Gebr. Hartering

Two brothers, one charcoal grill and a candlelit wooden room where the market decides what you eat.

Two brothers built this place out of old wood and stubbornness in 2010, and it still feels like eating in the hull of a ship that happens to have a serious kitchen. You sit at candlelit tables and eat whatever Paul and Niek decided the market was good for that morning: shared starters, house-cured charcuterie, a slab of three week aged prime rib off the charcoal grill. The menu is table d'hote, five courses for 60 euros, and arguing with it misses the point. Nose to tail is not a slogan here, it is the accounting model, so expect bone marrow, sweetbreads and the occasional cut you will need explained. In summer the quiet canal-side spot on the Peperstraat corner is one of the nicest places to eat outside in the old centre. Parool scored it an 8.5 and the room still fills with locals marking birthdays and closings.

Take the 7-course at 85 euros; it ends with the dry-aged prime rib and cheese from Kef, which is the whole argument for coming.

Photo: Gebr. Hartering