On Oostenburgereiland, that island in Oost where one creative enterprise after another has settled, Stadsbakkerij As bakes bread the way it should be baked. No yeast from a bag, no shortcuts. The dough rises at its own pace, nourished by living sourdough culture. The result is bread with a crust that cracks and a crumb you won't forget.
The bakery is the continuation of Restaurant As, an Amsterdam address that previously made a name for itself before it closed. That history has not been lost. The recipe that Stadsbakkerij As works with is the primal recipe of baker Eef, the baker who founded this bread. That recipe is not a marketing story but the foundation of the entire operation. Every day it is fed, kneaded and baked anew.
The building on Conrad Street shares the bakery with Restaurant VRR. That combination is no coincidence. Two addresses in one building, and they pull together. You can see that most clearly on Sundays, when Stadsbakkerij As and VRR host a joint brunch. Four courses, from ten to half past four in the afternoon, for 29.50 euros per person. The industrial character of Oostenburgereiland suits such a set-up: big windows, high ceilings, concrete and brick. Not embellished, just good.
Baker Eef's recipe is not a marketing story but the foundation of the entire operation.
Oostenburgereiland has changed in recent years from forgotten industrial area to place you consciously go to. Stadsbakkerij As fits that bill, but without the fuss. No concept, no story about authenticity that they force down your throat. Just bread that's good, baked by people who know what they're doing. And on Sundays, when brunch rotates with VRR's neighbors, Oostenburgereiland feels like just the right place to be.