Amsterdam restaurants

Bistro la Forge

Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 26. Phone: 624 0095. Price: DFl.100 ($60) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A few steps from the lively Leidseplein square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Blauwe Parade

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 178. Phone: 624 0047. Fax: 622 0240. Price: DFl.90 ($54) for two. All major cards. (B1).

Good value at the Port van Cleve hotel, with delftware, a few steps from the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bols Taverne

Rozengracht 106. (A2).

This tasting local of the biggest jenever company is a combined pub and restaurant near Westerkerk and Anne Frank Huis, offering at least 100 different spirits. It has some garden tables outside. The offerings of the day are chalked on billboards. This place is unusually bright and unusually free of dust.

Café Roux

Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197. Phone: 555 3560. Price: DFl.100 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In the charming Grand hotel, in the university district. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Chez Georges

Herenstraat 3. Phone: 626 3332. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: DFl.140 ($84) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A French restaurant near the Anne Frank house. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Christophe

Leliegracht 46. Phone: 625 0807. Fax: 638 9132. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DFl.220 ($132) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A simple, split-level dining room behind huge shop windows, offering some of the best French cuisine in Amsterdam, 500 meters from Dam square. Jean-Christophe Royer from Toulouse cooks in the style of Southwestern France.

The softly pink walls are bare and the tables are unusually well spaced, enhancing a feeling of emptiness, if it were not for the huge flower arrangement in the middle. This is a culinary temple, not a decoration temple. Three menus, a four-course menu for DFl. 95, a three-course menu for DFl. 75 and a four-course vegetarian menu for DFl. 75.

- Wild mushroom paté with green vegetable sauce.

- Softly grilled salmon on green beans and red tomato sauce.

- Sweetbreads on stewed duck with mashed potatoes.

- Pear and raspberry soup with red wine sorbet.

Dynasty

Reguliersdwarsstraat 30. Phone: 626 8400. Fax: 622 3038. Hours: Closed Tuesday & January. Price: DFl.210 ($126) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A classy and smart Chinese spot in a quality restaurant street leading off Leidsestraat, with an open-air terrace in the back.

It is decorated with lots of parasols, matching paintings on the walls, busloads of flowers, showy curtains and carpets and a nice table service. The service is exemplary. The offerings are less standard and more interesting than those at the run-of-the-mill Chinese places, also relatively expensive.

There is a variety of set menus, offering samples of Chinese and also Thai and Vietnamese cooking. The good wine list fits the cuisine.

Edo

Dam 9. Phone: 554 6096. Fax: 639 3146. Price: DFl.180 ($108) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On a long shopping corridor behind the Krasnapolsky lobby, inside the hotel, offering Hibachi cooking, in which the chef stands at the guests table and does all the cooking from raw materials.

Guests sit on bar seats at a wooden table surrounding a stove on three sides. Seven can sit at each table. The materials arrive raw and sliced on trays. Then the cook starts his action, partly showing off. It inspires trust to see the gleaming, fresh food in front of you and to observe the simple pan-frying with as little oil as possible, retaining original flavors.

Lunch menus cost around DFl. 45, dinners around DFl. 70. The lunch menus can include items such as squid, coated in ginger and mustard sauce; fried onion and cucumber in garlic; scallops, mushrooms and prawns; beef slices, bean sprouts, paprika, potatoes, aubergines and rice with eggs. Everything is light on the stomach and correspondingly healthy.

Haesje Claes

Spuistraat 273. Phone: 624 9998. Fax: 627 4817. Price: DFl.85 ($51) for two. All major cards. (A2).

The premier Dutch restaurant in the city center has been a few steps from the Spui Square since the end of the 19th century. The Dutch even order here lots of hot chocolate with piles of whipped cream as a starter. Just forget calorie-counting.

This large restaurant, divided into smaller sections, is decorated in a cozy Dutch burgher style. The wood decorations are dark and heavy, partly carved. Frilled lampshades characterize the place, that is just as popular with traveling Dutchmen as it is with traveling foreigners who arrive here by the busloads.

- Kaassoufflé = cheese soufflé.

- Haring = herring.

- Kippensoep = chicken soup.

- Biefstuk = chopped beef.

- Hutspot = meat pot.

