The “Red Light District” gets a reputation in America as a crazy den of sin and vice. Certainly there is “sin” and vice here, as there is anywhere, they just don’t pretend that it’s not. And the truth on our trip was that we walked through the RLD a couple times without even realizing it. It’s more of a bar, restaurant, and shopping district than anything.
Which takes us to Van Kerkwijk. In the RLD and in a dark alley getting there should be all the craziness Americans think Amsterdam is. Except, of course, it’s not. It’s just people out for a quiet evening and some good food. And believe me, this is good food.
At full capacity they probably seat 50 people and another 10 waiting at the bar. There’s no menu to find and no list of names waiting. The dark haired guy meets us and tells us we’re behind 6 groups and we say OK. We squeeze into the bar area and grab a beer. The light haired guy offers some friendly banter but is busy with tables and needs to come and go. After several tables flip I glance up, the dark haired one notices and says “I have 3 Frenchmen in the alley next, then it’s you”. No notes.
We had been discussing that there appears to be only one person cooking and that that meant it was likely that there was a prep area and lift to bring up food from the basement. Just before our table opened she went down to use the restroom. She came back and relayed that there was one guy down there doing dishes. No kitchen. It was here that we came to the stunned realization that the whole operation was four people.
At our table the light haired one cheerfully sat down and ran through the menu. A choice of a couple openers and three mains. It was exceptional. The food was, perhaps necessarily, simple with only a few ingredients. In many cases this could be bad but done well, with great ingredients, they all shine. Dark hair stopped by after and asked about desserts and we grabbed a cheesecake, wrapped in foil and dropped in a “doggy bag”. to go.
The way they handled themselves, and the guests, and the food - poetry.
Bacon wrapped figs and creamy blue cheese with salad and vinaigrette
Mussels in garlic oil with rustic bread
Sirloin and sun-dried tomato mousse
Cod with croutons, greens, and garlic sauce
Fries
Salad
Sometimes luck is all you need - 9.85/10
