Sssst, secret address

Sometimes I’m bummed out a bit when I’m in London or Paris and take a nip of a cocktail: why haven’t we got something like this in Amsterdam? Why is every place taken over and overly hyped by all the hipsters in town? But then I suddenly found myself in the Pijp on a soft bordeaux red couch with a pornstar (Vanilla vodka, passion fruit, champaign, egg white, and fresh lime) in my right hand and left a deliciously fried squid.

Where this secret place is located? Because secret it is a bit. You’ve got to enter The Butcher, a hip hamburger place on the Albert Cuypstraat. You need to walk to the back and press a bell in a small hallway. Say your name and the password and a steel sliding door opens. ‘Welcome Miss van Nieuwkerk, may I take your coat?’ Not everyone knows that you can drink cocktails in the back of The Butcher, though that’s logical because it’s a members only club. You can still make a reservation for the restaurant between 20:00 and 22:30 (also if you’re not a member), and then you’ll get the password you need to use at the door otherwise you won’t get in. And there I was. Kind of dark, mysterious, and a very charming bartender told us that Drake (who didn’t drink anything) and Rihanna (who tasted a lot of things on the menu) were guests at the Butcher. It seemed I was at the right place. A pretty hostess who touched my shoulder several times and rubbed my back, served cocktails and handed us the menu.

I took the cod with the best chips in town. My company enjoyed a perfectly rare burger and lobster. Also called surf and turf. We took a cocktail with gin and fresh red grapefruit juice. Perhaps not the best combination with the food, but we didn’t care. Everything was delicious. After a grand dessert, of which I ate just a few mini bites, I biked home on my high DvF heels and feeling very content. A bit of international allure in Amsterdam after all.

Would you like to go there? Ring The Butcher to make a reservation. The kitchen is open from Wednesday to Saturday between 20:00 and 22:30. Oh, and don’t forget to take me with you?