Nevy

Owned by the Bert van der Leden, the man behind Envy delicatessen and Vyne wine bar, restaurant Nevy (the names are all anagrams of the same four letters) is a seafood restaurant just west of Amsterdam Central Station.

On one side of the sleek, marble-filled interior is a raw bar where you can pick and choose what you want to eat from the fish and shellfish packed in ice in the open display cabinet. On the other is the restaurant, with fantastic views out over the IJ.

Restaurant Nevy's menu, which changes with the season, is dominated by fish, of course, although meat eaters and vegetarians won't leave hungry. International dishes range from a classic French Bouillabaisse to Morocco fish tagine, even a mackerel ceviche inspired by the chef’s Peruvian mother-in-law.

It was the Asian-inspired dishes that appealed to me and so I started with a creamy coconut and crab soup filled with mushrooms, spring onions, crispy bean sprouts and fresh coriander.

R. chose the smoked eel in soy sauce, served with caramelised quince, duck liver and ginger foam. An expensive option at €16.50, and one with so many different elements it could easily have degenerated into a complicated culinary disaster, it nevertheless succeeded in being an exquisite combination of subtly aromatic flavours.

His main of grilled halibut was also good although much less adventurous, served with potatoes, spinach, oysters and a champagne beurre blanc.

My cod fried in a desiccated coconut crust, served with mango salsa and smoky fried rice, was full of flavour and took me straight back to my travels in Southeast Asia.

Service at Nevy was unusually attentive to begin with but fizzled out during the course of the meal as the waiters became preoccupied with (or overwhelmed by?) the table of 14 next to us.

There was also some "miscommunication" in the kitchen so we had to wait a long time for our dessert, a rich warm chocolate cake with amarene cherries and light vanilla sorbet. As it was snowing outside (fish was perhaps an odd dinner choice in subzero temperatures), we were in no rush to get on our bikes anyway and complimentary glasses of wine took us happily through the wait.

Restaurant Nevy appeals to a business and generally upmarket crowd. Combined with the minimalist interior it can feel a little cold and formal here - all the more reason for us to go back in the summer when the waterfront terrace is open.