How is it possible that Pianeta Terra has been in Amsterdam for 22 years without us ever setting foot inside? No idea, but the blame lies entirely with us. It’s certainly not due to the kitchen team, as they have been putting a fantastic fine dining restaurant on the map for years, one that Amsterdam can be proud of.

That, and the charm of slow food, is what we discover when we finally take a seat for dinner.

About Pianeta Terra Pianeta Terra aligns itself with the motto “Creative cooking – Italian soul.” As such, the restaurant is not your average Italian eatery. While the Italian essence subtly shines through in certain dishes, creative cooking and slow food are the main pillars of the establishment. It’s no wonder that Fabio Antonini is an ambassador for the Italian Slow Food movement.

The choice for slow food translates into hyper-local ingredients (including Dutch ones that can’t even be found in Italy) and collaborations with small farmers and wineries. With passion, the chef explains how love for the planet drives sustainable choices in the restaurant, from sustainable fishing methods to utilizing less popular cuts of meat. Everything at Pianeta Terra is carefully considered and approached with great respect for Planet Earth, hence the name!

Beautiful Amuse-bouche So, slow food, creativity, with a touch of Italy. You can experience it through a menu of 3 to 7 courses (priced between €47 and €77), taking into account taste preferences and dietary restrictions. We opt for the full package, and right away, it brings us immense joy.

How can you not be delighted by the amuse-bouche, a beautifully crafted pumpkin-shaped bite resembling a savory pumpkin cheesecake? Parmesan croutons provide a contrasting texture, while the elegantly draped woodruff on top adds an interesting warm aroma.

A Salty Flavor Bomb Next, an elegant dish arrives on our plates: steamed oyster with sea banana, herring roe, wasabi mayo, and oyster foam. The whole is undeniably greater than the sum of its parts: the individual elements complement each other to create a salty flavor bomb. With a vegetarian amuse-bouche and a seafood appetizer, the perfect segue is created for the next dish: pork jowl (from “Buitengewoon Varken” in Amsterdam-Noord) with bimi, barbecue sauce, plums, and crispy pork rind. It’s impressive how salt and fat don’t overpower; the chef knows exactly how to balance and stop intense flavors. The pork rind isn’t greasy, and the plums aren’t too acidic.

Pleasant Tempo “You can’t leave Italy without pasta,” is the motto of the next (and practically the only typically Italian) dish. The house-made strands of pasta (cooked al dente, of course) soak up the sauce of black garlic beautifully. Baby octopus, bisque, samphire, and cherry tomatoes are precisely what those saucy strands need to transform into an incredibly delicious pasta dish. In between courses, it’s noticeable how pleasant the tempo is in which the dishes are served. A bit tighter at the beginning, more spacing between courses toward the end: precisely how the progression of a longer menu should be.

As we move on to the next course, what stands out is the thin, crispy crust of the sea bass skin. Both sea fennel and wild fennel provide fantastic companionship for the fish: it’s a beautiful marriage. Add baby carrots, tapioca seaweed, and dashi beurre blanc to the mix, and you get another dish that surprises with every bite. Pianeta Terra evokes emotions.

Bold Statements Pianeta Terra doesn’t shy away from making bold statements, as evidenced by the main course. On our plates lies nothing less than crow breast: an atypical but deliberate choice for less popular cuts of meat. It was shot by De Keuken van het Ongewenste Dier, likely near Schiphol.

It’s tougher than you might expect but in terms of taste, it’s reminiscent of pigeon or pheasant. What’s remarkable is how it triggers astonishment among the table companions. Eating crow breast takes some getting used to, even for the most experienced diners at the table. Pianeta Terra stirs up emotions. Furthermore, the combination with meaty pointed cabbage and sweet fig is simply outstanding.

Finally, dessert arrives, where honey from the Jordaan neighborhood shares the plate with namelaka (Japanese white chocolate mousse), matcha, and sea buckthorn berries. By now, we’re familiar with Pianeta Terra’s style of presenting dishes: elegant with refined details, yet playful and effortless.

Thanks to the six preceding courses, we now have full confidence in the culinary skills of the kitchen team. They are skillful, surprising, and never veer off course… There’s a good chance we’ll be coming here very often from now on.