Staring At Jacob, Amsterdam

Brunch is somewhat of a dirty word in Amsterdam. Look hard and you’ll find the odd place serving an interpretation of brunch, but it won’t truly be what North Americans would expect.

Heck, even in the UK, the notion of brunch is a bit of a fledgling idea. In our eyes (and in those of the Dutch), a late morning meal is still considered breakfast and any alcohol at that time would be a pint of beer classed as “hair of the dog”.

Which is why, when Scott and I first realised that there was an American-style brunch place in our neighborhood here in Amsterdam and that they not only served Bloody Marys (for Scott) and Eggs Benedict (for me), we were intrigued to try it out.

Unfortunately, that was back in November last year and we never made it. The cold, damp days and the amazing kitchen at our disposal kept us locked inside.

Once we returned in April, it was just getting into the perfect brunch season and so Staring At Jacob was back on the menu.

The decor of the place is what I like to describe as “hipster cool chic”, but as I’m clearly not a hipster, (and probably neither cool nor chic) then we can safely assume it’s a good spot for almost anyone who likes brunch.

We started with a Canadian Maple Iced Coffee and even got a cool demonstration of how it’s made by the table. I haven’t made an animated gif in a *long* time, but there were way too many pictures to bombard you with in one post.

It was delicious and would make me return to the cafe for that alone. It reminded me a lot of Malaysian White Coffee; sweet and creamy, but still packs a bit of a caffeine punch.

We shared the chicken and waffles (gots to), an order of the fish tacos and a side of the home fries.

I’ve never gotten around to trying chicken and waffles during any of my visits to the States (slaps wrist), but I’ve been curious about it for years. I know that Amsterdam probably isn’t the best place to try it for your first time, but it’s as close to the US as I’m going to get this summer.

The chicken and waffles came with poached egg and a side of syrup and as with many American breakfast items, it was a perfect combination of savoury and sweet. The fried chicken was boneless, which was a plus for me as I’m not a fan of chicken with the bones in, but was still juicy.

The fish tacos were zingy and refreshing, although I wasn’t a huge fan of the salsa, but that’s mainly because I don’t like raw tomatoes. The fish was tender and perfectly cooked and, being the avocado fan that I am, I could have eaten twice as much of the smoked avocado guacamole sauce that came with them.

For me, the roasted cherry tomatoes that came with the home fries were the star of the side dish. They were sweet and juicy and popped in your mouth. I spotted a whole tray of them straight out of the oven and was glad that they came served as part of the dish because they looked so appetising.

Another highlight was the little pot of strawberry jam that I got to go with my waffles. It was sweet and thick and I would have licked it right out of the pot if I hadn’t been in public.

As ever with a lot of my meals, it was the little touches that really stood out and were memorable. I think next time I go I’ll try the American pancakes with banana caramel sauce, but failing that, maybe I’ll just order an iced coffee and a pot of jam. That’s totally normal, right?

• Staring at Jacob, Jacob van Lennepkade 215, 1054 Amsterdam  staringatjacob.tumblr.com