Food follows Wine at NOTK Restaurant.
Meet NOTK: the new and unusual Wine Restaurant in Rotterdam.
NOTK has made a grand entrance in their own vibrant new place at Deliplein in Rotterdam founded by Lucas and Thomas. After a year serving their guests in Supernova hotel Rotterdam, it was time for the next chapter: their own Restaurant & Wine Bar with the appropriate name, NOTK Restaurant, which translates to warehouse of wine. During their press dinner we step into a cozy restaurant with warm colours of terra cotta brown, forest green and royal blue combined with industrial and comfortable seating which gives the wine bar an edge that suits the venue and concept of the restaurant.
The Concept
With over 250 bottles and over 30 different open bottles NOTK means business. They even import and sell wines themselves. With a self-declared love for Burgundy and France you can also expect wines from a variety of other regions and countries.
Guests can choose from the menu or opt for a surprise sommelier menu (we recommend the latter!). The Sommeliers chooses the wines, and the chefs are creating a menu around it which complement the wines perfectly. Words of the chef ‘I like to cook simple food but good, small amounts of ingredients with simple yet delicious and complex flavors’. The Sommelier menu is fun and surprising and makes NOTK an unusual and worth visiting place in Katendrecht, Rotterdam.
The signature of NOTK can be found in wines that are unique, have excellent quality and are somewhat quirky are the wines you can find on the wine list. Guests who will appreciate NOTK are wine lovers and foodies that want more than the usual suspects.
Dinner Time
The evening started in style when we were served an aperitivo in the form of an elegant and fresh glass of ‘Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaunes’ 2024 by Arnaud Baillot. With notes of lemon, hazelnut and a lingering finish this 100% Chardonnay has proven to be the right start of the evening. Complemented with fresh oven baked bread and homemade salted butter.
For our first pairing a rose, the 2023 Domaine Rimauresq Cru Classé ‘Gites de Provence’ was poured into our glasses and transported us to the South of France straight away. This pale colored rosé proved to be subtle yet layered with a certain complexity. Rimauresq was the well selected companion of various shared dining dishes such as clams, brioche ricotta with rhubarb and brioche with Parma ham and onion jam. Pitta chickpeas, shallot, and fermented lime.
What followed was the 2014 Etna Rosso 1815 by Scilio. This beautiful ruby red organic wine was the showstopper of the evening. Hints of red fruit, herbs and a touch of orange. Soft and dry on the pallet with a velvet smooth finish. Paired with risotto & pancetta with pearl barley and asparagus, this was the wine everybody came back too.
We ended the dinner with dessert: Magnolia cake with orange sorbet and bay leaf. Thomas surprised us with the 2015 Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese by Weingut Hermann Ludes. A beautiful golden color, not overly sweet, with hints of citrus and a long finish. From the Mediterranean dishes and wine countries to the Mosel was a fitting ending to our culinary journey at NOTK.
This report was written by our own Kirsten Andringa. We would like to thank Lucas, Thomas and team of NOTK, for having us, we will be back!