The Haesje Claes restaurant in Amsterdam
Adress : Spuistraat 273-275
It’s very cold on the evening of November 26th in the tourist district Nieuwe Zijde in Amsterdam. The front of the Haesje Claes restaurant proudly announces that this traditional restaurant dates back to 1520. True to its reputation, the restaurant is full.
Like us, gourmets who haven’t bothered to book their table wait quietly in the entrance hall for a table to become available. The mild temperature, the tempting smell and the friendly, laughing eyes of the waiter who approaches make us forget the 5-minute wait.
Finally, a table is offered to us in a large room with an old and busy decoration. Dark woodwork, exposed beams, stained glass windows, green leather seats, paintings, Delft earthenware plates…
Just above our table, a Delft earthenware represents a scene from a happily bygone era: we see a large sailing ship, symbol of the greatness of the Dutch merchant navy, passing in front of a village, its mill, its big church, its traditional Dutch houses, and… its scaffold with its hanged man!
I hear a little bit of every language. The room is full but the number and dynamism of the waiters allows our order to be taken and served quite quickly.
That evening, although the reputation of the Haesje Claes tasting plate of seven specialities had reached us, Angel preferred to warm himself up with a delicious split pea soup, and I, a mixed Westland salad that would keep me hungry for a little while and then treat myself to a very good Stamppot. As usual, we choose different dishes so that we can exchange our plates and taste more flavours: for Angel, a poached salmon fillet and for me, a hochpot (stamppot carrots and onions).
With all this, a very good red wine, chosen a little at random and whose delicious effect, exacerbated by the heat of the place, made me immediately forget the name! If you visit this place, taste several wines, give them a note, don’t forget the name, and pass it on to us so that we can better inform our next readers! (Thanking you!)
