WhyTravel

Photo credit: Wikipedia

The Indonesian rijsttafel — a Dutch word that translates into English as “rice table” — is an elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch following their colonization of Indonesia. The politics of European imperialism aside, rijsttafel is a concept you’ll find in Amsterdam, not Indonesia. It is a fusion cuisine offering a variety of small dishes with spices and flavors that I have not experienced elsewhere on one table. It’s also darn difficult to find in other large cities that normally have all you could want on offer.

Here is the pronunciation of rijsttafel in phonetics: /ˈɹaɪsˌtɑːfəl/. Did that help? Ha ha. I listened to several audio versions of it online and they were all different. In one case the initial r was very notably rolled, but not the others. The j is pretty hard, making the first syllable sound like “ridge” or a slightly softer version of it. The “a” sounded different in every version I listened to, so I will leave you to your imagination with the rest.

I first had rijsttafel (“rrizh-stahffl”) two decades ago in Amsterdam while on a business trip. I was staying in a charming little hotel on lovely Vondelpark and my Dutch colleague took me to Kantjil for dinner. Wonderfully, Kantjil still exists! It does not have the highest ratings of the rijstaffel places on Yelp, but I would give it a chance.

It was an experience that stuck. Rijjsttafel was my primary objective when I returned to Amsterdam 15 years later.  Our hotel was not in the city center, so we decided to try the highly rated Blauw. Blauw also happens to be the restaurant featured in the Wikipedia listing for rijsttafel (photo above).

Again, the meal was memorable. I will also mention that my dining partner is a chef, so he tends to be hyper-critical of restaurants. He LOVED everything about it. He stopped talking, starting eating, and sopped up every last drop. The service was wonderful. They kept the food coming. The menu has English translations on it, which is always helpful, especially when you are experiencing a new type of cuisine.

The menu is long here. Go straight to the rijsttafel page. There is both a vegetarian and vegan option. Here are a few of the selections: tofu omelette, pan-friend eggplant, fried banana, sweet and sour cucumber. My companion had the egg in coconut sauce and said it was delicious.

As stuffed as we both felt at the end of dinner, of course we got two desserts to share, one chocolate and one not. Important warning: I see durian on the current menu. DEFINITELY skip that! If you are not already a durian fan — and I have never met one — it will seriously ruin your night, if not your entire vacation. Not kidding.

By the way, this is a “No Durian” sign. I have seen these in hotels in Asia. Sometimes the signs also specify the amount of the fine if you choose to disregard their prohibition. That’s because it will smell like something mammal in origin and MUCH larger than a durian died in your hotel room. You may be an adventurous eater, but you have been warned.