- Stoopwafels = waffels with syrup.

Indrapura

Rembrandtsplein 42. Phone: 623 7329. Fax: 622 3038. Price: DFl.100 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B2).

It is at one of the main squares in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kantjil

Spuistraat 291. Phone: 620 0994. Fax: 623 2166. Price: DFl.95 ($57) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Comparatively inexpensive, plainly decorated, popular and authentic Indonesian restaurant in the city center, a few steps from the Historisch Museum, popular with young people.

It is large and divided into parts, including no-smoking areas. Furnishings are spare and no linen on tables. Service is good, though. Rijsttafel was priced at DFl. 40 upwards. Most people order something less, such as a luxury edition of Nasi Goreng at DFl. 20. The crispy prawn bread is abundant.

- Crispy prawn bread.

- Chicken soup with sliced egg.

- Rijsttafel = rice table.

- Nasi Goreng = small rice table.

Kopenhagen

Enge Kapelsteeg 1, Rokin 84. Phone: 624 9376. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DFl.120 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Rokin, 300 meters from Dam square, in a cellar with tiny windows. It offers rather good Danish cooking and as a special tourist menu at a reasonable price.

The decorations are eccentric. A comic strip on pirates is painted on the walls. Candles and oil lamps on the tables, rigging and tackle in the ceiling. This is the place for “smørrebrød”, Danish sandwiches, and for seafood rather than meat.

- Hovmestersild = a tray with six types of cured herring and smoked mackerel.

- Griet = Grilled brill with pan-fried potatoes and salad.

- Coffee with chocolate and mint.

Lucius

Spuistraat 247. Phone: 624 1831. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: DFl.150 ($90) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A modern seafood restaurant very centrally located 400 meters from Dam. Its clientele consists mainly of young and cheerful people, served by equally young and cheerful people.

The dining room is long, with goldfish in aquariums. The menu is chalked on the walls among seafood posters. The tables are dense and the atmosphere is full of vitality. There is always one meat dish on the extensive menu.

- Trout paté with dill.

- Poached salmon with mushroom sauce and ham slices.

- Deep-fried cheese with almond flakes.

- Swordfish.

Manchurian

Leidseplein 10 a. Phone: 623 1330. Fax: 626 2105. Price: DFl.120 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A2).

On the central Leidseplein itself, one of the best Chinese restaurants in the center. The large restaurant has a few tables in a glass enclosure on the pavement. It is heavily decorated in a Chinese way, including lanterns and complicated wall pictures.

The tables are luxuriously made up and the service is exemplary. A Chinese version of Rijsttafel offers 18 courses for DFl. 30. Other items are more interesting, such as a lotus and dates soup as a starter and a steamed sole with strange spices, served in the stock, as a main course.

Mirafiori

Hobbemastraat 2. Phone: 662 3013. Hours: Closed Tuesday dinner. Price: DFl.120 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A3).

The best Italian eatery for several years, on the road from Leidseplein to Rijksmuseum, about 200 meters from the latter.

The mild paneling is old and simple as the worn parquet on the floor. White linen covers the worn tables. Dusty wine bottles are in cupboards and on shelves all over the place. A whole wall is covered with photos of Italian guests. Italian music was augmented by the singing of the waiters.

- Prosciutto crudo San Daniele = raw ham from the Venetian area, with salad and butter.

- Stracciatella alla romana = egg soup.

- Zuppa di pesce = fish soup, a Thursday and Friday specialty.

- Scaloppina al marsala = veal in marsala wine sauce.

- Osso Buco = stewed veal shank with rice.

- Saltimbocca = veal slices with ham, sage and wine.

- Bel Paese = smooth cheese.

- Gorgonzola = blue-veined cheese from Lombardy.

- Real Italian coffee.

Oesterbar

Leidseplein 10. Phone: 623 2988. Fax: 623 2199. Price: DFl.150 ($90) for two. All major cards. (A2).

The traditional oyster bar is on the centrally located Leidseplein square, opposite the ballet and opera palace. There is a glass enclosure on the pavement in front of the restaurant. A conventional dining room is on the first floor, but the real action and atmosphere is on the ground floor.

