
The third appetizer was the best in my opinion, leaves from pepper with on the inside chicken, lemon grass and coconut. The taste sensation was Thai.
The last one was served separately. A egg curd with miso, seaweed and shrimps.
All good appetizers to start the evening. A perfect amuse bouche. Bit the same of last time, but we liked it.
The first dish of the menu was langoustine. We received 3 different preparations of langoustine.
The first preparation was carpaccio of langoustine with passion fruit, vanilla mayonnaise and camarones (shrimps). The shrimps were extremely small and deep fried, do not know how this was made as the shrimps were tiny and as they were not burned. The passion fruit sauce was very intense and a great combination with the fresh langoustine.
The second preparation of langoustine was a tartar made with bergamot. Langoustine raw, coarse cut pieces mixed with bergamot, a great combination.
The third preparation was so unique, a lukewarm deep fried langoustine with a coat of shrimp crackers. The crackers were yellow and green (colored with seaweed). The outside was extreme crunchy.
We both loved the trio of langoustines. What a great first dish. The sauce of passion fruit was extremely good; a bit sour. The combination with the sweet taste of the vanilla mayonnaise, the raw langoustine and the crunchy shrimps. Still get water in my mouth thinking of it. The deep fried langoustine was our favorite from the three as this was a very special dish. Crunchy with the soft delicate fish inside.
As wine we had a Muscadet from Jérome Bretaudeau. A young wine that matched the langoustine very good.
The next dish was pan seared scallops with hazelnut and gammon. The mousse was made of hazelnut and the béarnaise sauce was made of hazelnut with gammon, a rich creamy sauce. Hazelnut and scallops combine very good. The scallops were entirely warm.
As wine we had a South African Chenin Blanc & Viognier from David and Nadia. A good match.
I was hoping upfront if Chef Tim Golsteijn would serve this dish for Christmas, and he did. Oppedoezer potato with mussel and caviar. Last time this dish was just released and we were one of the first who ate it. I liked this dish so much. The potato is boiled in its peel, the mussels are boiled in stock and on top caviar. The plate was also beautiful a golden tree with in the centre of the tree the dish.
The same wine as with the scallop was served with this dish. It was again a good combination. I did not expect this as the hazelnut was more fat then the light dish with mussel and caviar. But a good pairing.
Next dish was sweetbread with pumpkin and orange. The sweetbread was glaced and was laying on top of a round piece of pumpkin. The pumpkin was cooked and al dente. The jus was made of sweetbread as well. A very delicious dish.
An Italian wine was served together with this dish. A wine from Chianti: Rosso di Montalcino. A soft red wine.
The main dish was deer wellington with shiitake and licorice. The Wellington was perfect, crispy puff pastry with mushrooms and meat. The meat was medium raw and was perfect in taste. The sauce was made of licorice. A sweet sensation.
A strong Spanish wine accomplished this dish. A wine of Rioja; Remelluri 2012. A deep red / purple colored wine. What a perfect combination.
This dish I personally did not like, a soufflé made of cheese with truffel and chestnut. Hearing soufflé I think of a high risen dish, this dish was not high risen. Fresh winter truffel was shaved at the table over the cheese. I like truffel, but this warm cheese did not work for me. My partner thought it was ok. The cheese with chestnut in the other bowl was good.
The Christmas dessert arrived. The name is Silence is Golden. What a beautiful presentation. Everything on the dark plate was gold. Gold white chocolate, champagne and calamondin (citrus). The funny thing was that we did not get any explanation, we received a card. Opening this card the song of Spandau Ballet “Gold” is played. Inside all ingredients were mentioned. A fresh dish.
All I want for Christmas is “Silence is Golden”. I want more of this dessert what a great dish! The freshness of the ice, the hard beans, the crunchy foam and the taste. In one word WOW.
We drunk a Riesler Auslese from Keller with this dish. A sweet and bitter taste. A great combination with the sweet and sour dish. With every bite the wine was balanced.
Impression Impression Cheers
Overall
I know why this restaurant received within one year after opening its first Michelin star. The chef knows how to cook, the sommelier explains the wines in great details. Normally he explains the wine after drinking and eating, so you can have a conversation. Staff is so friendly, they take care of you, it looks like you are the only guest here. They pay attention to details, no question is too much. In my opinion a must visit when dining in Amsterdam.
