Avocados have received a bit of a battering as of late. The UK has reached peak avo. But I love the stuff. Smashed, crushed, creamed, chopped, smothered, moussed. I’ll take the lot. That being said, I was always going to like The Avocado Show – a restaurant in Amsterdam which only serves dishes featuring the green super food.
It’s a popular, no-reservation spot. 3:10pm on a Wednesday and I take the last available table. It’s a colourful space filled with attractive people laughing and enjoying themselves. A girl across the room stands up to take a picture of her food. There’s a neon avocado on the wall. The kitchen is fronted with luscious green leaves.
Service is friendly and charming. I’m first greeted with the WiFi code and a reminder this is a card-only business, no cash. The menu is large and features things like ‘The Super Salad’ and ‘The Avo Garden’.
I go for ‘The Bun Burger’ (€15) which will certainly divide opinion. The “bun” is avocado, perfectly shaped and smooth all over. God knows how they manage that. Freezing it I assume. But it’s perfectly ripe. Another miracle of the kitchen.
The filling is a Dutch raw beef sausage called Ossenwurst. It tastes like saucisson but with a looser texture. It’s delicious. That is topped with a thin rasher of crispy bacon. Also delicious. There’s tomato and red onion for freshness.
It comes with nachos in an addictive cheese sauce. They’re topped with spicy tinned tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, kidney beans and sliced jalapeños. I cut it all up and eat it like a salad and thoroughly enjoy every mouthful.
I wash all this down with an avocado and banana smoothie (€4.40). It lacks the promised cinnamon but is sweet enough to be guzzled down in one. Coconut shavings add an exotic touch.
For pud, ‘The Blind Date’ (€7) is an avocado moussey-ice cream concoction, all zingy with lime, sitting in an avocado shell. The stone is a ball of chopped nuts and dates. It’s chewy and moreish. Definitely one to share however as I can’t finish it on my own.
Apparantly The Avocado Show has just received multi million pound investment and they plan to roll them out across Europe. Possibly under franchises. I think it will do well. But if you’re fed up of avocados, this one certainly ain’t for you.
Would I go back? Most definitely