The restaurant is coolly decorated with large, white porcelain tiles and seafood posters on the walls at one side of a narrow room; and large fish tanks at the other side. The service is Italian and efficient. The guests, mainly local people, sit in comfortable chairs on the marble floor or take a seat at the bar to watch the cooks at their work.

The long menu covers many types of fish. Simpler preparations are preferable to the more complicated ones. Try six oysters, pan-fried Dover Sole with lemon and hollandaise sauce and pan-fried potatoes; steamed turbot with white potatoes.

Pêcheur

Reguliersdwardstraat 32. Phone: 624 3121. Fax: 624 3121. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DFl.160 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of many restaurants in a street leading off pedestrian Leidsestraat, between Leidseplein and Konningsplein. It is the best seafood restaurant in central Amsterdam. The Dutch have always been a seafaring nation and have an affinity with seafood. Fish cooking is probably the best part of Dutch cooking traditions.

It is a comfortably small dining room with a French look, with a marble floor, parasols above mirrors, Art Noveau chandeliers, potted plants between tables, and comfortable cane chairs.

- Shrimp salad with small shrimp and avocado.

- Scallops with salmon caviar.

- Poached turbot.

- Steamed sole on pasta.

- White chocolate cake with mint sauce.

- Cinnamon ice cream with cranberry sauce.

Poort

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 178-180. Phone: 624 4860. Price: DFl.140 ($84) for two. (B1).

The traditional steak and pea soup house in the city center, just behind the Royal Palace.

The large and airy dining room has been a restaurant since 1870. Before that it was a beer brewery. The wall paintings are from that time. The furnishings are suitably old-fashioned. The porcelain tiles from Delft are famous. The clientele is divided between the home team and the foreign team in equal numbers.

Sausages float in the pea soup in the Dutch manner. The beef steak is served with fried potatoes. Brussels sprouts and cauliflower are typical vegetables. Dessert may be a Dutch sand cake with vanilla ice cream, red currants and whipped cream.

Prinsenkelder

Prinsengracht 438. Phone: 626 7721. Hours: Closed Monday, lunch. Price: DFl.230 ($138) for two. All major cards. (A2).

In the cellar of the Dikker en Thijs confectionery shop on the pedestrian Leidsestraat, entered from the canal side.

It is a low and a narrow cellar room with marble on the floor, rustic furniture, beams, brass and copper, and excellent tableware. The dishes are beautifully arranged and taste like Nouvelle Cuisine.

- Fowl liver paté with berries.

- Partridge with salad.

- Dutch ewe cheese

Quatre Canetons

Prinsengracht 1111. Phone: 624 6307. Fax: 638 4599. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DFl.180 ($108) for two. All major cards. (B3).

For decades one of the best French restaurants in town, modern in design, situated 200 meters from Magere Brug on the Amstel.

The bar is at the front, then the kitchen and a spacious restaurants in the rear, divided into two parts by a light partition. The paintings are made to fit. The professional service is excellent and the food is delicious.

- Marbré van ganzelever en vijgen met Sauternes gelei op een kruidensalade = marbled terrine of foie gras with a fig in the center and Sauternes gelé.

- Gambas in een knapperig aardappelkontje, gegarnered met gefrituurde dille = prawns in a crispy jacket of grated potato threads, with deep-fried dill.

- Carpaccio van ganzelever en Schotze zalm met een salade van Opperdoejer aardappel, gegarnered met truffeldressing = carpaccio of foie doie and Scotch salmon with potato salad and truffle dressing.

- Gebakken zwegerich met gambas en roergebakken groenten = fried sweetbreads with prawns and stir-fried vegetables.

- Eendebost in gekaramelliseerde boter gebakken met een saus van gemarineerde peperframbozen = breast of duck sautéed in caramelized butter with a sauce of marinated pepper-rapsberries.

- Kleine selectie kaazen = Bresse de Bleau and Swiss cheese.

- Dessert Les Quatre Canetons = marinated plum pie.

Radèn Mas

Stadhouderskade 6. Phone: 685 4041. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: DFl.170 ($102) for two. All major cards. (A3).

The poshest scene for Indonesian feasts is almost beside the Marriott hotel, in the same block as Barbizon Centre, only 200 meters from Leidseplein. It one of the most extremely designed restaurant in Holland, covered with mirrors, with several floor levels, decorated in various green colors and looks like a fantasy.

