“Sometimes when it’s late and I’m a little hungry, I heat up some old stale beans, open up a can of sardines, eat crackers and dream about somebody to cook for me.”
This is a line from Captain Beefheart’s song Too Much Time, from the 1972 album Clear Spot.
It is one of the most beautiful lines in a song. In just a few words, it seems to carry so much of the human experience.
Whenever I cook, this line often drifts into my mind. It brings me closer to why I always seem to end up in a kitchen, cooking. It is the simplest—and perhaps the most honest—exchange one human can have with another.
It doesn’t require words or grand gestures. Just a certain kind of presence, attention, care, and the act itself.
And I find a deep beauty in that simplicity of connection.
— Jack, Café Amba
Testing Amba
Summer 2025
In July 2025, we opened our doors as a pop-up so we could test some of our ideas for Café Amba.
This first phase took place at Hof de Plezance, part of the De Republiek Stadmakers initiative here in the city of Brugge—a space designed as an incubator where ideas can be explored before becoming permanent.
For us, it was the right place and the right moment to begin understanding how we might connect to the region and to the people of Brugge in a way that feels natural to us.
From the beginning, it felt important to create an experience that allowed for deeper connection.
Meeting the city
As newcomers to Brugge, we were eager to meet local producers and introduce ourselves to the community.
We wanted to share our ideas for creating a place where people could gather, eat, drink, and spend time together.
At its heart, Café Amba is about connection—to the land, to the seasons, and to each other.
When the opportunity to test our ideas first presented itself, we spoke about creating a space for meeting and for forming deeper relationships, and in so many unexpected and beautiful ways, that is exactly what happened.
Pause and return
From October 19, we took a short trip away—travelling, reflecting, and learning from the experience. We spent this period imagining how our ideas might continue to evolve into something that keeps us rooted in the city, connected to the people we have met, while allowing space for our own growth.
In December, we returned to Hof de Plezance to continue exploring our ideas and, just as importantly, to stay connected to the community and the energy we had created together over the summer.
The season shifted. The gardens that provided our summer ingredients are sleeping. And as we find ourselves in the final weeks of this first chapter of exploring our ideas, we find ourselves more inspired than ever to create something beautiful and, at its core, remains to be about connection.
What is next for Cafe Amba?
We have some big and beautiful ideas for the future of Amba and for how we would like to keep evolving.
And.... the finalisation of taking over our permanent location. Somewhere we had found back in March of 2025 and have been patiently waiting to come available for us. And the main reason we have taken this time to test and workout our ideas for going forward.
The next step over the coming weeks is securing this permanant location and preparing oursleves for the takeover.
You can read more about this next exciting chapter here.
OPENING HOURS
Tuesday - Sunday 10:00-17:00
(Last kitchen orders 15:00)
CONTACT
Support the growth of Cafe Amba and be a part of our next chapter
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