Finally, a week after the event, I return to last Friday night – an evening marked by the arrival of ex-Amsterdammer friends. It’s always nice when someone else takes charge of where I’m eating (well, ‘nice’ being a relative term here – I am control freak after all) especially when that someone has eaten more Michelin stars than I have oysters.
For our happy reunion, my sophisticated London friend chose Balthazar’s Keuken – an intimate, convivial eatery with a set menu for just €25. Even Fleet Street lawyers take days off being fabulously decadent. The wine came in unmarked bottles which, given the company, seemed more quaint and charming than infra dig.
First up we had a kind of mixed antipasti to share, consisting of marinated king prawns, muscles with capers, mortadella with mozzarella, goat’s cheese with honey and thyme – this last tasted bitter to me but no one else seemed to mind so it could just have been down to personal taste. There was a choice between two main courses: meat or fish. I went for the confit of duck with crème fraiche risotto, which was very rich as one of three courses but on its own was very good.