The cutlery is sparkling golden and the service is of the highest class. Of course this is an expensive place, where a normal Rijsttafel costs DFl. 68. It tastes good, albeit a little more westernized than usual. There is a lot of style but less of substance, but you also come here mainly for the style.

- Rijsttafel.

Rive

Professor Tulpplein 1. Phone: 622 6060. Fax: 622 5808. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: DFl.270 ($162) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Luxury restaurant in the Amstel hotel, with canal view. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Road to Manila

Geldserkade 23. Phone: 638 4338. Price: DFl.80 ($48) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A Philippine restaurant on the edge of the red light district in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Roode Leeuw

Damrak 93. Phone: 555 0666. Fax: 620 4716. Price: DFl.100 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A landmark of Dutch design and cooking, directly on the Damrak, a few steps from Dam square, famous for its 3-course menu of typical Dutch food, “Hollands Keuze Menu” for DFl. 46.

The wood-carved four giant horse-wagons hanging from the beamed ceiling dominate the comfortable and spacious dining room with nice furniture of round tables. The walls are heavily paneled, alternately hung with old and young paintings.

Hollands Keuze Menu:

- Haring met roggebrood = herring on black bread.

- Ragût van Hollandse garnalen = ragout of Dutch shrimp.

- Gefrituurde Goudse kaasschijf = fried slice of gouda cheese.

- Nagelhoutham mt Hollandse meloen = dried beef with Dutch melon.

- Capucijners met alles erop en eraan = marrowfat peas with garnish.

- Sudderlapjes met garnitur = braised Dutch beef Haarlem style.

- Grootmoeders kip int pannetje = pork chops, grannys style.

- Gestoofde kabeljauw met mosterdsaus = braised salt-cod with mustard sauce.

- Zuurkool met kuitham = sauerkraut with bone-ham.

- Gegrilde zalmfilet met bieslooksaus = grilled salmon with chives.

- Boerenjongens met vanilleijs = ice-cream with liquored raisins and whipped cream.

- Amsterdamse boterkoek met slagroom = Amsterdam buttercake with whipped cream.

- Vers gestoofde peertjes met slagrrom = fresh stewed pears with whipped cream.

- Maastrichtse appelepröl = apple cake from Maastricht.

- Bitterkoekjespudding = maccaroon pudding.

Sama Sebo

P. C. Hooftstraat 31. Phone: 662 8146. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DFl.105 ($63) for two. All major cards. (A3).

The undisputed king of Rijsttafel and Indonesian cuisine is 500 meters from Leidseplein and 100 meters from Rijksmuseum. The owner, Sebo Woldringh, takes care of keeping up standards in the kitchen, but lets the service more or less have its own way. With or without reservations you have to wait in the adjoining pub for your coveted table in this crowded and happy restaurant.

The efficient waiters dance around. Decorations are cheerful, including flowers and lamps. The cane chairs are comfortable. The beer flows freely and the small room is soon filled with laughter. Most people seem to order the 25 course Rijsttafel at DFl. 37, but some make to do with fewer courses, such as a seven-course Nasi Goreng or a six-course Bami Goreng at DFl. 18.

The dishes are kept warm on candle trays. You bring one course at a time to your own plate and eat it with steamed rice and spices. There is chicken soup, spiced salad, crispy prawn bread, soy bean cake, sweet potatoes, pan-fried sprouts, chopped peanuts, pork in soy sauce, mutton in madura, fried chicken, mixed grill, prawns, grilled coconuts, fried bananas etc.

Sancerre

Reestraat 28. Phone: 627 8794. Fax: 623 8749. Price: DFl.150 ($90) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A French restaurant in the charming Pulitzer hotel. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Seepaerd

Rembrandtsplein 22. Phone: 622 1759. Price: DFl.130 ($78) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Right on Rembrandtsplein, this restaurant offers a worthy example of Dutch seafood cooking.

Comfortable cane chairs, sewing-machine tables, aquariums, fish posters and old steering wheels. A fireplace is at the far end of the ground floor dining room, very romantic in the evening. The first floor dining room is not as cozy.

- Viessoep = fish soup.

