Meat me at Bar Brouw

Feb 10, 2014 | by Hannah Fuellenkemper | Food, Spots

About the author

I'm a food stylist, like pugs and doomcore and will buy a book twice if I like the edition. My favourite thing about Amsterdam is its windows and a certain house on the gracht where people read and plans are hatched by candlelight.

Hidden off what is possibly the only market in Amsterdam not in a tourist guide is evidence that even though Americans can’t seem to run their own government, they (some of them) can cook. Bar Brouw serves the type of food any Southern belle wouldn’t come within parasol reach of – and that’s what makes it good. It’s about nothing less than smoked meat, rubbed ribs, craft beers, whisky, whiskey and not having enough napkins.

Smoke and sauce

The fact that your pulled pork (€15,50), pork belly (€14), brisket (€17) and ribs (€14.50) will have come all the way from the US means more than it was merely Made in USA (and has racked up thousands of air miles). It also means that it tastes like it was made in the USA, which translates to a fatter, juicier piece of meat; the only kind that you can put in a smoker for 10 hours and still expect to come out with a melting quality (as opposed to an ash-like quality).

The dishes come with long standing companions like cornbread, coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad, but I missed a cob of corn or two and hotter hot sauce. The pulled-pork sandwich for lunch was good, the brisket sandwich better but it all needed more ‘goop’; a hole that may be filled with that hot sauce and, at the very least, more contents on the roll (or just less roll).

To wash it all down you have the choice of many a complicated, craft beer with crafty names.

To wash it all down you have the choice of many a complicated, craft beer with crafty names like Flying Dog – Raging Bitch, Brew Dog – Dead Pony Club, and no-dog-reference-but-simply Anchor; whiskies with the usual Single Malt Whisky names, Bourbon and rye whiskey. The beer I particularly wanted to taste (it comes warm and is supposed to, too) was sold out so I settled for something with a ‘hint of mango’. Hoppy, fresh finish, surprisingly tasting of mango. Good.

The kitchen that Bar Brouw has made its mission to introduce to Amsterdam is certainly up to the task of rivaling the burger bars that have popped up everywhere. But now that they’ve made the introduction, their actual kitchen needs to go beyond trying to look authentic (food is served on metal trays) to really tasting it. It needs a bit more pang. And hot sauce.