envy
Prinsengr 381
1016 HL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date of Last Visit: Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Victim: Pieter
The Damage: About 80 euros
The Background: Pieter, one of my co-workers, has offered to meet me for Sunday dinner. He's picked the place and we wander along the wondrously lit canals through Amsterdam's tony Nine Streets area to our destination. I peek in everyone's windows along the way because you know, in Amsterdam, people don't believe in window blinds. Yup, that's right. You can see right into everyone's homes. It's a bit crazy, but Pieter explains that if someone does move onto a street and keep their blinds closed, everyone starts thinking they must be doing something illegal!
The Entrance: envy is modern and dark and has an open kitchen that you can see into from the street. I like this openness. It bodes well, I hope. We're given a choice of a high-table or a low-table and we opt for the low. The restaurant is packed for a Sunday night, and Pieter explains that Sunday is still a big night for the Dutch to go out for dinner. (Pieter, I should mention, is Belgian, not Dutch.)
The Service: My friends Ted and Eve have warned me that Dutch service can be painfully slow. Ted and Eve are French, to put their comment in a bit of perspective. The service at envy IS painfully slow. We're left waiting forever before we're given a menu and then it's ages more before we're asked if we'd like any wine and then it's even more ages later before we can order our food. Luckily, I have nowhere to be.
The Food: Holy cow but the food is GREAT! My risotto is lovely and really creamy in a "no cream or cheese added" kind of way (as it should be), And they've given me a perfect strip of bacon and some pine nuts. I am tempted to order a second portion. But I don't. This is followed by some courgettes wrapped around the softest and lightest of cheeses. This could have only been better if it had been 30 degrees Celsius outside.
The Verdict: I really enjoyed my meal here. If I lived in Amsterdam, I'd go here all the time.
4 comments
This looks really cool Krista. Lucky you getting to go to Amsterdam for work – the places I get to go for work are generally much more prosaic!
Sounds like a good meal (and always handy to know the non-touristy places on the Prinsengracht), though was it really 80 euros per person for an appetizer and a main, or did you drink lots of wine?
Ah, 80 euros in total. Not per person! Which reminds me, I have to do my
expenses!
Nice to read! I’m from Belgium and went to visit Envy on a trip with college, as we’re students interior design.
I’ve been aching to go back to get some dinner there, it looked so delicious!
Good to know about the costs as well. so about 40 a person then? Must consider when going back to A’dam! 🙂
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