Eating at Helst
In the heart of Amsterdam’s De Pijp neighbourhood, you’ll find beer café Helst. With every kind of beer you could possibly imagine and comfort food to eat alongside it. FavorFlav went to taste it.
It’s located on a busy stretch of the Eerste van der Helststraat, so we don’t need to ask where the name comes from. The terrace is packed with a mix of beer aficionados and novices like me. We get a high table opposite the bar, with a view of the extensive beer menu displayed on screens behind the bar.
The world of beer
They use the Untappd app, in which all the beers on tap are listed. Some are so rare that as soon as they appear in the app, beer fans immediately come running to the place. Unlike the beer whistle or glass of witbier I occasionally drink, I’m unfamiliar with the wonderful world of beer. So I’m very curious to see what the evening at Helst will bring me.
Beer food
We start with sardines, fried whole and served with a salsa verde that is damn well seasoned. Putting a whole fish, even if it’s a small one, on the menu with its head still on shows guts. We like that. The mad chicken with chipotle mayonnaise tastes deliciously roasted and nicely smoky from the chipotle. I’m not entirely sure why the chicken wings are labelled ‘mad’, but we gnaw them down enthusiastically. Both are truly perfect beer food, and the accompanying glasses of beer go excellently with them.
Stew
The beef stew with bock beer that we order as our main course is well seasoned and served with old-school chicory with ham and cheese, plus a pear stewed in kriek. We’re especially fans of the chicory. The fried potatoes served alongside seem to have been prepared earlier in the day and reheated later, which has made their texture tough. The sea bass in the fish stew is cooked well, but the tomato sauce it comes in, together with mussels and a large prawn, is bland and watery.
Beer and cheese
The cheese board comes with various tasting glasses of beer. Each cheese pairs with a different flavour, while some beers work with several cheeses and return later. Very nicely done. Several times, the owner reaches for a new type of beer that occurs to him: “you really have to taste this!” His enthusiasm and knowledge are unmistakable.
Dessert is a chocolate cake with chilli and, how could it be otherwise, beer. Unfortunately, after the feast that came before it, I can’t manage more than two bites, but it’s delicious. The dessert also comes with a matching glass, in which dark coffee notes come through.
Beer and snacks
It’s interesting to spend the entire evening engaging with beer in this way. A few beers are a little too complicated for us to truly enjoy, but we drink the majority of them with pleasure. Unfortunately, the kitchen makes a few missteps with the main courses. But this is above all a place to taste all kinds of beer.
Whether you’re a connoisseur who gets completely excited about that unique find, or you want to broaden your beer knowledge, or simply want to drink a good glass of beer. Above all, snack on plenty of starters and, if your stomach still has room, have a dessert.
