6. August 2011: Grandcafé Restaurant Biblio
According to my local guide “bitterballe” is a pretty typical Dutch dish – and I was wondering what bitterballe are – although it does not sound appealing to have something like “bitter balls”, but well, one wants to try new things in life. In any case, we ended up having a portion of bitterballe (8 balls for EUR 5.25) in the Grandcafé Restaurant Biblio.
The bitterballe are basically a fried meatball but the meat is not only meat but only has some other ingridients. I could not point them out but according to Google, there is a whole lot of different versions for bitterballe – ranging from carrots and onions to cheese. Ours didn’t have any cheese but were very tasty nevertheless. You can eat them with mustard and well, it just makes something fried taste like something fried with mustard. So, to put it simple, bitterballe are somewhat tasty but it’s not absolutely overwhelming – really good and tasty though.
Generally, the prices are more than fair. EUR 5.25 for the bitterballe, EUR 2.40 for a 0,3L beer, and EUR 2.10 for a coke. Definitely nothing to complain about there. And for once, I was a bit surprised and even slightly amazed – the service was good. They were attentive, very friendly, and always at your disposition if you needed them without being annoying.
The ambiente is absolutely great as it is in an inner courtyard where a lot of different restaurants are. They all look nice to be honest, but somehow the Grandcafé Restaurant Biblio looks so comfortable and it also is. It was pretty much empty at 4:30pm and it would probably be the perfect place to sit down in peace, have a glass of wine (or a coffee) and read a good book. Definitely inviting.
Overall, I can recommend you the Grandcafé Restaurant Biblio because of its good service and because of its nice atmosphere. The bitterballe are good, I liked them, but I cannot say if they were the way they are supposed to be or not – so judging on quality is hard here. In any case, I personally would absolutely go there again if I had the time.
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| Bitterballe: | Tasty, but cannot judge | |
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Contact Details:
Grandcafé Restaurant Biblio
van Vollenhovenstraat 15 C
3016 BE Rotterdam (NL)
Tel.: +31 10 24 10 327
Fax: +31 10 24 10 343
E-Mail: info@jazzclubbiblio.nl
Homepage: http://www.jazzclubbiblio.nl
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
