Toro Dorado, Amsterdam

...tastes but after eating at Toro Dorado, I felt that I had to put my feelings down!

Anyone who has read reviews that I have written in the past will know that I don't usually need much excuse for a jolly abroad and when my girlfriend announced that she was being sent to Amsterdam on a training course my eyes lit up, Rather than her flying back to the UK on the Friday I would fly out to meet her and then we would spend the weekend there.
...so we moved along to Toro Dorado and I think that it could have been the best thing that could have happened.

The restaurant is an Argentinean steak restaurant although oddly its prime Wagyu steaks actually come from Japan. A quick glance at the menu showed some good prices and a lot of choice in terms of sides and sauces. This was a big benefit as, unlike is often the case when you order a steak, and you are given tomatoes, mushrooms ... more

Now, I don't usually write restaurant reviews as each person has their own personal tastes but after eating at Toro Dorado, I felt that I had to put my feelings down!

Anyone who has read reviews that I have written in the past will know that I don't usually need much excuse for a jolly abroad and when my girlfriend announced that she was being sent to Amsterdam on a training course my eyes lit up, Rather than her flying back to the UK on the Friday I would fly out to meet her and then we would spend the weekend there.

Having spent the whole of the Saturday exploring what Amsterdam as a city has to offer we found ourselves needing something to eat. The night before we had eaten at our hotel and we really didn't want to have to head back there and pay over the odds again. With a 20minute walk from where we were back to the train station we were confident that we would be able to find somewhere nice to eat but as time ticked by and we weren't finding anywhere hope started to ebb away.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what appeared to be a restaurant up a side street so we went to find out. As the road panned out we found that we had come across a small square with 3-4 restaurants on the streets. Our first choice was a small Mexican outfit but this had no seating outside so we moved along to Toro Dorado and I think that it could have been the best thing that could have happened.

The restaurant is an Argentinean steak restaurant although oddly its prime Wagyu steaks actually come from Japan. A quick glance at the menu showed some good prices and a lot of choice in terms of sides and sauces. This was a big benefit as, unlike is often the case when you order a steak, and you are given tomatoes, mushrooms etc. regardless of whether you want them, you can just order what you want to eat.

The service was quick and within minutes, food had been placed in front of us. Suspicious of the speed of service, especially given that a nearby table that had been seated when we arrived were still waiting, coupled with the fact that we were missing some of our sides meant that we waited a couple of minutes. Sure enough, the waiter quickly came along apologising and removed the food to the previously mentioned table.

We weren't too bothered by this and when our food did arrive quickly just a few minutes later the management kindly left us some mistakenly cooked extras free of charge, a real bonus.

It must now be noted that it takes a lot for me to use phrases like 'best ever' or 'amazing' but the steak was by far the BEST steak that I have ever eaten in my life. Considering that we hadn't even ordered the most expensive steak this was AMAZING! Neither my girlfriend nor myself wanted to come close to finishing as each mouthful was perfect. It had been cooked to my personal definition of perfection and was so succulent and juicy; I am salivating writing about it again now!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and far too soon, I was wiping my lips after one of the best meals I had ever had. However, my good opinions of the restaurant hadn't even reached anywhere near their maximum! As we were preparing to pay and head back to our hotel, the restaurant manager approached us. Although we had had no problems with the earlier mistake, he felt terrible and before we knew it, a round of free drinks had appeared on our table. For my girlfriend he had arranged a triple shot of Bailey's and myself, a triple of Jack Daniels. Unfortunately, I can't stand JD so it was an effort to drink that much but it was such a nice, and un-needed step, which left us leaving with an even bigger spring in our step.

Had we been staying in the city for longer then I have no doubt that we would have considered eating at the restaurant again but our flight was in the morning, which had to rule that out. However, if I can find any excuse to go back to Amsterdam and try the restaurant again I will be jumping at the chance!

I am sure that you can tell from this review that I was massively impressed with this restaurant, especially given that often food can be really hit or miss when on the continent. If you like steak and are in the city then I really suggest trying to find it (there is a map on their website). 

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