DaarZijnWeWeer - your restaurant guide to Amsterda Blog of my visits to the restaurants and other eating places of Amsterdam. Find out where to go! Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 6 0 21 468

Articles from DaarZijnWeWeer - your restaurant guide to Amsterda

Out of this world lunch at Himalaya Tea House 2008-02-06 10:05:30 The Himalaya Tea House is part of the Himalaya book store and lies close to Central Station in the Red Light District. My friend suggested this place, because he had spotted it the other day. When you get to the place you have to go through the book store to the back where the restaurant part is located. Then we realized there was also another entrance that went straight into the restaurant part. Anyway this gave us a chance to look at the bookstore, which is New Age oriented with books about yoga, tai chi, meditation, selling incense, crystals and other alternative stuff. The whole alternative atmosphere is carried over into the tea house. Not only in the food, which is mostly organic and prepared on the spot. But also the people! There were some strange characters running the place. The girl behind the counter reminded me of a stepford wife, smiling all the time. There was one older man hanging around the place doing nothing. Maybe he was the security guy or something, but nothing s ...

Ethiopian coffee house Buna Bet 2008-01-30 06:22:22 We ran into Buna Bet just by accident today. We were walking down the Van Woustraat in the Pijp area of Amsterdam, when we noticed it. It looked very inviting so we decided to give it try. Inside we found a normal coffee place, but with a twist. All the coffee beans are imported from Ethiopia and the farmers are given a fair price for their coffee beans, so they can start to build a life. Also it provides employment for refugees who needed to flee Ethiopia, because of the conflicts there. And finally all profits from this place are donated to projects in Ethiopia. All very worthy causes and the prices are not different from any other place in this area. The menu is mostly focused on coffee. They have four different mixes of coffee beans you can choose from, each which their distinct flavor. You can of course add other flavors like vanilla, etc. They also have special Ethiopian teas and fruit juices. On the food side they have sweet things, like muffins, brownies and cakes. If you fancy ...

Italian dining experience at Sa Seada 2008-01-23 05:50:25 Sa Seada is an italian restaurant in the east part of Amsterdam close to the Amstel river. I remember this restaurant, because it has very large windows, which have been broken a few times in the last years. I hope not by unsatisfied customers When we arrived the friends we were meeting were already there, admiring the baroque decor. They had already ordered a bottle of wine and a bottle of water. When the waiter came to bring those, he told us the daily specials. I always think giving the daily specials orally is a bad idea, because I never remember them, only when something really stands out. Luckily a little later we got some menus. The specials were not in it, but there was enough on the normal menu. The menu has a lot of things on it, of course pizza and pasta, but also meat and fish dishes. The fish is daily fresh so it’s different every day. There is also a big selection of starters and if you can’t choose, you can take the big dish with a little of everything. I fi ...

Sticky fudge at Stientje’s 2008-01-20 03:02:08 Today was another rainy day in Amsterdam. It seems like winter is skipping us this year and we just get autumn. I was meeting my friend half way across town in a place he found the other day called Stientje’s. Lucky for me the rain had taken a break and I got there dry When I got into the place it reminded me very much of De Bakkerswinkel. The decoration was a nice mix between old and new and industrial and cosy. My friend was already waiting there, but I had the excuse that the place was not so obvious. You really need to know where to find it otherwise you would just pass it by. Only the tables outside betray that it is some kind of restaurant. The menu was quite funny, but hard to read. It were several plastified sheets held together by a ring and the ring had a small pair of wooden shoes attached to it, which they got from a souvenir store at Schiphol I guess. It was a funny idea, but it made the menu hard to read. The menu had some nice things on it though. Several differe ...