- Scholfilets = pan-fried sole fillets with deep-fried potatoes and salad.

- Sliptongetjes = pan-fried Dover sole fillets with deep-fried potatoes and salad.

- Fresh fruit and ice cream.

Sichuan Food

Reguliersdwarsstraat 35. Phone: 626 9327. Fax: 627 7281. Price: DFl.125 ($75) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Chinese restaurant in the main restaurant street in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Silveren Spiegel

Kattengat 4. Phone: 624 6589. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch. Price: DFl.165 ($99) for two. All major cards. (B1).

In two houses from 1614, serving as a restaurant for the last two centuries, opposite the Renaissance hotel, nestling under Ronde Luterse Kerk, 400 meters from the Damrak avenue, decorated in old Dutch style.

The bar is on the ground floor and the intimate and original dining room is upstairs. It has a low ceiling and the floor is not quite horizontal. Beams are in walls and the ceiling. The curtains and tablecloths and checkered. This is a cozy place with comfortable atmosphere and excellent service.

- Clear fish soup with vegetables, shrimps and mussels.

- Entrecote steak.

- Profiteroles.

Speciaal

Nieuwe Leliestraat 142. Phone: 624 9706. Hours: Closed lunch. Price: DFl.80 ($48) for two. All major cards. (A1).

An economical Indonesian restaurant. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Swarte Schaep

Leidsedwarsstraat 24. Phone: 622 3021. Fax: 624 8268. Price: DFl.180 ($108) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Stylish restaurant in a corner building from 1687 overlooking Leidseplein square, emphasizing pleasant, romantic and Dutch decorations, offering surprisingly good food in spite of that. Chef de Bogard even has a gastronomic menu that creates a romantic banquet. The menu changes frequently.

We have to climb steep and narrow stairs to reach a small and elegant dining room on the second floor. There are extensive chandeliers, dark and heavy paneling, stained windows, copper kettles and polished antiques. The best tables are beside the windows. Table service is elegant.

- Smoked salmon with avocado and fowl liver paté.

- Lamb soup with coriander.

- Snail ravioli in balsamico.

- Lobster paté and partridge on red cabbage.

- Veal cutlet and lamb saddle in rosemary.

- Mixed desserts.

Tom Yam

Staalstraat 22. Phone: 622 9533. Fax: 420 1388. Price: DFl.160 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Thai restaurant a few steps from the Waterlooplein opera. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Tout Court

Runstraat 13. Phone: 625 8637. Fax: 625 4411. Price: DFl.200 ($120) for two. All major cards. (A2).

French quality cuisine emanates from a small restaurant in a side street parallel to Leidsegracht and 200 meters from Leidsestraat. It is the home base of chef John Fagel and recently popular with Dutch celebrities.

The 1st floor dining room is tight and crowded, rather comfortable but not very stylish. Service is smiling in a happy atmosphere. Several four and six course menus are offered.

- Monkfish with leeks in lobster gelé.

- Clear chicken soup.

- Aubergines and crab meat in saffron sauce with rice.

- Apple wine and calvados sorbet.

- Wild duck with mushrooms, cherries and cherry sauce.

- Cheeses and desserts from trolley.

Treasure

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 115. Phone: 623 4061. Fax: 640 1202. Price: DFl.160 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B1).

One of the best Chinese restaurants is just a few steps from the Koninklijk Paleis and Nieuwe Kerk, exactly in the city center. It is heavily decorated in modern Chinese, with a pagoda roof inside, a waterfall in the lobby, paintings, flowers and an aquarium.

The specialty are dim sum for lunch, available in many variants. One of them includes deep-fried prawns with wonton soup and warm dragon cookies; steamed rice in vine leaves; and a few varieties of meat and fish balls. Such a lunch came to Fl. 65 for two.

- Dim Sum.

Tuynhuys

Reguliersdwarsstraat 28. Phone: 627 6603. Fax: 627 6603. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: DFl.170 ($102) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Very attractive eatery in the main quality restaurant street crossing Leidsestraat, with an open-air terrace at the rear. This warm place has a singular atmosphere of Portuguese sunshine. It offers a 3-course dinner for DFl. 58 and a 4-course dinner for DFl. 79. Try to book on the main floor rather than on the upstairs balcony.

