A Michelin Star Restaurant in Amsterdam's Museum Campus: Rijks Restaurant

Starting with breads and flavored butter is always appreciated

Sunday, April 24, 2002

"Sandwiched" between our morning and afternoon museum visits, we stopped for lunch at Rijks Restaurant.  The restaurant has earned a Michelin star and the Michelin website says:

"Joris Bijdendijk has put the Rijksmuseum’s fine restaurant on the map with his highly personal culinary approach, working predominantly with homegrown vegetables spiced with the exotic influences that characterize Dutch cuisine. In this lively, trendy and luxurious brasserie, the wine cabinets and the islands where the team of chefs are hard at work are as attractive as the dishes themselves.

The sophistication of the carefully thought-out dishes is immediately obvious, with each dish as fascinating and intriguing as the next. At Rijks, enjoy contemporary Dutch cuisine at its best."

Rijks restaurant is located in a wing of the Rijksmuseum

Chef Bijdendijk's cookbook is displayed along with fermentation jars in the reception area

The restaurant's decor is clean and sleek

A glass of German bubbly to begin the afternoon

These butters had my tastebuds singing - basil, soy and bee pollen

A trio of amuse bouche - delicate and tasty

We enjoyed the five course prix fix meal, which officially began with sea bass tartare, string beans, BBQ pointed cabbage, pork rib and coconut ganache for dessert.   Portions were perfect - generous enough for full tasting, but not so much to be over filling.  

Sea bass tartare with dill, mustard seed and buttermilk dressing

Julienned string bean with black caviar, ajo blanco and almonds

BBQ pointed cabbage with smoked egg yolk and sauerkraut vinaigrette

Pork rib with eggplant, olive and shiso

One of our waiters festooned with his tools - tiny forceps, scissors, etc, to enable precise plating

Rijks has a well stocked bar, including my new favorite gin - Nolet's Silver

And just like that, we were done with dessert and off to our timed entry into the Van Gogh museum.  No time to linger over afternoon cocktails - maybe sometime at a future visit.