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Published on August 25, 2007

The comfortable and pleasingly intimate dining room makes a perfect stage to admire the team's energy and technical efficiency. The dishes are steeped in tradition, although peppered with slight exotic influences. The crusty couscous served with its fruit curry, or the spice-crusted roasted young pigeon might already belong to the city's gastronomic hall of fame; they also embody the chef's very unique blend of French and north-African traditions.

In an era of global interaction between culinary traditions, Jean-Christophe Royer is somewhat of a symbol. When this young French chef first opened his "eating temple" along an Amsterdam canal back in the '80s, he was instantly acknowledged as one of the leading creative forces in Dutch haute-cuisine. Competition in Amsterdam was never fierce however, and Royer's restaurant, with its exquisite cooking and lavish decorum, quickly became a must-go for every gourmet in the Netherlands.

Born in Algeria, Jean-Christophe Royer embodies both the French art of cooking and the North African passion for spices and contrast. But, like any great chef, Royer has long known that exotic tastes and influences have to be cleverly blended with respect for classicism in order for them to express their innate subtlety.

Practical Information

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Closed: January 1st and 2nd.

Capacity: 50 cover charges in the main room.

A private dinner can be arranged in another dining room for a maximum of 12 cover charges.

Christophe (Royer)

Leliegracht 46-1015 DH AMSTERDAM

Tel + 31 (0)20 625 08 07; Fax + 31 (0)20 623 84 20; or visit www.christophe.nl.