How to make Joris Bijdendijk’s brined chicken and eat it at the new Bar Bistro Bureau
On Amsterdam’s Zuidas is B-Building, one of the many creative co-working spaces in the capital. There’s now a new bar-restaurant on the top floor: Bar Bistro Bureau. Definitely order Joris Bijdendijk’s brined chicken!
The B-Building has great facilities for office workers, such as the on-site B.Gym fitness center and padel courts—you know, the squash-tennis game that has recently become hugely popular. But for foodies, perhaps the greatest gem is the completely new restaurant on the top floor. The restaurant was completely revamped during lockdown and is now called Bar Bistro Bureau. It has a new concept and menu, under the direction of Joris Bijdendijk, chef at Rijks and Wils, which belong to the same restaurant family.
Ideal Friday afternoon drinks spot
From the enormous rooftop terrace (with pétanque courts!) and rooftop bar, you have a fantastic panoramic view of the city. The ideal spot for Friday afternoon drinks. Inside, you can eat at sleek, white-clothed tables or join one of the informal community tables. The restaurant opens at 10 a.m. and serves breakfast, lunch, drinks and dinner. Not only for the offices in the building, but especially for guests from outside as well. You can open your laptop at one of the many workspaces or drop in for business meetings.
On the menu
The restaurant—with a large central bar as its focal point—offers a clear brasserie menu with great-value global classics such as Tom Kha Kai, Caesar salad and steak tartare, as well as extensive sharing boards and snacks for drinks. The star of the menu, and worth the trip in itself, is Joris Bijdendijk’s chicken. A whole brined Label Rouge chicken from the rotisserie (for two people), served upright in a dish at the table (a kind of beer-can chicken). It comes with floury potatoes, delicious with the roasting jus (‘chicken drip,’ as Joris calls it), watercress and a lovage cream.
Bar Bistro Bureau, 5th floor of B. Amsterdam, Johan Huizingalaan 763a, Amsterdam
Want to try making brined chicken according to the Bijdendijk method?
How to make Joris Bijdendijk’s brined chicken
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 Label Rouge or free-range chicken, approximately 1.5 kilos
70 grams salt
20 grams sugar
1 liter water
Butter
Step 1: brining
* Dissolve the salt and sugar in water using an immersion blender.
* Inject the brine solution into the chicken, preferably using an injector. Use approximately 150 ml brine solution per 1.5 kilos of chicken, injecting it in several places in the legs and breast. Injecting distributes the brine optimally and works better than a brine bath.
* Once the chicken has been brined, place it on a rack in the refrigerator to dry so that the skin dries out (ideally for three days, but less is also fine).
Step 2: cooking
* Remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour in advance so it can come to room temperature.
* Roast the chicken in the oven (or on the rotisserie) at 170 degrees for approximately 50 minutes. Increase the temperature to 220 degrees for the final 5 to 7 minutes.
* Check whether it is cooked through; no red juices should come out.
* Collect the chicken’s roasting juices, put them in a pan and add a knob of butter for the roasting jus (‘chicken drip’).
* Remove the chicken from the oven, brush it with melted butter and sprinkle some fleur de sel over it. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving it.
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