Netherlands
Set in the Museum Quarter, the restaurant is only a stone's throw from the city's most popular museums and makes an ideal dinnertime stop. It is also fairly reasonably priced in what is otherwise a rather pricey area. The service was friendly, personal and relaxed. More importantly, the food was divine. Good quality, carefully cooked - relaxed dining as it should be on holiday.
Willemsparkweg 6, Museum Quarter
Tel: 020 662 62 06
Full of character, situated in the trendy Jordaan are. Excellent Dutch apple cake, and a wonderful array of interesting lunchtime snacks with healthy options. Very reasonably priced as well. Sit outside on the canal and watch the world go by...
Cafe Thijssen, Lindengracht, Jordaan, Amsterdam
One of ‘the’ things to do in Amsterdam is visit one of the notorious coffeehouses. Although they are mostly good quality, Gaeper is one of the best in the city. It has a laidback but funky atmosphere and is usually crammed with an international studenty crowd.
Staalstraat 4
From the outside, it just looks like a bar near the red light district, but this place serves the highest quality Thai food in Amsterdam. The rice noodles are particularly fresh and delicious. Thoroughly recommended!
The clientele are sometimes very interesting….
www.butterfly-thaicafe.nl/
Phone: 020 6232064
Address: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 160
In summer the temperatures in Amsterdam, like in any city, can get quite unbearable. Hire a bike and head for the green Bijlmermeer in the south-east of the city, only half an hour from the centre.
On summer weekends there is the Kwakoe Afro-Caribbean festival, which makes Notting Hill look like a family picnic. Football, food and kaseko and no multicultural pretensions.
When you get really hot and even the ginger beer don't work, take a dive in the sparkling clear waters of the Gaasperplas.
metro 53 or 54: station Bijlmer/Arena or Gaasperplas
Open air food and music in Amsterdam's little known Afro-Caribbean area.
Friday: Amsterdamse Poort
Saturday: Ganzenhoef
Nearest metro stations:
Amsterdamse Poort: Bijlmer/Arena
Ganzenhoef: Ganzenhoef
A restaurant of character and intrigue. Food like your Dutch granny made for you and served promptly and effectively. The liver and onions had just run out on the specials board as we arrived, so we settled for braised beef, giant meatball, saute pots, cauli and green beans (you select your veg from the specials board). Apple puree, rhubarb and rice pudding custard, rounded off the meal. All in the company of locals (mostly over 70). All great value for £22 with 2 bottles of beer and an apple sap. Only open of an evening though.
1e Helmerstratt, near Leidseplein and parallel to Overtoom. Tram stops on line 5 and 1 nearby
Great meat feast and happy friendly service.
Reguliersdwarsstraat 57, 1017 BK Amsterdam, 020 626 50 80
Just off the route of the #2 tram lie a number of interesting restaurants, notably, Le 4 Stagioni, a former butcher's shop, with antique tiles portraying the four seasons - le 4 stagioni.
- Palma, Johannes Verhulststraat 104, www.restaurant-palma.nl/do.php?lg=eng
- Oud-Zuid, Johannes Verhulststraat 64, www.restaurantoudzuid.nl
- Le 4 Stagioni, Johannes Verhulststraat 32, www.le4stagioni.nl
- Pulpo, Willemsparkweg 87, www.restaurant-pulpo.nl/index.php?pag=diner
With the advent of the ban in the UK smoking of the humble tobacco leaf in public places already feels dirty and uncouth.
Amsterdam is the place to relax for a weekend away going up in smoke feeling at peace with the bohemian lifestyle it affords.
‘The Rockery’ is with its ankle level seating, trip-hop and low lighting is a perfect place to vegetate and enjoy your greens. Alternatively for the gourmets there is no finer venue than ‘Barneys’.
The full English and a bong - is there a better way to start the day?
Have a Friday evening drink with after work crowd in Hoppe bar in the Spui, followed by a fine meal with laid back bustling service in the neighbouring Luiden bistro.
Sup at the Supper Club while lounging on a bed, food served on silver platters.
Stay away from the hoards of drunk hen and stag parties and take a lesiurely cruise down the canals stopping off for lunch in Browerstracht - an old part of Amsterdam town with hidden trendy restaurants and longtime locals.
However still be aware of the possibility that a red light in a window is not necessarily an interior designers and the lady in the window hasnt mistakenly locked herself inside her living room glass cabinet whilst looking for something to wear.
For a great value 'splurge' restaurant visit Cafe Roux, The Grand, Oudezijsd Voorburgwal 197.
All you might expect from a Roux restaurant this offers fantastic food and wine, great surroundings, and is not quite so hard on the wallet!
Stroopwafels - Dutch Cookies - are delicious treats. They are best from the market where they are made in front of you - but also from Abert Heijn grocery store.
Visit Winkel cafe in Noordermarkt. It does the best apple pie on earth.
Try the steak and vlaamse frites with mort subite sour cherry beer at: Zotte, Proeflokaal de Raamstraat 29, Jordaan, Amsterdam.
For the best cakes ever with lovely canal view go to Puccini Cafe at Staalstraat 21.
Yes, I know that Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania, not Ethiopia, but this little eatery specialises in Ethiopian-style dishes - and you can hold the predictable jokes too.
There's a limited but great-value repertoire here, and on an empty stomach the all-in get-your-hands-dirty dishes are to die for. If there's a group of you, order a variety of mains (all served on a stodgy bed of pancakes) and you can pull off a massive dinner for under 15 Euros per head.
Rapenburgerplein 6
+31 20 6223485
Bus no.22 from Centraal Station
In Amsterdam, the former city glasshouse has been restored and turned into the light-filled, airy De Kas restaurant, with smaller glasshouses around the main room used to grow herbs and vegetables. Book for dinner in high summer and start with a glass of champagne flavoured with a basil leaf, followed by delicious, seasonal food like confit duck, grilled fish, fresh salads and tiny jellies made from fresh berries. They serve one daily, five course menu so all you need to do is book a table, turn up and relax - neatly avoiding both menu dilemmas and dinner envy.
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3
1097 DE
www.restaurantdekas.nl/4menu_eng.php
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