Amsterdam is well known to travelers for its fantastic waffles, herring and stroop. However there is far more to Amsterdam cuisine than just the famous dishes that travelers quickly search for when first entering the city of Amsterdam. One of the best approaches to finding great undiscovered food is to simply to just walk around the city until something catches your eye. There are so many restaurants and pubs in Amsterdam, it wont take long to find something original and interesting. After spending a few hours in Amsterdam’s Museum Row, my son and I began looking for one of those such restaurants. We found it in a place called Spelt.
Spelt is a restaurant located just a few blocks from Amsterdam’s Museum Row. The exact location is addressed as Nieuwe Spiegelstraar 5A, Amsterdam. The front of the restaurant has a very classy look. There is a large Spelt sign ingrained into the front window. The restaurant’s store front looks more modern than most Amsterdam restaurants. The lack of a giant Heineken or Amstel sign above the restaurant gives the place an intimate feel and separates it instantly from most of the tourist style restaurants. There are a small group of tables set up outside the restaurant.
The inside of Spelt is small. The restaurant looked as if it could sit around thirty people. However unlike many European restaurants, the seats were separated enough so that the dining experience was comfortable. The restaurant’s kitchen was nestled wide open in the middle of the restaurant so that diners could watch the chef prepare their meals.
Best Amsterdam Sandwich
The waiter quickly brought us menus upon seating. He was friendly, very professional, but also somewhat serious. I was a little bit unconformable asking him what he would recommend, but I did so anyway. I asked if he could recommend an entree that was very popular among the locals. He asked if I would like a sandwich or a dinner entree. I decided on a sandwich The waiter recommended a sandwich that was the most expensive on the menu. I wondered if he had recommended that particular sandwich because it was the most expensive or it was priced the highest because it was the most substantial sandwich on the menu. When the sandwich arrived and I had taken the first bite, it was clear that the waiter had recommended the sandwich because it was literally their best sandwich. Not only was it their best sandwich, it was the best Amsterdam sandwich I had eaten during my stay in Amsterdam. In the end, it was not even that expensive of a sandwich as it was priced at 11.5 Euro.
Many restaurants give their sandwich names. The Spelt restaurant does not name their sandwiches. The restaurant lists the sandwiches on the menu by ingredients. The sandwich consisted of three layers of Spelt bread which is why the sandwich was described as a club sandwich. Inside the sandwich was incredibly fresh smoked salmon, cucumbers and egg. There was a tasty but not too spicy horseradish dressing drizzled on the inside of the bread. If your looking for a great Amsterdam sandwich, this is the one I would most highly recommend. It was fabulous.
My son order the grilled flank steak which was covered in a remoulade sauce. The salad was layered with a nice smooth mustard vinaigrette. The steak came with perfect french fries and a nice scoop of pasta. My son was very happy with the meal.
The restaurant is called Spelt because it serves Spelt bread. Spelt is an ancient grain that is related to the whole wheat family. The combination of the Spelt bread and incredible mixture of smoked salmon, cucumber and egg made it simply the best Amsterdam sandwich in Amsterdam. When in Amsterdam, make you sure you try this fabulous local restaurant.