The scene is a picturesque fall day along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam. There is a slight bite to the air, which is masked by a bright and warm afternoon sun. An ideal time to enjoy a warm beverage and one of the season’s signature tastes. This is the perfect backdrop for Café Winkel 43, a popular afternoon dining spot in the buzzing Jordaan district.
You may stumble upon the green and white awning for lunch, but what will keep you coming back is the dessert.
We’ll save the best part for last, so lets first talk about the main course. Winkel offers a very diverse menu from beetroot soup to lemon risotto with smoked catfish. We went with the Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs with eggplant salsa and the Portuguese tuna croquettes with tomato salad and olive mayonnaise.
The meatballs were tender and the salsa proved to be the perfect compliment, creating just the right blend of flavors. Naturally, the Portuguese dish caught our attention. The croquettes were crispy on the outside and warm and delicious on the inside. Like with the eggplant salsa, the olive mayonnaise was a perfect pairing for the dish. All in all, very good, but we made quick work of it, as we were eager to get to the main event. Next, on came the apple pie!
Let me prepare my white girl voice for this one. “Oh my God! I seriously, like, can’t even!” This thing is powerful enough to reduce anyone to a basic bitch. There really is no appropriate vernacular to describe the euphoric journey this pie sends your taste buds on.
It comes delivered to you warm in a crisp yet soft crust served with a mountain of whipped cream (thankfully, because there’s usually never enough of it). From first bite to last lick of the plate (yes, this is necessary), you’ll find yourself lost in a culinary high.
I know everything stateside is pumpkin this and pumpkin that, but this pie IS the taste of fall. There may be the old adage “…as American as apple pie,” but damn do these Dutchies do it right!
God Bless the Netherlands!
***Reader’s note: they don’t take reservations
Winkel
Noordermarkt 43,
1015 NA Amsterdam
020 623 0223
weatehipsters.com 