KITCHEN

Menu

Looks has a small menu that changes every two weeks. Oysters and Steak are fixed on our list . The rest of the menu changes, we like to surprise and provocative, we are inspired by all seasons of the year. We want to entertain you, we prepare recognizable ingredients in a slightly different way.

Location

Amsterdams Chinatown has a long-standing tradition when it comes to fine dining. Right at the heart of it all, Looks is located amid the old bridges, canals, and 16th century facades. An instant eye catcher among the more conventional Asian eating establishments, Looks offers modern urban dining with a warm and yet metropolitan touch behind its two monumental facades. Upon entering the restaurant, the kitchen staff gives our guests a welcoming smile through the semi-open kitchen right in the front of the restaurant; a transparent work-space that allows for a glance into the heart of our cooking, and where only fresh ingredients form the benchmark of our menu. The interior of the building is multi-levelled, and although each space is unique in character, the separate spaces and floors are all strongly interconnected through the use of mirrors and lit pane glass so as to form a visual unity.

Hospitality

Any restaurant should ideally be a place where people can gather and meet in a pleasant, informal and relaxed atmosphere; discovering new flavours together with friends or relatives, letting yourself be pleasantly surprised that one special bottle of wine, or generally having a good time spent together.

Looks also represents a personal approach toward its patrons. You may always expect to find your host Hans Kreeft, present to warmly welcome you and to happily invite you for a drink and some supper.

Kitchen

Excitement on each plate, using natural ingredients.
Asking Chef Maxine for her specific cooking style makes her laugh: ‘I can’t answer that, I don’t think in cooking styles, I taste, I experience and I make combinations’. Maxine (31 yrs of age) is a young and talented chef, with, clearly, her own flavours, critics agree. Since coming to Looks a different wind blows through its kitchen. She cooks intuitively. Hard to label. But she has her own specific signature. Critics say she is French oriented. Her plate dressing is exceptional. Maxine: ‘My cooking is not traditionally French, the days of Farce, butter sauce and terrines is clearly over’. Maxine is always on the lookout for recognizable products with distinct palates. Her uniqueness can be found in preparations, exceptional combinations and daring to experiment without it being too daring. Modern French, present-day, not too fat. Balance is of great importance. She had the opportunity to learn in restaurants like Merabel, De Stadstuin, Villa Nova, Gong, the Dylan, to now 31 years of age, in charge of her own kitchen team. She left Felix Pakhuis (Very well known in Antwerp) as head chef, to further evolve the culinary part of Looks.