Going Dutch

I just got back after a week in Amsterdam. A city that I have developed a real love for because of its sheer charm, quaint character, art culture, friendly people and ofcourse the selection of delicious foods that are available on every street and corner.

The city offers a variety of dining options from hot dog carts and burger joints, to sophisticated dining cafes and restaurants that offer everything from Asian, German, Italian and Indian, to their very own local Dutch cuisine.

Since I was there for a while for a combination of some work and more holiday, along with my mum, sister and cousin, I tried to squeeze in all I could in terms of food and am back home now, a couple of kilos heavier with no regrets at all…ok, I lie, I hate that! But if I had to go back I would have still done it no differently.

So, if you are visiting anytime soon, apart from the many museums (Amsterdam has a museum for absolutely everything! I mean it…art, handbags, beer, hash, torture, diamonds, fashion, tattoos… did I mention the hash? ;) yep everything!), interesting coffee shops of sorts, cheese havens and walking or cycling along the canals, here are the eateries that I recommend you should try:

As most cities in the west do, you'll find McDonalds and Burger Kings all over but if you’re craving a good gourmet burger, a small little café amidst the canals and cobble stoned streets of the Dam, is Burger Zaken. Friendly international staff, prompt service and a juicy burger patty in a sesame bun with cheddar, pickles, lettuce and a special homemade burger sauce. Bugerlicious! And what burger is complete without fries?! Frites are served all over the place. Thick, crunchy golden fries with tomato sauce and mayo. Mm mm mm delicious.

Another American staple that has made its presence known is the bagel. There seemed to be a bagel & coffee cafe on every other street. So we made our way to the closest one that we could find for a bruncheon bite and had to go back again for another taste, as the bagels were just great. On my first day, Tony’s NY City Bagels served up a freshly baked warm sesame bagel, with thick natural cream cheese and strawberry jam. Not very adventurous one might say given their fairly extensive menu, but when the product is simple and fresh it hits the spot nonetheless. On my second occasion I tried the chicken, avocado, lettuce and pine nut bagel-of-the-day on pumpernickel bread. Fresh as ever, delightful in taste and kept me pretty full for the most …until I walked passed Pancakes! Amsterdam.

The one thing that the Dutch are loud and proud about is their pancakes. And for good reason. Sweet flattened discs of pleasure if made well and the Dutch have mastered the art. Pancakes! Amsterdam was a cute little blue and white dressed café, nestled between the charming little boutiques in an area called Jordaan. A wafting smell of sweet Dutch pancakes came a calling and I am so glad that we went in. A large selection of sweet and savoury pancakes to offer and after aahing and umming as to what we should order, we ended up with a savoury option; a spinach and goat cheese pancake with pine nuts that was just too good to be true, followed by a couple of sweet pancakes; one with strawberries and ice cream, you cannot go wrong with that, it was yum and the other with a selection of fruit with ice cream, another one to yum about, and as you can tell from the pictures, as usual we had tucked in before I realised that I need some good pictures for the blog.

Another excellent pancake house which had the most adorable décor was De Vier Pilaren. A nutella pancake and another strawberries with ice cream pancake later, we tried the traditional Dutch poffertjes. A kind of profiterole-pancake served with any topping that you might pair with a regular pancake. We had ours with sugar and lemon curd which made our taste buds dance with happiness on tasting the flavour of the tangy, creamy lemon coupled with the sweetness of the sugar dusting. La dee da dee da :)

While we are talking about sweet delights, another Dutch special that’s a must is appleflappen, apple turnovers. Sweet cinnamon dusted stewed apples enveloped in a flaky triangle of layered buttered puff pastry. Sinful! They are available at most bakeries but the one I recommend is Café Luna. They serve up a delicious chocolate covered waffle as well which goes down great with a cup of mint brewed tea.

Appeltaart or apple pie is another popular pastry and the one at Beurs Van Berlage café which is located in the centre of Amsterdam is the best. Angela’s apple pie, served at room temperature with a generous swirl of whipped cream. A good choice with a cup of afternoon coffee.

For a fine-dining experience the restaurant that I have to recommend is Greetje. A lovely little restaurant with an old world charm that served traditional Dutch cuisine using fresh, organic ingredients. The best meal of our trip!  The restaurant is named after the proprietor’s mother, a pretty lady who apparently believed in wholesome cooking with fresh ingredients and this is just what was served up at this restaurant.

Every dish was a delight. From the Fish Profiteroles that were different but delicious; soft doughy balls of pastry filled with a delicate fish mousse, to the Braised Veal with Grits; tender succulent veal served on a bed of soft but crunchy grits, flavoured with carrots and spring onions, to the Sautéed Asparagus which was the daily special; stalks of softened white asparagus flavoured with a hollandaise sauce and served with slices of ham and boiled eggs, another unique dish that was full of flavour, each dish was more appetising than the next.

If that’s not enough, for dessert we ordered a tasting platter which had bite-sized portions of all the desserts on the menu; Raspberry Bavarois; raspberry flavoured sweetened thick cream, Liquorice ice cream; an interesting flavour which was really nice, Cinnamon Crème Brulee; tasty but a bit plain, Chocolate Beetroot Bon Bons; different and delish and Taken Apart Apple Pie; which was exactly as it was described. All in all the meal was excellent, the service was great and the night was fun-filled. Five stars from me.

I really could go on and on about the Italian food and Asian food and the cheese and the soft gooey caramel stroopwafles that you hear so much about but I think I’ll stop and let you experience that yourself.

As you can tell, this trip was a real culinary delight for me and I can only share a snippet of what this beautiful city had to offer. I hope it’s enough to make you want to go, and go you must!

As the famous painter Van Gogh once said, “Life is a journey not a destination.” So journey your way over to this capital city and do share your lovely experiences with us on this blog because I know that I am definitely going back and would love to hear your suggestions as well. :)

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Burger Zaken
Tony's NY City Bagels
Pancakes! Amsterdam
De Vier Pilaren
Cafe Luna
Beurs van Berlage Cafe
Greetje