Comfort Seafood at The Good Companion
By Seger Abels
Westerstraat 264, 1015 MT Amsterdam, Netherlands
BOOK NOWIf you have ever biked down the Westerstraat by night, chances are that your eye has caught that cosy-lit, dark blue painted, serre. There is an even greater chance that, if that’s true, you thought something in the likes of, “I must check out what is happening there because it looks like fun’. If you are still nodding, “Yes, yes, yes” while reading this, then this is your sign to go to The Good Companion.
The Good Companion is a fish bar in the heart of the Jordaan area. Them being a fish bar might have already given it away, but at The Good Companion, you eat fish. But not just any fish, sustainable and daily fresh-caught fish from our own North Sea and from sustainable fish farms in Zeeland. If one of these two doesn’t deliver what is desired they will look further in the European waters, but never further than that. This results in a menu that’s filled with bites like oysters, homemade shrimp croquettes and their famous seacuterie (see The Ace below!). The bigger dishes always stay fairly the same as in the basic, but are often renewed with a different twist or topping. From mussels and whole fish to share to fish & chips and their day-one favourite: fisherman’s stew.
During our visit, we met the owner and gave him carte blanche, something we feel is always a good idea. Outside it was raining cats and dogs, so we craved some heartwarming dishes… and boy, did they deliver! The oysters were topped with grilled Gruyere cheese and the homemade shrimp croquette, served with some fried parsley (as it should be, in our books) had a filling that instantly made us forget about the wet Westerstraat we just came from. One of their favourite dishes also became one of ours, so when visiting The Good Companion, definitely order the ‘schelpjes in het groen’, a dish of various small clams in a herby, creamy sauce which reminded us of the classic ‘Paling in het groen’ dish. We could describe all starter dishes here but we feel that would become a bit repetitive, so just go ahead and order them all. They will not disappoint. Top it off with fish and chips and you will leave full and as happy as can be.
The Good Companion is often passed by as the Westerstraat is a street where everyone is always on the move. But with their cosy lights, more than friendly staff and more than proper fish dishes, The Good Companion can be your perfect reason to stop and just relax for an hour or two. The vibe is right at this great fish restaurant in one of Amsterdam’s prettiest areas.
The Good Companion
The Place: Fish bar
The Space: Nautic-themed without pushing it too far.
The Base: €50 pp
The Face: Surprisingly many (Asian) tourists, bring on the locals!
The Ace: They dry-age multiple fishes in-house to make their seacuterie and it’s AMAZING.
The Veg: Be welcome.
Opening Hours: Thurs 18:00-23:00, Fri 17:00-23:00, Sat-Sun 13:00-23:00, Mon-Wed closed
Images from thegoodcompanion.nl, The Good Companion
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