Thanks to Visit Philly, I was lucky enough to attend a press dinner at Noord Eetcafe in Philadelphia last week. Noord Eetcafe, a BYOB, is in the heart of East Passyunk’s bustling restaurant scene, boasting homemade Dutch cuisine.

Located on the corner of 11th and Tasker streets, the space was designed for comfort, with an open kitchen at the back of the cozy dining room.

The minimalist design and low lighting perfectly showcased our first course of vibrant vegetable plates, Holland sliders and Smorrebrod. The Holland sliders, or Broojes Haring, a platter of mini herring sandwiches, is on regular menu, while the Smorrebrod of smoked fish and the open-faced sandwich board change daily.

 Although Noord is already well-known for its homemade North Sea fare, I was especially impressed with the house-made barley bread. The heaping basket arrived with our second course and was a showstopper.

Another stand-out dish was the brown sugar acorn squash with French lentils, cranberries, goat cheese, walnuts and parsley vinaigrette. By the time dessert came, I was sufficiently full; but the homemade bread pudding and almond cake convinced me otherwise.

— Angelique Platas, office manager