Bonnie S. wrote: > >Hi, > >We will be in Amsterdam in August and want to try an Indonesian >rijsttafel. I know that you get a large bowl of rice and around 15 small >dishes. Can anyone tell me what is usually served as the small dishes, >how small is small, and how to go about eating this? Also, any >recommendations for restaurants in Amsterdam would be greatly >appreciated. Thank you very much. > >Bonnie Yo Bonnie - I've always enjoyed the Bali in Amsterdamn though it's considered by many to be a bit of a tourist trap - one of those places that's been around for a long time, is indeed popular with tourists, but still does a good job. Rijsttafel (you probably know it translates to rice table) come in all sizes ie number of dishes. It's all served at once and the portion size in general is just a few bites. The idea, or at least my approach, is to attempt all manner of blends and, like nouvelle cuisine, winning a few flavor combinations and losing a few. Some dishes are spicy hot, some dishes are just spicy, some sweet some bland, some warmed, some room temperature, some chilled. Mix and match. Balance spicy hot with sweet, bland with spicy. Don't think there are many rules so, simply, enjoy. I actually had my first rijsttafel as a lad of 9 aboard a Dutch freighter off the coast of Columbia. It's a wonderful memory and, I must confess, no rijsttafel at the Bali has matched my first time.
Netherlands