Arles

A holiday in the Provence in Amsterdam

The city of Arles

In the middle of the Pijp, you will find a small piece of France: Arles. It is named after a city in the Provence, south of France. Historically, the city fulfilled several important roles, including being the home to Vincent Van Gogh and the capital of the Transjurane Burgundy Kingdom. This last thing is no surprise to me, because an evening at Arles will please all people that love the Burgundy lifestyle!

When you enter Arles you will notice that it is both refreshing, yet cozy. Cool modern photographs are combined with modern art on the wall that refer to the artistic character of the city. It is a colorful yet peaceful place. The wooden tables and the chairs add a real French bistro feeling to it all. Besides the cool interior, Arles has another cool feature: a romantic garden. With the hot summer temperatures, that garden truly makes you feel like being in the Provence on a summer evening.

Another thing that helps, is that the guys that helped us the whole evening are actually French and from Arles themselves. So not only do they know how to give you the feeling of being in France, they actually know Arles inside out.

French food and French wine

Besides the fact that you can sit down and enjoy all this, let me tell you a bit about the food. So obviously, Arles serves French cuisine. Typically French ingredients and dishes are combined, which results in balanced dishes with great flavors and good looks. You will find foie gras on its menu and of course a very nice poulet (I literally think this was the best and most comforting piece of chicken I had in my life). Besides that, the desserts were very French and good: riz au lait and a brioche perdu.

The wine list had some really nice gems on it as well, which are not your typical wines. A delicious, pronounced natural wine, pinot blanc, from the Alsace that accompanied the foie gras was a quirky, but a great choice. Also the very light pink Pink Bulles (of Jean Maupertuis), a natural wine made from the gamay grape that accompanied the brioche perdu, was a daring but great choice!

It’s French

In conclusion, a very French place, with real French people and real French food – you can feel, see and taste that immediately. We had a romantic evening and a lot of fun with the guys helping us. The garden might have helped, but for me it was a perfect evening: good food, a holiday feeling and lovely people.

À bientôt, Arles!

Favorite dish

The chicken with mustard seeds grilled zucchini, fried zucchini and miso was the most comforting piece of chicken that I have ever had. It was a great combination of umami, freshness and structures.