Joris Bijdendijk at the Rijks restaurant is probably one of the most talented chefs working in the Netherlands right now. His restaurant, Rijks, is located just off one of the entrances of the Rijks museum.

The restaurant is almost as beautiful as the museum, very spacious, with a magnificent and imposing bar and a nice outdoor terrace. The entrance is decorated with shelves of glass jars some filled with fruits, vegetables and others with more unusual items...

On our visit for lunch on Monday June 10th, we were seated by our hostess in front of large french doors in the big rectangular room. She handed us the menu from which we could choose either three dishes for 42 euros or four dishes for 52 euros. We opted for the three-course set and ordered two excellent virgin cocktails for starters and a surprising Dutch white wine d’Aan de Breede Beek Johanitter 2016 to follow.

From our amazing amuse-bouche (candied pears sprinkled with pistachios and ginger) to our delicious desserts (Dutch strawberries ‘Vlaai’ & kiwi on tapioca, vanilla and coco) through the ceviche of grey mullet, glazed veal sweetbread to the slow cooked short rib, every single dish turned out to be extremely flavorful, original and masterfully cooked. Joris Bijdendijk is a master of sauces and broths.

The wine list is very eclectic and cosmopolite, with a great selection from France to the Netherlands and from Spain to New Zealand, on par with the cocktail list.

The service was warm, welcoming, relaxed and professional. The young staff from the kitchen came to the table to present their dish.

Rijks restaurant is a gem of a restaurant for lunch or dinner, very good and (almost) as beautiful as the Rijks museum itself. Not to be missed when in Amsterdam.

RIJKS

Museumstraat 2

1071XX Amsterdam

Holland

Tel : +31 20 674 7555

http://www.rijksrestaurant.nl