Seventh best pizzeria in Europe and 47th worldwide according to the respectable 50toppizza site. Nice track record. Hard for pizza vera lovers like us to pass through Amsterdam without grabbing a bite.

Past the striking bright blue façade, you discover a rather minimalist and fresh space — just not "cold," but it was close. Marble tables up front, wooden ones at the back… and in the middle sits the oven, golden, like a huge jewel visible to all diners. Things are warming up.

The service is quick but efficient and smiling.

On the menu: 13 pizzas and two or three carefully selected little bites to munch on beforehand. We kicked off the evening with some anchovies and a lovely burrata, so appetizing that we had to make do with imagining it: didn't have time to snap a photo.

Then came three beautiful pizzas with thin crust and nicely puffed cornicione, but perhaps lacking just a hair of cooking time. I'm nitpicking… The toppings are genuinely interesting, modern and cooked with care: an almost Marinara escorted by grilled octopus, a lovely broccoli–anchovy duo, and to finish, the one I hadn't really chosen but turned out to be the best of this trio: "A fuoco lento" — slowly cooked ribs with their ragù, parmigiano reggiano, buffalo mozzarella strands and a few Jerusalem artichoke chips. More comforting than a big hug.

The wine list is intelligently split in two: one for natural wine lovers, the other for those who still prefer the "conventional" stuff. Everyone shops where they want.

Well-deserved track record, evening more than successful! Remember to book, even though they keep about a quarter of their tables for walk-ins. Worst case scenario, there's pizza to go right next door.

nNea