Restaurant La Rive is now open for Sunday brunch
For a long time, La Rive, the classic restaurant at the Amstel Hotel, was closed on Sundays, but recently it opened for Sunday brunch. And it is so overwhelming that you do not need to eat for the rest of the day.
Brunch has been my favorite mealtime for years. You can shamelessly start on the champagne before noon, and then everything I love passes in review. Croissants and coffee buns, fresh fish, salads and desserts… La Rive really goes all out; it is one of the most generous brunches I have had in a long time. In fact, I would like to call this a Sunday brinner: breakfast, lunch and dinner all in one.
Mimosa and Bloody Mary
Apart from the delicious food and the service, there is the beautiful view over the Amstel. Thought yoga was zen? Then take a seat at La Rive: gently rippling water, the occasional passing whisper boat, waiters in white gloves shuffling by… And as befits a good brunch, it begins with an alcoholic refreshment. In this case: a mimosa, the cocktail made with freshly squeezed orange juice and prosecco.
While the drinks are being prepared in front of us, the table is filled: butter croissants, sourdough bread, brioche, homemade marmalade and Amstel butter. Forget the buffet; here, the dishes are served at the table and in some cases prepared at the table.
The trick is, as with any brunch, to time and plan things so that you do not immediately dive in, because more is coming—much more in this case.
Confit de canard and smoked salmon
Fresh raw oyster, shrimp cocktail, confit de canard, smoked salmon, tabbouleh… and those are just the starters. And it all tastes so good! Everything is sourced from local producers as much as possible and is fresher than fresh. The tabbouleh is wonderfully refreshing, the salmon deliciously rich. Restraint, restraint!
Because next come the timeless classics: such as eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine (poached egg with spinach on a muffin with béchamel sauce). And the rule still applies: Hold.Yourself.Back.
Chateaubriand with Bordelaise sauce
The main courses are still to come, and there is a choice between fish, vegetarian and meat. The meat dish is chateaubriand, a bloody and tender beef steak, prepared at the table and served with Yorkshire pudding and Bordelaise sauce. Licking the sauce off your finger is allowed. Making noise is too. Although La Rive looks rather stiff, or classically French, or old-fashioned—it is all in how you look at it—you do not have to behave stiffly here. Still, we hold ourselves back; it seems almost unavoidable in such a setting.
The fish dish is a generous piece of cod with artichoke, fregola and creamy fennel sauce.
The vegetarian option is a generous plate of roasted seasonal vegetables. Wonderfully crunchy and very colorful.
Crème brûlée all the way
The knockout blow comes with dessert. Crème brûlée and trifle—I really do not know where to put it anymore, but it is so delicious that leaving it untouched is not an option either. Besides, the crème brûlée is exceptionally good. Or rather: perfect!
A Sunday brunch too?
Although La Rive has not had a star for a few years, you can eat wonderfully there. So empty your piggy bank, set your credit card ablaze and treat yourself to a delicious afternoon. Sunday brunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and costs € 95, including a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary. It costs a bit, but you get plenty in return (read: a whole lot!) and can easily skip dinner! Reservations can be made by calling +31(0)20 622 6060 or via restaurant.reservations@ihg.com.
La Rive, InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam, Professor Tulpplein 1, Amsterdam
Read also:
