Mine was the kind of weekend that reminded why I live here. I discovered a new Latino bar to dance in (which filled the till-now gaping hole the closure of Cantinero’s had left in my life). I discovered Versal, a literary journal compiled from poetry and prose by creative writers that have some connection with our fair city. (I also discovered it in the English Bookshop, which I couldn’t believe I’d never been to before.) And I discovered REM Eiland: a new restaurant housed in a former offshore television station (I kid you not!), home of TV Noordzee, in the middle of the IJ river and not far from my beloved Spaarndammer-hood.
So, Saturday night, we arrived at this red and white structure propped precariously above the water by a few sticks of metal. The inclement weather did little to assuage my fear of climbing up several storeys of rickety fire escape-style steps, with the cold grey water swirling some 80 metres below my feet. When we reached the top-floor restaurant, however, it all felt surprisingly cosy. Had the view not been impeded by sheets of November-ish rain, we’d have been able to see across to Amsterdam Noord, the Eastern docklands and the Houthaven area. Pretty impressive in a city whose high-rise buildings you can count on the fingers of one hand.
We ordered a bottle of pinot noir while our hair dried out, and studied the Mediterranean menu. Rather uncharacteristically, my visitor and I ordered the same starter and main course: bad reviewing practice but a good indication of what attracts people on a menu. To start, we had mackerel with ribbons of raw fennel and yellow and green courgettes, a few bites of chorizo, olives and a dressing made of parsley and a little cream. The latter was delicate and summery (unlike the weather) and made an excellent tonic to the vegetables and mackerel. The chorizo was a good quality sausage, but it didn’t feel integrated into the dish as a whole.
Our main was saddle of lamb with grilled polenta, chicory and spring onions, with persilade that was remarkably similar to that which appeared with the starter. Lamb saddle is a fatty cut of meat (nothing wrong with that) and chicory is inherently bitter: both would have benefited from a sweet-ish jus to cut the flavours and marry them together at the same time. The spring onions also had a raw tang to them, and should have been griddled for longer till softer and naturally caramelised. Writing this, I realise I’m sounding quite critical (so what’s new? you ask)… I actually enjoyed both dishes – I just thought they could have been made even better with a few tweaks.
We diverged at dessert: my visitor had the cheese (I only tried the blue, which was excellent) while I went for lemon tart. I am a big fan of lemon tart in general, and this didn’t disappoint. It came with a simple vanilla cream and a few raspberries; it didn’t need anything more, in my opinion.
Dinner came to under €50 each, including tip, and for once the service was efficient and friendly enough that I in no way resented rounding up the bill to more than 110%. REM Eiland – both despite and because of its kooky exterior – is one new discovery I expect to become an old favourite.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I bloomin’ love this city. I hope you do too.
