RIJKS®
Having recently visited the Rijksmuseum, my friends carried on through the galleries while I had the opportunity to slip away for lunch at RIJKS. Situated just outside the museum, the restaurant feels perfectly placed: quietly confident, deeply Dutch, and far more memorable than one might expect from a museum-adjacent dining room.
To my surprise, I was seated by the sommelier, Robin, who would go on to deliver one of the standout service experiences I have had in quite some time. Warm, sharp, generous, and genuinely enthusiastic, Robin was an absolute delight throughout the afternoon. A meal at RIJKS is worth it for the food, certainly, but Robin made the experience feel singular.
This is also my first review in quite some time, backdated over a year. I work in tech and have been full-time across a variety of different projects these past few months, leaving me with very little time to sit down and write full reviews. That said, this marks the first restaurant where I am using a more simplified rating system. Rather than scoring dishes and restaurants with overly granular numbers, 8.32, 8.64, and so forth, I will be moving toward cleaner ratings such as 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0.
Enough rambling. Without further ado, the food.
I decided to go with the more exciting option, the Next RIJKS menu (€120), which focuses on modern Dutch cuisine through a lens of hyper-seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.
The meal began with a selection of amuse-bouches. I will not dwell on these too much, as they were somewhat lacking across a variety of levels and did not quite set the tone one would hope for. (6.0 /10)
The first proper dish, however, was a lovely rendition of a Dutch classic: pickled herring with oca tuber, grapefruit, and dill. Bright, clean, and beautifully balanced, the dish carried the familiar salinity and richness of herring while introducing just enough acidity and freshness to keep everything lifted. The grapefruit brought a subtle bitterness and citrus edge, while the dill tied it all back to something deeply traditional. A confident and refined opening. (8.0 /10)
Next came white asparagus with leek, kombu, and lardo. This was an absolute delight. The asparagus, firmly in season, had that delicate sweetness and gentle snap that makes the ingredient so special when handled properly. The leek added a soft allium sweetness, while the kombu brought quiet salinity and depth. The lardo, used with restraint, gave the dish a luxurious richness without overwhelming the purity of the asparagus. (8.0 /10)
Following this was “Noordzee” whelks with gilda sauce, rabbit kidneys, and maitake mushrooms. A more adventurous and deeply savory plate, this leaned into brine, earth, and offal in a way that felt distinctly RIJKS. The whelks brought a clean North Sea chew and salinity, while the gilda sauce added sharpness and a pickled intensity. Rabbit kidneys gave the dish a mineral richness, and the maitake mushrooms rounded everything out with an earthy, umami-driven backbone. Slightly unusual, but very compelling. (8.0 /10)
For the first main, RIJKS served turbot with peanut, tamarind, garlic pil pil, and broccolini. It may not have been the most visually striking presentation of the afternoon, but the cookery was excellent. The turbot itself was beautifully handled — moist, precise, and clean. The peanut and tamarind introduced a more expressive, almost Southeast Asian-adjacent warmth, while the garlic pil pil gave the dish richness and body. The broccolini added a necessary green bitterness, making this a lovely and well-composed fish course. (8.5 /10)
The final savory dish was the clear highlight: lamb saddle with yellow bell pepper, artichoke, and lemon. This was an absolutely stunning lamb dish and one of the best of the year. The lamb was cooked with real technical precision, tender and deeply flavorful while retaining elegance. The yellow bell pepper brought sweetness, the artichoke added a grounded vegetal note, and the lemon cut through with just enough acidity to sharpen the entire plate. It was the kind of dish that feels complete the moment you taste it. I only wish I had more. (9.0 /10)
Dessert was a playful riff on Dippin’ Dots, composed of rhubarb, lemon balm, and milky oolong “dots.” It was certainly a bit gimmicky in concept, but the flavors worked extremely well together. The rhubarb brought tartness, the lemon balm added a fragrant herbal lift, and the milky oolong gave the dessert a soft, rounded, almost creamy tea-like finish. Light, refreshing, and far more successful than the premise might suggest. (8.0 /10)
Robin was kind enough to let me try a variety of wines by the glass, and we had a bit of fun exploring different jenevers across several vintages. It turned what could have been a simple lunch pairing into something much more personal and memorable.
I cannot recommend RIJKS enough. What a lovely establishment.
RIJKS
Visit WebsiteChef de Cuisine: Joris Bijdendijk
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date of Visit: 5.29.2024
One Michelin Star
