Bistro Amsterdam
Where? Bistro Amsterdam (Centrum, Amsterdam, Netherlands) Map Menu
When? Saturday March 2, 2024
Who? Me
Food Style? Dutch
The cozy interior of this bistro is welcoming on a cool March evening. It’s a few doors down from the Anne Frank museum and it’s famous for its traditional Dutch food, so I’m going to give it a go. I’m going to be honest, savoury Dutch food does not look particularly interesting to me - there’s stews and deep fried things and some fish. But on a day like this, perhaps a stew is just what I need. I’ve chosen a taster of stamppots, a dish made with mashed potatoes, vegetables and sausage or stewed beef. 
There’s a range of dildos on the counter. I guess that’s very classically Amsterdam. The jovial Dutch folk and pop music playing along makes for a very relaxed and chill atmosphere, especially when the waitstaff are singing along.
Mains
Stamppot Proeverij: three traditional Dutch stamppots in mini-pans with bacon, gravy, sausage and mom's stewed beef
It's pretty much what I expected. A lot of potatoes, hearty and rustic, and very winter-warming. Something a Dutch family would have during the cold dark months of January. It's simple and tasty, but there's a lot of carbs on the plate and not enough protein. The one on the left is a sausage and cauliflower stamppot with cheese and bacon. It's the richest-tasting one of the three. The middle has endives, which gives it a little bit of freshness and it's not as heavy as the first. The protein here is a meatball which is nice and chunky. The final one on the right is carrot, which has a hint of sweetness to it, and the protein there is a lovely stewed beef that is soft and juicy.
To be honest, I'm a little disappointed by the stamppots - yes they taste fine and I'm not hungry anymore, but it feels like this kind of dish is a bit boring. Very much run-of-the-mill kind of food that you'd be able to replicate easily at home. I will say though, if I was making this at home, I wouldn't be using non-stick pans to serve them in, there's no way I'd want metallic cutlery anywhere near that teflon.
Dessert
Poffertjes: tiny puff pancakes with powdered sugar and butter
One of the most famous Dutch foods, poffertjes are commonly found in markets and on the streetside food stalls. They're smaller than a pikelet, and are cooked using an indented pan that allows the batter to continuously rise during the cooking process. You'll see them called mini-pancakes in various other places, and here, I've got a pile of these fluffy pastries swimming in butter and icing sugar in front of me. They're super light and springy. They’re absolutely delicious and despite the large number of them on the plate, they’re consumed quickly. I’ve never consumed that much icing sugar in one sitting in my life. Or butter for that matter. That was very good.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:29pm on Friday March 8, 2024 :: 0 comments :: 