15 July 2007 was our last day in the old Ciel Bleu restaurant. A very special day, because it is the closure of four and a half beautiful years in Ciel Bleu for us.

It has been 1657 days since I first entered Okura, now a new phase is going to begin because of the large renovation that is executed this year for the 23rd floor of the hotel. The first period of the renovation started in the end of January and was completed mid May. This renovation brought us a new cocktail & Champagne bar, a new private dining room for the Ciel Bleu restaurant and a Chefs table in the kitchen of which I’m very proud. The Chef’s Table, which is made of solid white marble, is actually in the kitchen itself. The table is surrounded by nine white leather chairs on a black marble floor. The space is decorated with cherry-wood cabinets and on the wall are framed photographs from the recently published Ciel Bleu book. Guests do not only have a view of the kitchen brigade that way, but also a panoramic view of Amsterdam.

Now, on the 16th of July, the second period of the renovation starts. Within five weeks the entire Ciel Bleu restaurant will be restyled, which will bring us among others our own Ciel Bleu Lounge that will serve as a location to receive our guests and serve aperitifs and digestives. The kitchen will have its own patisserie kitchen, and the colours, set up and ambiance of the restaurant will be totally different and very spectacular. The restaurant will be very open due to the use of glass and the removal of walls, which contributes to the view. The intension is that you can always have a great view over the city of Amsterdam, wherever you are located on the 23rd floor.

Of course the entire team is looking forward to the ultimate moment when the restaurant will be reopened. The reopening is planned for the 18th of august, that day everyone has to be ready for a new adventure. Both the kitchen and waiting staff has been extended with very qualified new staff members. The kitchen team has been fixed for many years already, but now two new chefs are starting in the new renovated Ciel Blue Restaurant. Pasquinel Kolk and Noël Vanwittenbergh are in charge of the waiting staff, and they also extended their team with 6 new employees.

We are expecting busy periods because the Ciel Bleu Restaurant is becoming bigger, we will have 70 couverts instead of 58, the new Chefs table adds max. 10 coverts, and the private dining room adds another 24 coverts. I’ll keep you informed on the latest developments during my next writing in the end of September. I’m now going on holiday, which will start with a nine days “guest-cooking” in California at the Bernardus Lodge of Ben Pon with Chef Cal Stamenov.