Pllek Amsterdam

On Sunday we had another gig in Amsterdam, this time at Pllek in the North of the city.
We've played Pllek before, back in November for the release of our newest single 'Elspeth' and we had a great time, so we'd been looking forward to this gig for a while!

It's a beautiful place, right on the water overlooking Amsterdam Central Station, and the building is actually partly made up of shipping containers so it has a very cool industrial-chic feel. It's also a very popular cafe-bar/restaurant so their Sunday music sessions are always busy with friends and families there for a chat and a bite to eat.

The interior is nicely put together with an assortment of simple tables and chairs, cosy sofas and raised carpeted areas for large groups to sit together comfortably. 

There is a huge terrace outside too with picnic benches and a fire pit!

Yes, that ferry is bigger than those buildings...

Picture by Anna of http://ookannaheefteenblog.wordpress.com

The gig went well and we had a stand-in drummer called Sean, who we were so thankful to for helping us out, but what I really want to talk about in this post is the FOOD!
Oh my gosh is it good. One of the reasons we were so excited for this gig was because the food had been so amazing last time, the most memorable dish being their seasonal venison stew.
After the gig we grabbed a table and settled in with a couple of drinks to wait until the dinner service started. We ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the numerous delights listed on the menus and ordered the second it turned 6pm.

Arjan went for the panfried cod, it was served with wilted spinach, baby carrots, watercress, garlic mashed potatoes and a langoustine sauce. One of the many benefits of being in a couple is always getting to try your other half's food! The cod was beautifully cooked, flakey and moist with a crisp skin. The veg was nicely cooked and complimented the fish well, the mash was so smooth and creamy with just the right amount of garlicy tang. The sauce brought the whole dish together incredibly well, it was sweet and light and coated everything perfectly. 

I actually had the same dish that I had back in November, boring I know, but this is one of the nicest ravioli dishes I've had outside of Italy. They were filled with beetroot and spring grass cheese (not sure what this is actually called in the UK) and topped with slices of beetroot and turnip, spring grass cheese, hazelnuts, turnip greens and a nut butter sauce. You would think this could be a little overly sweet for a main dish, but it's a light sweetness that goes wonderfully with the gentle saltiness of the cheese and the indulgent buttery sauce. At first I was skeptical about the hazelnuts but they add an extra dimension, both texturally and in flavour. Despite being in a butter sauce, this dish feels surprisingly virtuous and healthy!

Our booker, Marlous, went for the dish of the day; Limburg white asparagus served with wild broccoli, wild boar ham, new potatoes, hollandaise sauce and boiled egg. I didn't expect to get a taste of this (when it arrived at the table I was pretty jealous) but Marlous was struggling towards the end so we were called in to assist. It was so good! The white asparagus has a much milder flavour than the green we're used to in the uk, I actually prefer the green but I'm enjoying the white more and more. The spears are very thick, so it has to be cooked a lot longer, but this was done perfectly, not mushy in the slightest. The wild broccoli was incredibly good and reminded me a little of kale. The hollandaise was lovely and thick and not too sour either. In hindsight I wish I'd gone for this dish.

The other 3 in our group opted for the steak, which looked delicious but I never got a picture because they all ravenously dove upon them on arrival.

Because we were playing there, this meal was on the house, but the prices of the food are pretty good, definitely affordable and when you take into consideration the quality of the dishes it's a downright bargain! The lunch menu and snacks also look fantastic and I would love the opportunity to give some of it a taste. Next time I'm in Amsterdam I much just take a little ferry trip across the Ij for a bite....