Alba

I already miss the last weekend – that first long weekend of the year always hits the spot. To kick off the festivities (and to celebrate that I’m no longer sick after about a week), I was looking at a cute date night spot. I wanted to save some money, so was researching that sweet, middle-ground place for a good meal. I’ve realized that there’s no such thing anymore. Okay, that’s an exaggeration – but finding a main under €20 in a restaurant that you’d want to have a date night at…tough one.

Later on, I’ve decided that I’m upping my budget to look for an affordable nice option. Here’s where a lot of wine bars in Amsterdam stand: won’t break the wallet, but they’re not cheap either. Alba has been on my list for a while, with their 3-course menu for just €38, and a rich natural wines menu. So off we went!

I didn’t really know what to expect, other than the fact that it has pretty good reviews, and it looked cute from the outside.

We’ve started with some DELICIOUS bread and butter. Seriously, I’m not the one to usually praise butter (that’s Hayden), but this was just the smoothest. A good start! We had a glass of (natural) bubbly wine with it, that we really enjoyed, too.

For the first course, I’ve had the corvina (that’s a fish, in case you were wondering), with bell peppers and coriander. The starter was ceviche style, so the fish was raw and marinated. I can honestly say this was one of my favorite dishes – ever. Citrusy, fresh, full of flavor from the coconut, with a great punch. I would’ve added just an extra dash of salt.

Hayden had the stracciatella di bufala (checked 10 times how many c’s and l’s are in there), with jerusalem artichoke and pear. I’ve had a taste of this, and it was absolutely beautiful. Creamy and very well-balanced.

Starters were a hit!

Moving on, I’ve had the sea bass with mussels and carrots. Again, an incredibly well-done dish, with the fish cooked to perfection. The broth it came with (cream of onion) was a flavor explosion, enriched with ginger and kurkuma.

Hayden had the pork – I wish I remember more about this, but I didn’t take notes, and it’s not on their online menu. However, look at this pretty dish! It was so moist (yes, we all hate that word, but it really was). The sauce was reminding of Asian flavors, with soy sauce probably being key. I’ve personally never tasted pork like this (or this pink?), and was thoroughly impressed. Hayden loved it, but loved my sea bass even more. That’s rare!

By this point, we were having such a great time, that I…definitely forgot to take pictures of the desserts. I’ll still mention them because they surely deserve so.

Hayden had a crème brûlée with lemongrass. That’s one of those desserts where you think the classic can’t be beaten, but this, THIS was delicious. Lemongrass. Who would’ve thought.

I’ve had a puff pastry dessert, filled with ayran (could this be more me?!?!?) and blueberries. Very fresh, and a great end to this meal.

Since I’ve got nothing to show for said desserts, here’s Hayden enjoying our second – liquid, this time – dessert.

Along with the meal, I’ve tried 2 natural orange wines, that went really well with the food. They even let me try both of them before ordering any!

All in all, Alba has surpassed all my expectations. The food was outstanding, the wine delicious (quite pricey, though), and the staff amazing. Hayden noted that this may be one of our best date nights, because we could really focus on each other, without ever having to flag anyone down. If you live in Amsterdam, you surely understand the struggle.

Alba’s made it to my Amsterdam’s recommendations list, for sure! Give it a go.

Value for money: 9

Food Quality: 9

Location: 7 (Wibautstraat 105)

Service: 10

Website: https://www.alba-amsterdam.nl/

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