A former Michelin-star chef and a lovely view over the IJ in Amsterdam calls for a visit.
Before Nevel, there was Nevy. And before Ricardo van Ede started cooking here, he swung the wooden spoon at Ricardo’s Odeon. The former Odeon is the Supperclub’s new residence. Changes can go fast in the hospitality business, but one thing that didn’t change for Ricardo van Ede is his preference for the rough, artisan kitchen. He also still likes to surprise people, so when the friendly (American) waiter asked us how we would like to work the menu, we just left it to the chef’s talents for a 3-course surprise menu.
First served with the wine – a Côte de Gascogne, Domaine Guiilaman- was the amazing sourdough bread (could have eaten two of these) wrapped in a paper bag and accompanied by salted farmers butter and lard.
My table companion has a shellfish allergy so we had a different starter. His was burrata with juicy tomatoes, and a dressing with fresh basil. Simple. But good burrata and tomatoes shouldn’t be messed with, and we’re happy they agree on that at Nevel too.
My starter was a combo of North Sea shrimps on an avocado cream with rettich julienne, white asparagus and a sweet/sour & red chili dressing. The dressing enhanced the taste of the shrimps, which was real nice.
The main course consisted of Guinea fowl thigh and morilles on a bed of roughly mashed La Ratte potatoes, chickweed and white asparagus. It was a little disappointing to find white asparagus on my plate again as I would have liked to taste another vegetable. There are plenty of seasonal greens that match perfectly well with the guinea fowl, and these could have been green asparagus for that matter. On the bright side; the guinea fowl had a perfect cuisson, plus the morilles and the ‘jus’ were a match made in heaven with the La Ratte mash. Nice earthy flavours, and the balance van Ede aims for with this venue: flavours from land and sea.
Our dessert was served in a weckpot. Not sure about this trend in serving starters or desserts…Does it work for the taste? Barely. In this case it’s a different interpretation of a strawberry cheesecake and it suits the ‘sturdy style’ of the kitchen. It does affect the psychological effect of eating a calorie bomb such as a piece of cheesecake. Served in a jar it refers to a lighter, ‘easy-to-spoon-out’ diet version of cheesecake. So ok. We’re convinced. But just this one time.
For those who like to keep in control, Nevel offers refined à la carte dishes. You can also enjoy one of the best IJ-side terraces on a lazy Sunday with the Sunday Roast. Check the menu here, and make sure to make your reservations.
TIP: If you’d like a great spot to witness the kick-off of our five-yearly Sail event, this is the place!
Nevel
Westerdoksdijk 40
Amsterdam
info@nevelamsterdam.nl
+31 20 344 64 09