Our friend, Lisa, recommends we make time for a Rijsttafel, or Indonesian celebratory feast.
As it turns out, one of Amsterdam’s best Indonesian restaurants is just around the corner from our hotel, so we take her recommendation and tuck in for what turns out to be the culinary delight of our entire holiday.
The Rijsttafel works like this: the waiter brings two heated trays to the table, followed by (in our case) eighteen hand-sized bowls. In each bowl is a tiny serving of a different dish: three different satays (grilled, skewered meats), beef stewed in cinnamon, curried vegetables, fried eggs in spicy sauce — the list goes on and on. We’re reminded of our friend W., back home, who often complains he likes a certain dish, but doesn’t want to order an entire plate of it. W., the Rijsttafel would be the perfect meal for you!
The feast ends with a bowl of freshly sliced melon and mango (the owners, learning Clyde is allergic to mango, remove it from every dish and replace his fruit slices with legal choices without be asked to do so). Afterward, we top it all off with an incredible after-dinner drink: hot coffee mixed with rich vanilla ice cream and just a touch of Bailey’s liquor, served in tulip-bulb glasses. (Hot chocolate for adults, you might say.)
What warm, satisfying way to end a chilly day spent hiking around Amsterdam! Lisa — we’re in your debt.
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