The journey began with great passion and age-old traditions. ZA Amsterdam gives it a modern twist in its new restaurant and cocktail bar. Pure ingredients, authentic recipes and an extensive selection of cocktails and wines – all part of this latest addition to the upcoming and trendy Houthavens area. ZA serves the fair flavors of Mediterranean cuisine through the secret dough recipe of pizza polos from Rome – where craftsmanship all started.
The design
The restaurant, bar and private art room are built from a selection of special materials collected by Jacco van Wengerden Atelier & Design Studio. ZA is refined, elegant and uninhibited; with Emperador marble tables, brass details, coral-like fabrics, warm oak panels and modern custom-made furniture. The talented artist Livingstone Rijff is the brain behind the elegant visual art that gives ZA her refined character.
The Craftsmanship
Stefano Franco, co-founder of ZA, got his passion for food from childhood with his southern Italian family. The perfect dough forms the basis of Mediterranean cuisine – this he knew through his treasured memories of freshly baked pizzas and his mother’s handmade pasta. In his own restaurant he started perfecting his own recipe. The result was a very special dough that had both traditional taste and an exceptionally light structure. The unique blend of ingredients became the essence of all his recipes. The dough, with its delicate structure, proved to be a perfect companion for every moment of the day. Franco now brings his recipe for the first time outside Italy’s borders and gives it an international twist.
The Cuisine
The traditional recipe of Stefano Franco gets a modern and international twist in the experienced hands of ZA’s chef Vincent Foppen – a young and talented chef. His impressive résumé includes prestigious names such as Eleven Madison Park in NYC, Lysverket in Norway, the luxurious Dutch restaurant De Echoput, and now; ZA Amsterdam. Cooked dishes come with a Mediterranean heart; they get inspiration all over the world. Foppen translates the modern character of ZA into dishes that are both authentic and quirky.
The Cocktail Bar
At ZA everything is all about the journey. The special signature cocktail and wine menu takes guests on a seductive trip along the Mediterranean area. For example, the wine menu symbolizes the vibrant journey along the Mediterranean coast – from the unique wines from Croatia and Greece to the classic and complex flavors of Spain and Italy. The cocktail menu is inspired by the four main influences on Mediterranean cuisine; Italy and its famous aperitivo culture, Greece with its authentic spirits and unique terroir, Morocco with its wonderful variety of spices and herbs and Spain with the enormous influence that the country has with its grape spirits on the bar industry. With the menu consisting of 12 cocktails, Vitaly Alekseyev and Sergei Platonov – the brains behind the bar concept – take their guests on an enchanting journey.
Today ZA Amsterdam opens the doors of its impressive brass-colored corner building for an international Mediterranean journey full of passion, tradition and authentic flavors.
ZA Amsterdam | Danzigerkade 4 | 1013 AP Amsterdam | info@za-amsterdam.com | www.za-amsterdam.com
