Celia Amsterdam Restaurant Review - Modern American Cuisine

Whilst staying at the Kimpton De Witt Penthouse, I decided to explore the newly opened restaurant called Celia in the same building. Celia Amsterdam offers modern-American cuisine, a high-end eating experience of Californian cuisine with a Dutch flair. Located close to Amsterdam central station on the busy Nieuwendijk shopping street, Celia’s bright yellow decor and open spaces are a reminder of the Golden State of California in the Netherlands. This restaurant prides itself on offering excellent laidback service with affordable food prices.

The menu is sectioned in the following, Market Vegetables, Salads, Small Plates, Large Plates, For Two and Desserts. After chatting to the friendly waiter we decided to go tapas style first with 5 smaller dishes.

Tapas Style Entrees

My husband and I ordered the Green Asparagus with smoked butter (€8.00) and the Cauliflower (€ 12.00) with Yuza and Feta cheese from the Market Vegetables section. Let’s face it when anyone sees cauliflower on the menu, including me, it is the least appealing vegetable to order at a restaurant. The waiter convinced me to take a leap of faith and try it. It was the most stunning presentation of a cauliflower I have ever been presented with. It tasted as good as it looked, it was a wonderful experience I would come back for.

Holland is also famous for fresh, succulent asparagus. These were served simply as they are to look at, delicious on every healthy level.

From the Small Plates section of the menu, we ordered the Tuna Crudo (Raw Tuna) (€ 17.00), the Grilled Octopus (€ 15.00) and the Fried Calamari (€ 12.00).

The presentation of the Tuna Crudo got my palette in overdrive. The richness in colour alone is why I would come back to order this dish again. The food just melted in my mouth and the radishes on top were fresh and tasty. As I would expect here in the country with some of the best exports of food possible.

Tuna Crudo

The grilled Octopus was tender and came with Romesco sauce and Taggiasca olives.

For me, the Fried Calamari is a Spanish dish through and through. The calamari was soft, the batter perfectly fried and those peppers just finished off this dish. Added with some fresh mayonnaise sauce which is the heart of any fried dish served here in Holand.

Main Dish – Beef

I was so impressed with the tapas-style starters that I was keen to try the Beef Steak (€ 24.00) which I would share to leave some space for desserts. I opted for potatoes with Texel sheep cheese as a side dish.

It would not be an American restaurant if the steak was not on offer. With sweet potatoes underneath and all the herbs and spices, one can think of. This steak was a juicy and succulent as I would expect.

Kimpton De Witt Hotel- Celia Restaurant Review

Holland is famous for its amazing potatoes, van Gogh even dedicated a painting to eating potatoes. The presentation was once again, original and appealing and the taste was delicious especially the cheese sauce.

Desserts

Could I still eat dessert after all this goodness? My taste buds had been in overdrive and I decided to give it one last push after all the previous goodness. Of course, I had to try the all American favourite the Cheesecake with berries (€ 7.00). The other dessert was the Rhubarb with fig leave ice cream.

Cheesecake with berries

Rhubarb with fig leave ice cream

Conclusion

Celia Amsterdam is a restaurant that can host anything from small to larger groups. There is a relaxed atmosphere with high-quality dishes with top ingredients. The Californian style menu has Mediterranean and Mexican influences and makes for an interesting mix with the high-quality produce from Holland. I thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant and will be returning with family and friends. It is a place you could host a celebration too and is well worth exploring.