The decorations are simple and effective, evoking memories of Mediterranean villas. The main dining room has a high ceiling, lots of large plants and a few round columns. The functional furniture of graceful, wrought iron in chandeliers and candelabras, tables and chairs fits the spacious surroundings. The service is unusually friendly.

- Gemarineerde tonijn op kruidensalade met Provençalse vinaigrette = delicately marinated tuna in herb salad with Provence style vinagrette.

- Gebakken gambas met knoflookgras = Dublin prawns with tai soi sauce.

- Dorade met brandade van stokvis en paprikaraviolis = sea bream with brandade of salt cod and sweet pepper raviolis.

- Hazerijfilet met eekhoorntjesbrood en wilde rijst risotto = saddle of hare with boletus and wild rice risotto. Terrine van mundolees met sjalotten en bospaddestoelen = beef terrine with shallots and wild mushrooms. Gebraden fazant met in champagne gestoofde zuurkool = roasted pheasant with sauerkraut stewed in champagne.

- 3 soorten kaas met notebrood = a selection of three cheeses with bread.

- Dessert naar keuze = dessert of you choice.

- Parfait van Mandarine Napoléon met Italiaans schwin = mandarin parfait.

- Gegratineerde ananas met passiervrudensabajon en cocosijf = gratinated pinapple with passion fruit.

Tÿrkiye

Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 169. Phone: 622 9919. Hours: Closed at lunch. Price: DFl.140 ($84) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A good representative of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, only 50 meters from the Dam square, offering a Turkish band and a belly dancer in addition to food.

It is a big room, all in red. The ceiling is red, the carpet is red, the linen is red, the waiter shirts are red. Wall carpets, palm trees and multicolored lamps. The waiters wear embroidered vests.

- Thick bean soup.

- Saddle of lamb with saffron rice, potatoes, vegetables salad and two sauces.

- Turkish caramel pudding.

- Strong Turkish coffee.

Vermeer

Prins Hendrikkade 59. Phone: 556 4885. Fax: 624 3353. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: DFl.230 ($138) for two. All major cards. (B1).

Very cozy, tastefully furnished in an old house, incorporated into the Barbizon Palace hotel, beside the St Nicolas church and opposite the central railway station. The well-known Ron Schouwenburg is in charge in the kitchen.

The dining room is bright and simple, sparkling with quality table service, surrounding flower arrangements. The chairs are comfortable and some of the furniture is antique. A daily dinner of DFl. 120, including a new wine with every course; and a daily gourmet course of five courses, also for DFl. 120. The service is good and the wine list is extensive.

- Feuilleté of sautéed chicken livers, ham and warm oysters, served with braised endive and apple dressing.

- Salmon confit with wilted cos lettuce and sautéed chanterelles.

- Steamed fillet of turbot served with mushrooms, fennel cream and a plantain galette.

- Monkfish medallion roasted on sea salt and served with basil flavored eggplant capote and peppers.

- Roast wild duck with braised celery and gingered corn fritters.

- Souffle chaud au mascarpone = basil flawored mascarpone soufflé with Cavaillon melon.

- Compote de fruits dete sous sa croute croustillante accompagné de glace a la crème fraiche = fruit crumble with crème fraiche ice-cream.

Vijff Vlieghen

Spuistraat 294. Phone: 624 8369. Hours: Closed lunch. Price: DFl.200 ($120) for two. All major cards. (A2).

The famous Amsterdam restaurant has been operating in the same place since 1627, 400 meters from Dam square. It is in four adjoining houses. One of the dining rooms, called the Rembrandt room, has etchings that are said to be made by him. The restaurant offers 50 different genevers.

The furnishings are sometimes as old as the four houses themselves. The wooden paneling is dark and heavy. The wooden chairs and banks are not always comfortable. Big brass chandeliers, paintings, antique books, brass and bottles decorate the several small dining rooms. It would be fun to sit there even if the food were inferior. But it is not.

- Cold partridge with rhubarb mousse.

- Halibut paté with salmon sauce.

- Game soup with egg and capers.

- Poached redfish with lobster sauce and spinach.

- Lemon and chablis sorbet.

- Sweetbreads with salad.

- Kiwi fruit in kiwi sauce.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson