Merkelbach

Lekker!
Why have I breezed past this place so many times? De Kas… move over, Merkelbach is my new fave in fine dining in Zuid Oost.
I was here last night after a nice happy hour drink at GlouGlou in De Pijp. My sweet guy and I wanted to try a new place so we opted for this restaurant. So glad we did!
Service is unreal — although, I don’t believe it’s always as good as last night. There was a wine freelancer on the floor who took care of my guy and I. He was totally unlike any other waiter/​server/​wine freelancer (what!). Truly amazing service.
We went for 4 courses — all of which were yummy. The artichoke dish was the weakest, however. It didn’t give either of us any sort of ‘wow’ but 3 out of 4 is good, isn’t it?
And, the wine pairing? Well… perfect, really.
The building is gorgeous, the views of the park are so beautiful, the seating is comfortable. Overall, a total win. Really.
I can’t wait to come here for a Sunday brunch, sit outside and look at the garden and just soak in the day. That will happen. Soon.
Enjoy!

I would give this place a 3.5 but since there are so many fab reviews, I’ll err on the side of lower. While the location and building are in fact gorgeous, I was slightly disappointed with the interior. I had the tartar and my friend a pork sandwich. Both were good enough. However they took an surprisingly long time to arrive. Not in a rush on a Saturday afternoon, so not a real issue. The service was otherwise friendly. Maybe it is unfair that the unparalleled de Kas is next door and therefor evokes comparisons, but I mean, de Kas is next door.
In general, the menu wasn’t too inspired. But all in all, a nice lunch in a nice place for an average price. So yeah. 3 stars.

1 star for the beautiful venue. They have weddings here but it’s a lovely spot for a tea with girlfriends, a shower etc. It’s not uptight or stuffy, more of a quaint country house with garden.
2 stars for the menu that focuses on fresh ingredients. Tasty dishes that highlights the farm to table ingredients.
1 star for the presentation. The dishes are elegantly presented without being overly garnished.
This is definitely a civilized atmosphere. I held back on star because the room we ate at was a little chilly distracted from the food a bit.

We tried to go to De Kas, but they were fully booked and recommended this place. Gorgeous location, very friendly and knowledgeable services, and great food. We had delicious oysters to start accompanied by a lovely sparkling pear during for me and Vouvray for husband. Perfect pairing! Smoked mullet was really good followed by heavenly pumpkin ravioli. Enthusiastic wine pairing. Really excellent meal all around.