Pesca: Fresh from the fish market to your plate!

In the heart of the vibrant city of Amsterdam (& Rotterdam) between the countless restaurants and eateries, there is a unique culinary gem called Pesca. As soon as you enter, the concept is explained and you are then handed a can of sardines with your table number on it. Pesca is therefore not a traditional restaurant where you immediately sit down at a table and are given a menu. No, at Pesca you are part of a special experience, because here it is not only about good food but also about the experience. You enter the so-called ‘Theatre of Fish’ and the performance that you are presented with in this theater is a dose of love with everything the sea has to offer.

Once the concept was explained to you, we were given a glass of bubbles and you walked with your sardines (your table number) to a stage that was decorated as a kind of luxury fish stall. The employee or rather Pesca(tarian) who was on this stage took you through all the different types of fish, shellfish and side dishes you could choose from. With each dish they explained in detail how the chefs were going to prepare and serve this dish. There was quite a lot of choice, especially when you saw all that delicious food in front of you, but the staff knew how to help you with healthy choice stress. Pesca has a dynamic offer and pricing policy, so the price adapts to the offer and they ensure that all fish is sold. This prevents unnecessary waste. The offer itself depends on the daily delivery, seasonal availability and, for example, weather conditions. The menu can therefore differ per day!

Once the food choices have been made, you go from the so-called fish market to the next stop, the wine market. Here the next specialist is waiting for you who will show you what delicious types of wine you can drink. We went for a bottle of white (a Grüner Veltliner) plus a bottle of Spa red (to stay well hydrated) – both were immediately given to us in a bucket of ice. Armed with wine, water and not to forget our sardines, we were then escorted to our table.

The dishes are served when they are ready and this playfully serves your food in a ‘random’ order. We shared everything which is highly recommended with so many options on the menu. The choices we made included: oysters (a no-brainer for us), ceviche, fried soft shell crab (highly recommended), pulpo prepared on the barbecue, a super tender monkfish where the meat has the same kind of structure as lobster (and much more). After the first few dishes, the staff asked us if we would like the following dishes to be served a little later, we really like the fact that the staff asks these kinds of questions and you really score points with that.

In summary, we really had a great meal, we were helped very pleasantly the whole evening and all this in a unique concept in terms of restaurant. This experience can currently be found in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and soon even in Nice and Hamburg!