You might not find murder or burgers at the island restaurant Vuurtoreneiland but you will find a dining experience just like The Menu. The island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is reachable only by boat ride from the east of Amsterdam, outside the new Hoxton Lloyd hotel. The boat leaves at 6:30pm sharp and whilst it might take an hour there’s a bar onboard and some moreish snacks of spicy nuts, local cheese, sausage and pickles.
On arrival you’re treated to a tour of the tiny island, including the old military bunkers which were abandoned in the 1930s. These bunkers are where dinner is served during winter (note there’s no phone signal there) but if you visit in summer you’ll enjoy dinner in the Greenhouse. The Greenhouse looks out to sea and to the lighthouse, which is still operational to this day. There’s some friendly sheep on the island who you’re warned not to mess with and we spotted a rat that ran around in the grass, plus a few spiders on the ceiling, but that was about as dangerous as it got.
Dinner consisted of a six-course seasonal menu, featuring the likes of fresh bread with goat butter, a delicious tomato salad, opperdoezer potatoes with lardo, and a lamb sausage with lamb tartare, fennel and bell pepper.
The island also has a handful of luxury cabins if you want to stay the night but it’s worth noting there’s only one way on or off the island…. incase you need to make a quick exit. The boat back to the mainland is a little more lively, with music, homemade eggnog (apparently a Dutch thing in the height of summer) and more drinks flowing, arriving back on the mainland at 11pm.
Scoring a booking is harder than getting your hands on a Glasto ticket but if you managed to bag a table, just make sure you choose your dining partner wisely…