Amsterdam Report

[Kat]

Thanks to all for the advice I received here over the past few months. We did not have the time to do all we wished to do, but here is what we did:

Brasserie Harkema - Lovely meal. We hadn't booked, but were able to get a table on a Sunday night, although it was busy. Asparagus soup and potato salad for starters, fish and Guinea hen for mains. Really liked the Guinea hen. They were nice enough to make a kid-sized steak with fries for our son. Kitchen forgot my starter, but brought it with my main and server offered to take a bit off our bill to compensate. Like the dining room, it was bright and open. Prices were reasonable and food was good. Very pleased!

Hotdog at HEMA - It seemed to be the local thing to do as the line was long. We were hungry after shopping, so gave it a try since it was super cheap. I liked the hotdog, had the sauce inside. My son took one bite and refused to eat it so I ate his too.

NEMO Museum cafe (ground floor) - Surprisingly good and crowded at lunch. I expected standard help yourself cafeteria fare but there was table service and alcohol, too (Mommy needs a drink after three hours of screaming school groups! LOL). I had a warm mozzarella and pesto broodje and little guy had a mini burger. Took us a while to figure out that the server doesn't bring the bill and that you need to pay for it at the counter, but no matter. Very good and not too expensive.

Kapitein Zeppos - This was a walk by, "hey that looks good and we're hungry so let's eat here" choice. I am always wary of places I don't research in advance, but what the heck. It was actually pretty good and a really pretty place to eat. Down a leafy passageway near where we took a canal cruise from Rokin. We ate in the sunroom in the back as they would not let us eat at their outdoor tables, only drinks allowed out there at dinnertime. DH and I both began with asparagus and salmon tartare soup followed by pan fried bream for me (very tasty) and shrimp croquette for him (he is not a big fan of croquettes, as it turns out). I thought the croquette was overpriced, but the soup and the bream were quite good.

Wynand Fockink - I had heard of this place and it was actually in the same alley as our apartment, so we had to go. I had the oude jenever, which was a mite strong for me and I couldn't finish it. DH had a drink called "A Walk in the Park" (I think) which was suggested to him by a regular at the bar and that was better, less strong. This bar was very old and quite atmospheric, we had our drinks in the alley as it was so nice out.

Cuypmarkt - Love street markets and this one did not disappoint. Strolled and munched on chicken satay, tiny strawberries, peas, smoked salmon belly and smoked herring, herring broodje and capped it off with a warm, gooey stroopwaffel.

Kantjil & de Tijger - Dinner. Very reasonably priced. Coconut beef and sticky rice were my favorites. I have a shellfish allergy and had to be careful what I ordered, but I figured I am not in Amsterdam every day and I wanted to try Indonesian, so I threw caution to the wind. DH ordered a rijstaffel for one, but was not feeling well having just downed an entire bag of pistachios while on the canal cruise, so most of his food went uneaten.

Dam Steak - This was another off the cuff choice, and being right off Dam Square I was hesitant. However, I was surprised. We all ordered the rib eye, my favorite cut. It was tender and not at all fatty. Served very simply with fries and a salad. The interior of the restaurant was warm and cozy, with cow hides covering the booths. Not terribly expensive, either.

Rene's Croissants - Located on Damstraat, the street next to our apartment. Convenient for grabbing a couple croissants one morning when I ran out of cereal. However, 7 euros for two chocolate croissants!! Yikes. The chocolate was of good quality, but was spread so thickly on top that it melted all over our hands as we tried to eat it.

In de WIldeman - Stopped in here for a drink with some friends. Cozy bar, central location, great choice of beers.

Bitterballen - Sampled these at a bar on Spui. Fried goodness, but could not actually detect what was inside. Went well with the beer.

Sampurna - Stuck with the shellfish-free gado gado while everyone else had the rijstaffel. Rijstaffel looked really good and I was quite jealous. DH said it was spicier and better than Kantjil & de Tijger. Gado gado had lots of bean sprouts, which has had me worried for the last 10 days since I didn't see the warning until after I ate them all and also fed some to my son, but I think we are out of E Coli danger now.

Before leaving, stopped at Albert Heijn and stocked up on Dutch cheese and stroopwaffels.

That's it. A great food week. Thanks again!

[Klary]

Hi Kat, thanks for the report, I think you did really well considering the fact that you stayed in a quite touristy neighborhood that's not really known for its good food.

Glad you liked In de Wildeman, I used to live around the corner and for many years I was a regular there, love that place.

And it sounds like you really had a great Albert Cuyp experience!