Café Restaurant Toom

Aptly named after it’s hood, Café Toom provides the bistro delights of continental fare to this quiet area of Amsterdam. This casual neighborhood spot seems worthy for all occasions — outdoor dining with people watching, intimate enough to be date worthy and with a friendly enough menu for the little ones during family outings.
The place looked nice, clean, very homey yet somewhat contemporary, even if the orange theme can feel like overkill at times. Service was extremely nice, and because my Dutch is practically non-​existent, we were presented with English only menus.
The menu itself was delightfully simple. There are only a handful of choices for the appetizers, main entrees, and desserts leaving little opportunity for even the most indecisive. Each entrée ranged from € 15 – 18, which is about right for what was offered. None of the dishes had fancy or complicated names, just easy descriptions so one knows exactly what to expect. This is the kind of menu Gordon Ramsey would love.
And the food, was also worth loving. For some people, there are first timer events that can only be had in Amsterdam that will impact them for life. I’m not talking about the Red Light District, I’m talking about bitterballen, a fried ball stuffed with meat and spices, something similar to a boudin ball in Louisiana. This was my favorite thing on the entire menu, which is just a snack to the Dutch. I had an opportunity to try this in NY but I wanted to savor my first experience in trying it here. The taste was savory, crispy, and packed just enough punch for the palate when combined with a spicy mustard. I could eat these bad boys for breakfast, lunch, and dinner they were so good.
The rest of the appetizers were stellar. Garlic bread with olive tapenade and an assortment of fries /​potato wedges sprinkled with herbs proved to be good starters. Everything was fresh and tasted great. Portions were just right, I couldn’t have asked for more. Actually, I could’ve asked for more bitterballen, but that’s besides the point.
The entrees were a little bit of everything, each of which worth sampling and delicious in it’s own right. My grilled salmon fillet with caper and lime was quite good, with just enough seasoning and char on the salmon to give a nice, light taste. While the sliced lamb leg was impressive, there was a hint of game in the slices, which was the only knock of the night. Best dish overall was the pork tenderloin soaked in tapenade and gorgonzola, which despite looking quite ordinary, was rich and decadent in taste.
Without question, I can see myself returning. Residents of Helmersbuurt should consider themselves lucky to have this neighborhood gem in their neck of the woods.

Wir sind per Zufall (wie fast immer) an diesem Restaurant vorbeigekommen und dachten, schauen wir mal, wie es da so ist. Kann man ohne Bedenken reingehen :) Netter Service, sauber und das Essen ist auch schnell da.
Ich habe nur eine Vorspeise gegessen (gratinierter Schafskäse — seht euch das Foto an) und das hat eigentlich völlig ausgereicht: D War absolut fein zubereitet. Die Gemüselasagne mit Gorgonzolasauce war auch sehr gut. Frisches Brot noch am Tisch und wir sind die glücklichsten Menschen auf Erden: D Der Apfelkuchen sieht eigentlich überall gleich aus. Wird wohl ein Massenprodukt sein, dass aufgetaut wird. Hat aber gut geschmeckt ;)
Zu den Preisen:
Apfelkuchen: 3.25
Gratinierter Ziegenkäse: 7.80
Bier: 2.20