New Look: De Ysbreeker

After three months of renovation, De Ijsbreker (now De Ysbreeker, the original spelling) reopened its doors on April 1.

There has been a building on this spot since 1702. Originally an inn, named after the boat moored outside on the Amstel that in winter broke the ice so fresh water could be brought into the city, in the 1980s it was a dance school and music centre.

Now that these rehearsal and performance rooms have been knocked through, De Ysbreeker can accommodate four or five times more customers, a large bar and billiard table.

Several other things are new, too. Opening times have been extended and chef Patrick Driesman, formerly of Dauphine, has taken over the kitchen, serving 'no-nonsense' breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

I used to go to De Ysbreeker for the uitsmijters (fried eggs, often cooked with ham and topped with cheese, served on slices of bread). These are still on the breakfast menu, although a shadow of their former selves: the eggs were so runny they were almost raw and the hearty, cure-any-hangover bread that had lined my stomach on so many Sunday mornings has been replaced by slices of cotton wool flecked with a few token grains.

Also still on the breakfast menu are yoghurt, muesli and croissants, but croque madame and croque monsieur have been added. The coffee, however, is as watery as ever.

I was much more impressed when I went back to De Ysbreeker for a drink and borrelhapjes (snacks) on the lovely riverside terrace a few months later. The wide selection of wines by the glass is still available, although the whites, such as the Austrian Grüner Veltliner which has flooded Amsterdam bars this year, were not chilled enough.

De Ysbreeker’s shrimp croquettes had a crispy shell and creamy, lightly briny filling; and the homemade lamb meatballs (I often find lamb fatty and chewy) – prepared with fresh herbs and served in a rich, almost neon orange tomato and pepper sauce – crumbled deliciously in my mouth.

I’m sorry to have crossed De Ysbreeker off my list of brunch spots, but its afternoon offerings have certainly redeemed it. It would be a shame for a cafe to have such a fantastic terrace and no reason to visit.