Bar Review: Golden Brown, Amsterdam

Image by Caneles

I need to get out more. No, really, I do. We have got in to the habit of not going out as much as we once did. We have all the reasons in the world for this:

- We're too tired
- We like each others company
- We like our home and love staying in
- Why go out when we have good food and booze at home

all these things are true. However, I am a social creature, much more so than the lovely husband and he gets his fix of people interaction every day at work. I work from home and am often climbing the walls from social isolation.

So on Thursday I coerced a friend into organising a girls night out which had the added benefit of me trying out a new bar in the neighbourhood.

Golden Brown is situated in one of the side streets about halfway down Overtoom.

First impressions were excellent. Outdoor seating for a warm summers evening huge windows showcasing a mezzanine level. It reminded me somewhat of a pint-sized version of the Lizard Lounge in Paris - God, I miss the Lizard Lounge...

Anyway, I digress, the exterior was good and the interior was equally lovely.

Image from Golden Brown's Website

Look at that squishy seating. We coveted those seats all night long, why? Because the people who had comandeered them spent most of the night outside smoking. I am sure the bags they left guarding their seats were extremely comfortable, we on the other hand took a table behind and glared jealously everytime they left for a cigarette.

A late start meant that we were just there for drinks. The wine selction was good and over the course of the evening we tried two different whites, both of which were excellent. I found it a complete novelty that the win was served in "regular" wine glasses, probably 150ml. I had got so used to the English measure of 250ml that these were dinky by comparison.

The table service was fast and attentive. Our waiter looked as though he was on a bungee rope so quickly did he bound about the room. The only delay seemed to be when one of our party asked for bitteballen just before the kitchen closed, it seemed to take a while for them to come out but when they did apparantly they were very good (as a vege I do not understand the bitteballen craze.)

When we eventually asked for the bill it was stunningly cheap, we thought they must have made a mistake but no. We laid down our cash and headed home. Definitely recommended.