Vuurtoreneiland (Lighthouse Island) Experience

I hinted at this experience already in my last post, but it truly deserves its own spotlight. If anyone is planning a trip to Amsterdam, I would highly recommend, neigh, urge you to do this one thing.

Vuurtoreneiland is a world all of its own.  Allow me to take you through this one-of-a kind experience!

We arrive at a dock in front of the Lloyd Hotel. We were the first there, and no boat was in sight. We look at each other, shrug and smile, ready for whatever lies ahead. Soon after, this adorable old sea-green boat comes into view and we claim it as ours. It pulls up to the dock, and we start seeing a handful of other couples walk up. We board the boat, greeted with smiles and the captain, checking off our names, asked us if we knew what our last name meant. We both nodded and asked if he did too. His response, “of course! I better know as a captain of this boat!” For the record, Weir is similar to a dam or something blocking a river to raise or regulate the flow of water.  As we enter we are told to go downstairs first to gather some drinks and an aperitif. We step down into a rustic galley area and the lady hand us a fermented cider and a custom made picnic box, tied up with a leather strap. We carry it upstairs to the deck, and find a seat. As others come on board, we are full and ready to leave the dock and head for the island. It takes about an hour to get there, and we start the journey by enjoying the contents of our picnic box. We undo the strap, remove the box and unveil a wooden board underneath, lined with parchment and topped with three different hummus spreads: curry, a plain one and a black bean cumin hummus, paired with a side of seedy bread and spelt crackers. We eat and sip the fermented cider, and take in the scenery. We notice that we are the only American couple and one of the few English-speaking pair as well. When we were approaching the Island, the crew shared some information about the upcoming docking and dinner, and we would have had no clue what he said, if it weren’t for our confused blank stares and the young Dutch couple across from us. They noticed we didn’t speak the language and helped us with an overview of what he said. It seemed that there would be a flow to the whole set up, but it also felt free and open.

We docked and were warmly greeted by all the kitchen staff, lined up on the dock, ready to treat us to a unique experience. There was a little house near the dock, and just beyond it a large bunker where they serve this meal during the winter/colder months, as well as a few smaller bunkers maybe used for the roaming goats and one was turned into a makeshift wine celler for the summer.

Atop the grassy knoll, near the lighthouse, was a beautiful wooden greenhouse, that they build during the summer for this experience to be enjoyed outdoors. It was breathtaking. We walked around the property, watched the heard of goats cruise around, and my favorite was spotting a baby goat playfully jumping around. Rob and I found our seats at a long table, that was only shared by two other couples. Although there were about 75 people, everyone was spaced out so it felt like we were all enjoying a unique private experience.

My eyes locked in on the kitchen, open and rustic, with a wood fire oven hearth standing in the middle. All the kitchen staff was calm and collected, but precise and worked quickly and together. The coordination was a masterpiece. Couples seemed to get up and take a walk around the island, or down to the shoreline, wine glass in hand, and then return to their table when they were ready to continue.

All the courses were served when each individual was ready for them, plated beautifully, with a perfect wine pairing and a detailed explanation of what we were about to enjoy. Our server did a wonderful job translating for us so we knew what we were about to enjoy.

I never wanted it to end. Here’s why. 

Course 1 // Sla

Caramelized onion tarte with buffalo mozzarella.

Course 2 // Boon

Bouquet of fresh herbs and baby lettuce, neatly wrapped together, drizzle with a light vinaigrette and garnished with toasted barley.

Course 3 // Ui

Pea salad with sprouts, shaved string beans. This was served with a fresh pea juice mixed with fish powder, poured over top.

Course 4 // Desem

Homemade sourdough bread served on a wooden board, and a side of soft fermented butter. It was salty, sweet, tangy and literally lick-off-the-knife delicious. I love some melted butter on toast, in baked goods or using it to cook with, but I’ve never been one to eat a knob of butter on toast. This was utterly addicting and I found myself throwing out my knob-of-butter logic. If it tastes this good, slather it on good bread and lick the knife too.

I know, it’s just butter. But no, no you don’t know. I wasn’t just butter.

Course 5 // Krab

Red fish dumpling, served in a bisque of small Dutch beach crab, paired with fennel.

I’ll admit the fish cake dumpling wasn’t my favorite, but the soup was delicious!

Course 6 // Mossel

Puffed potatoes with ash of golden hay, dried shaved mussels on top and an herb puree of parsley.

This was an interactive dish. We were told to smash the potatoes with our fork and make our own mashed potatoes, which sounds simple, but definitely up a few notches on the culinary scale than what we’d have back home. If you’re wondering what a “puffed” potato is, it was sort of charred and roasted, but crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Rob added some of the last remnants of our fermented butter into his and swore by the added genius touch.

Course 7 //  Lam

Sweet bread of lamb, served with macadamia cabbage, and a gravy made from the sweetbreads.

If you don’t know what sweet breads are, they are the organs (“thymus” or pancreas) of the lamb. I’ve never tried this before, and it was absolutely divine. It was tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth, and so flavorful. The paired macadamia cabbage (sort of kraut like side), was a beautiful addition.

Course 8 // Kannibaal

Raw “meatball” of mince-meat with pickles and capers mixed inside, served on a rustic spelt cracker.

Drool worthy. I’ve only eaten raw red meat a few times, Carpaccio mostly, but this was a lovely way to enjoy it!

Course 9 // Rund

Beef from the West, they called it. They slowly heated wood planks, then served the thin beef steak on top with salt. The heat from the plank seared the bottom of the beef, both sealing in the juices pushing the melted fats up to the top, which was rare, tender, juicy with incredible flavor.

Alongside Swiss chard was served with crispy beef fat crumbles, along with a sauce made from beef juices and a freeze dried beef powder.

Beef beef beef beef. And some chard. And more beef.

Course 10 // Druif

Rye tart crust with custard and fermented grapes (not pictured).

Course 11 // Karamel

Hazelnut crusted ball of stracciatella ice cream (vanilla ice cream + fine chocolate flakes), served over a thick dollop of toffee caramel sauce.

Luscious!

They rolled rob his own version without nuts, but extra crushed cookie! Lucky man!

As we finished dinner our elaborate dinner, we full, happy and completely entranced by the warmth of the greenhouse and the beauty of the setting. We took another stroll about the Island, and then headed back to the boat, where the whole staff was lined up on the dock, thanking us for joining them and sending us off. It was impossible not to feel like royalty. And that night we were.

The ride back to mainland was joyful, as we cozied up in the galley, where we were served espresso and little doughnuts. We sat and chatted with a dutch couple who were telling us that they had been wanting to do this for years, and just finally got the chance to step away from the kids and make it happen. They were filling us in on dutch life and everything in between.

When we disembarked, back at the Lloyd Hotel dock, it felt like we just stepped out of a dream, both looking at each other like, “did this really just happen!?” Our carriage turned back into a pumpkin.

Then it started drizzling and we scurried towards the tram stop back to our part of town.

Whoever canceled their reservations that night, to allow for us to swoop in last minute, thank you.

Feed Your Sense of Wonder,

Chrissy Weir

PS. Enjoy the full gallery here, just click the photo to view the next!