NY Basement, Rotterdam

When you descend the stairs of the iconic Hotel New York in Rotterdam, you immediately feel like  you have returned to the Manhattan of the 1920’s and 1930’s. Cute pattern tiles, a long bar measuring 11 meters and sofas upholstered in fancy fabrics immediately create a warm, elegant and stylish look. At NY Basement, trendy and historical meet at a seductive and relaxed bar and restaurant concept.

Tasteful, cozy dining

The reception in the restaurant is welcoming and enthusiastic. The refrigerated counter filled with steaming ice and fresh products immediately catches the eye. We get a quiet table by the window, where we have a nice view on the bar and the rest of the restaurant.

NY Basement Rotterdam vis keuken kooltoog

Chef Edward de Ridder and his team pamper their guests in NY Basement with fine, playful bistro cuisine. On the menu there are preparations from the charcoal grill, creative dishes and the chef’s tasting menu. A fine selection of wines and exciting cocktails provide the finishing touch.

NY Basement Rotterdam bar

NY Basement Rotterdam zaal

Exciting cocktails, tasty food

We start off with one of those special cocktails. Choosing one is not that easy, as the menu is quite cryptic to say the least. Names like ‘Flavors of the world’, ‘El Bandido’ or ‘Our secret recipe’ do arouse our curiosity. Eventually we decide to go for the ‘Up in the clouds’ and ‘Perfect Manhatten’ cocktails.

NY Basement Rotterdam cocktail Up in the clouds

NY Basement Rotterdam cocktail Perfect Manhatten

A very original basket of bread with two kinds of butter (with salt and with tomatoes) and some tasty olives satisfy our initial hunger so that the cocktails do not immediately get into our heads.

NY Basement Rotterdam brood olijven gezouten boter met tomaten

The Chef’s Menu

We choose to try four dishes of the chef and to follow the sommelier’s choice with every course.  Today we will start in reverse and share the line-up of the selected wines already.

NY Basement Rotterdam selectie wijn pairing

The first course follows really soon. This one contains home smoked salmon, black radish cannelloni, radish, fresh cream and Granny Smith. The preparation is finished with dragon- and curry mayonnaise, caviar and  a sesame crisp. The suggested wine is Peter Finlayson, Blanc de Mer, 2014.

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We continue our dinner with mackerel fillet on sourdough bread, baked eggplant compote, mackerel and sea lavender tartar and a grilled tomato sauce. We really like this Mediterranean dish because of the smoked flavors. The rosé wine selected by the sommelier is the  Bardolino Chiaretto doc Classico, Zeni, which is rather creamy, with accents of red fruit but at the same time fresh with a beautiful acidity.  

NY Basement Rotterdam zuurdesembrood auberginecompote tartaar makreel amsoortjes saus gegrilde tomaat

The last main course is a bit more vigorous. We are served sirloin prepared on the charcoal grill and with it comes along oignon cream, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, a sauce with Jerusalem artichoke (sunroot),  chanterelles and a crisp. The wine is this time a glass of Stonebarn, California, Merlot 2013. The smooth, dry, slightly herbal wine with some berry aromas is nicely balanced and goes very well with grill dishes like this one.

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A sweet dessert with seasonal fruit finishes our meal. The chef surprises us with tarte tatin of wild peaches, curd, lemon cream, sugared, wild almonds and almond ice. The Chateau Bellevue Monbazillac 2009 that is served with this dish is absolutely amazing. It is a syrupy wine, shortly matured in a wooden barrel and with accents of mandarine and citrus fruits.

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Trendy and historic dining at NY Basement

Our conclusion is that you can go to NY Basement in Hotel New York for good, refined gastropub cuisine. The historical setting with a trendy touch, the exciting cocktail menu and the friendly service are a true asset. The combination with a stay in Hotel New York is of course outstanding. Our review of the hotel can be read here.

Practical information

NY Basement, Koninginnenhoofd 1, 3072 AD  Rotterdam, Netherlands | +32 10 43905 25 | info@nybasement.nl | nybasement.nl | Facebook

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