Top spot: the secret courtyard garden of restaurant Jansz. in Amsterdam
Right in the heart of Amsterdam’s Nine Streets, you’ll find a wonderful green oasis: the courtyard garden of restaurant Jansz. What a top spot! This is where you eat and drink deliciously, with birds chirping in the background and a view of the Westerkerk tower.
Jansz. had been on my wish list for a while, but because of coronavirus, it never happened. The Jansz. team didn’t sit still during this period, by the way; every week, Jansz. prepared evening meals for the guests and volunteers of the Ronald McDonald House Emma Amsterdam, where the families of children admitted to Emma Children’s Hospital AMC stay. I think that’s wonderful.
Collection of canal houses
Jansz. is part of the Pulitzer Hotel, which is made up of a collection of canal houses. The location and interior are stunning. Modern, but with references here and there to its rich past. Rich indeed, because the original resident and namesake of the restaurant was the wealthy seventeenth-century coppersmith Volkert Jansz..
The entrance
We enter the restaurant through the old pharmacy next to the Jansz. terrace, after which we are taken to the courtyard garden. That entrance is truly beautiful, by the way!
Romantic hideaway
The courtyard garden is a lovely hideaway for a romantic late-summer lunch and an oasis of peace amid the hustle and bustle of the Nine Streets. On the other side of the Jansz. courtyard garden is the courtyard garden of Pause, Pulitzer’s other restaurant, just as beautifully hidden away (also highly recommended!). We take a seat at one of the tables (all of which are well spaced apart), with a view of the Westerkerk tower.
On the menu
The menu is clearly laid out and features lovely classic dishes, but with a modern twist. And although everything fits on a single sheet of A4 paper, it’s still difficult to choose; everything looks delicious. Poached eggs… burrata… scrambled eggs with truffle… club sandwich… choice paralysis!
No foams and powders
In a luxury hotel like the Pulitzer, you might expect complicated dishes presented in dots, lines, foams and powders. But when the dishes arrive, it turns out—much to my delight—to be very well-prepared food without any bells and whistles. They have consciously chosen to satisfy both the chic hotel guest and the Jordaan local. The result: quality ingredients that aren’t overcomplicated. Like the Pappardelle with truffle, mushrooms and Parmesan (€21).
The same goes for the salmon with bimi and black rice (€26). The rice has a lovely bite, the salmon is perfectly cooked and the citrus sauce adds a wonderfully fresh note to the whole dish.
Save room for dessert
The portions are generous, but not excessive. Would we like to see the dessert menu? Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Of course! The Cheese cake (€8) is a kind of upside-down cake, but also completely not; it’s truly something different from what you expect. Once again, very well made, with mango, calamansi (a citrus fruit) and lemon sorbet.
The Crème brûlée (€9) is perfect. The custard-like center is creamy and sweet, but not too sweet, and the crisp caramelized sugar layer is the perfect thickness.
Sun/rain
You never know what you’ll get with a Dutch summer, but fortunately, the restaurant itself is also a lovely place to be when the weather is less pleasant. And is the garden full? Jansz. also has a spacious terrace by the water. In short: are you looking for a place in the middle of the city where you can eat wonderfully (for the price of an average casual restaurant) and truly get away from it all for a while? Then you know where to go!
P.S. A little Jansz. at home? Then make the iconic Marinara Meatballs from restaurant Jansz.
Jansz.
Reestraat 8, Amsterdam
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