De Vrouw met de Baard

February 16 - In my time in Europe so far I've had a pretty much hands-off approach to traveling, one in which I don't look anything up and just see what I find when I get to the city. Honestly, it's not really a well thought-out strategy, it's just more about laziness. But, for some reason I decided to actually research the food scene before going to Amsterdam, and what stuck out to me the most was the pervasive Indonesian food scene within the Netherlands. I've never eaten Indonesian food before, so I looked into it more and learned about Rijsttafel, or "rice table," where eaters get to experience lots of different sharing dishes, specifically in Dutch-Indonesian restaurants. Don't get me wrong, I love Spanish food, but the kind of foods I was reading about were sure to provide the spices I was desperately missing. So, I knew between the stroopwafels, Dutch pancakes, and street fries, I had to find some time for Indonesian food during my trip.

Now, De what?

The only thing crazier than the name of this restaurant (which roughly translates to Woman with Beard), is its colorful, flavorful, and overall amazing food. They advertise themselves as "soul food from Brooklyn to Bali," and really, who could ever resist that?

Located in a seemingly less touristy neighborhood, the restaurant itself was kind of hidden, with only a canopy to suggest its existence. However, once inside I was shocked by the mismatched but perfectly edgy aesthetic of the dining room and even more blown away by the amazing smells coming my way. A quirky table marker sat on our table, labeled "A for Adrianna and Acquaintance," and soon an even quirkier waiter came over equipped with menus and enthusiasm for days. He was my favorite kind of waiter, equally knowledgable and excited about the food he was selling to us, and honest about what the best stuff was. Unlike the typical rice tables that come together as one order, here we had to order each plate individually, so we decided on five for the two of us. On top of that, my favorite part of the menu was the wine list that emphasized how the bright rosé would pair perfectly with the unique flavors ahead of us. I couldn't argue with their suggestion, and was definitely not disappointed with the result.

I genuinely have not eaten anything like any of the dishes we had tried. The first experience was with crispy chicken dumplings, served alongside a tangy and sweet whiskey sauce. I was already excited with those, but that was only the beginning. Following shortly after in perfect rhythm, came a sweet potato puree of sorts, surrounded by fresh mushrooms, contrastingly crispy parsnip, and perfect combinations of sauces to complement. Third to the party was cauliflower tempura enveloped in a velvety and pure love-inducing coconut and turmeric sauce that, along with some submerged jalapeños, tasted sweet, peanuty, and slightly spicy.

Last up were the two main entrees, chicken and spareribs, both fairly common meat dishes. These however, were anything but ordinary, and I wished they would never end. The chicken was slathered in a creamy cause, with fresh herbs, lentils, and beautiful warm grapes. It was somehow both light and decadent, and my friend and I fought over who got the bigger piece. The spareribs were also extraordinary, in which the sticky sauce provided just enough spice as well as a slight sweetness, and the meat fell perfectly tender off the bone. I was blown away completely, and was doing a terrible job trying to play it cool and act like I wasn't freaking out.

We decided against dessert (because this wasn't exactly an abroad budget restaurant), but they offered dessert cocktails and special cakes including one that was traditionally Indonesian. I'm sure those were also delightful and exciting in a way only this restaurant could pull off. So if you couldn't tell, I was a HUGE fan of this place, and would recommend it to anyone wandering their way through Amsterdam. Otherwise, there appear to be lots of other options for Indonesian food, and I'm sure there are plenty of other gems waiting to be enjoyed.

Check out the website and menu for De Vrouw met de Baard here.

#food #review #restaurant #Amsterdam #Indonesian