Bistro de la Mer

In this cosy bistro, you could easily fancy yourself in Paris instead of Utrechtsestraat in the heart of Amsterdam. The large oyster bar, the walls adorned with the menus of legendary French brasseries, the vintage crockery on the tables and the lovely seats at the counter (our favourite spot) – here, the reverence for the past is clear. Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot give traditional fish recipes a fresh but down-to-earth twist with a sure hand. They are once again making their mark here with no-nonsense dishes that you can savour every day of the week – including at lunchtime! Start, for example, with the rich bisque featuring a fine brunoise of salted lemon that adds just the right level of sharpness. You could follow that up with turbot roasted on the bone with zolderspek (aged smoky bacon), or a more elaborate dish of butter-fried monkfish topped with foie gras, served with a duck liver sauce infused with dashi and umeboshi, along with a subtly sweet pear cream and deep-fried kale. This is next-level fish cuisine. Old school. Original. And à la carte!

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