Lion Noir

Lion Noir is the latest venture from a trio of Amsterdam entrepreneurs, including Casper Reinders, the man behind nightclub Jimmy Woo and Bo Cinq. The restaurant offers contemporary dining in what are best described as mock colonial surroundings.

The elegant, airy 17th-century coach house previously occupied by Het Tuynhuys has been turned into a dark, atmospheric lounge and eatery, where spotlights pick out chocolate banquettes, brightly coloured prints on the olive walls, ornamental birdcages and – oddly – a stuffed peacock perched above the fireplace. The beautiful ‘secret’ garden wedged between the houses behind the restaurant is still there, but the average age of the clientele has halved.

Image of Lion Noir roast chicken The menu, described as a 'great arrangement of life's basic necessities', is presented as French but is liberally sprinkled with international influences, including chorizo, pecorino cheese and tabouleh. I started with well- seasoned rabbit shoulder in aspic (a savoury jelly that’s notoriously hard to make), served in a tall glass with a simply roasted langoustine claw jutting rather menacingly over the rim.

The main course, presented on a long white plate, de rigueur it seems in restaurants that want to be considered trendy, was a roasted free-range chicken accompanied by triangles of polenta, rucola and an earthy morel sauce.

The presentation was a little confused – few chefs can make wilted rucola look appetising and there was a lot of it – but the flavours were generally good. This was with the exception of the polenta, which drooped insipidly at one end of the plate.

Image of lemon dessert at Lion Noir Dessert - also served on a large white plate - comprised lemon custard topped with limoncillo meringue, a mouthful of moist sponge cake and lemon marmalade. The custard had the consistency of lemon curd, with the delectable bite of fresh lemons that makes you suck your cheeks in.

A prominent Dutch restaurant critic concluded that the quality of the food was too high for the large, young (and apparently boisterous) groups of diners at Lion Noir. Rather than being miffed by the implication that haute cuisine is the preserve of sedate baby boomers, my conclusion would be: keep the good food coming (we rowdy youngsters do appreciate it); just make sure the wines are of the same quality (we appreciate that too).