Home made pastries at Quattro Gatti 2008-01-10 13:47:27 First of all happy new year to everybody! This is the first posting of 2008 Quattro Gatti (four cats) is the first new place I visited in the new year. When I met my friend we didn’t know where to go yet, so we biked into the Jordaan. My friend saw a new place the other day and we decided to check it out. Unfortunately when we arrived all the tables in that place were occupied and there was no one who looked like they would be leaving soon, so we had to find some place else. We went up the street and went into Quattro Gatti, which looked interesting, and more importantly, had empty tables. The decoration of Quattro Gatti is very much like a living room with wood on the walls, plants and little nick nacks in the window. I think we arrived during the break between lunch and dinner, because we could only get pastries and some coffee. I guess the test of real food will have to wait until another day. When we entered and took a table we were greeted by a friendly girl, who turned out ...

My second Starbucks experience in Holland 2007-12-15 09:33:03 Well after all the buzz of Starbucks finally opening shops in the Netherlands, the first being behind the customs at Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, and now two more before the customs, of course I had to go and test it. So today my friend and me met at Central Station and we took the train to Schiphol to finally get a Starbucks experience without having to go on holiday. When we got from the train to Schiphol Plaza we saw the first location of Starbucks that has been opened before customs. It’s a small take away bar with some tall tables to have your coffee standing. But of course we wanted to sit down, so we proceeded to the second location located at Departures 4. Departures 4 is a new area in the Schiphol Plaza that boasts some typical Dutch stores like the AH and the Hema. After a small walk from the central plaza we finally reached the back of Departures 4 and a huge Starbucks! There are a lot of tables and chairs here and of course the Starbucks signature lounge chairs. We pr ...

Special bagel at Village Bagels 2007-12-08 05:43:57 Today we had decided beforehand to go to the Bazel building on Vijzelstraat. It used to be owned by a bank, but they sold it and it was refurbished and now it is a conference center and city archive, so it’s publicly accessible now. They also have a cafe and we decided to check it out. Although the building is very impressive inside, the cafe was not. So a few seconds after sitting down, we decided to go somewhere else. The closest thing that came to our minds were the Village Bagels and the Go Freshshop on the corner of Vijzelstraat en Prinsengracht. When we got there we had to decide between the two. The Go Freshshop was empty and the Village Bagels was almost full, so of course we went to the Village Bagels The Village Bagels is your typical bagel sandwich shop with bagels with all kinds of toppings, sweets things like muffins and brownies and a variety of drinks and juices and coffees. After looking at the menu board, there are no loose menus on the tables, we both decided ...

Super healthy juice at Bagels & Beans - Keizersgracht 2007-12-01 09:55:56 Today was a very rain day in Amsterdam and while biking to Leidseplein through the rain to meet my friend, my bike broke down too Luckily I managed to reach Leidseplein on time. I noticed that the Haagendazs that used to be there as been replaced by yet another H&M shop. We didn’t have enough of those With my bike being broken, we had to find a place close to Leidseplein we could walk to, so we decided to go with the all time favorite Bagels & Beans. Since the one on Keizersgracht was the closest we went to that one. Luckily when I got in some people left and I could get their table. My friend was still locking his bike outside, when the waitress already came to me. She told me she would come back later. Then my friend came in and we had a look at the menu. The menu of Bagels & Beans has changed a bit, including some raised prices Notably now you can order an extra with your fresh juice, namely a shot of noni juice, royal jelly or active greens. Since I am fightin ... Amp

Biological lunch at Gartine 2007-11-23 09:21:46 When I met my friend today he had a belated birthday present for me, finally It was a book by one of the most famous restaurant critics in Holland, so for today we decided to pick some place from the places he has reviewed. When one place gets a good mark from this critic it’s very good for business. Downside was he had put only three lunch reviews in the book and two of them we already knew, so the choice was simple, Gartine in the Taksteeg. But where is the Taksteeg we both wondered. Well the review said it was close to Spui, so off to Spui we were. After extensive looking and asking two policemen we found the Taksteeg. It’s a small street between Kalverstraat and the Rokin. The place was worth the search though. Gartine is a small place and luckily there was a place free. We quickly took it and had a look at the menu. A very friendly man, who runs the place with either his wife or his sister we guessed later, came to our table and asked what we wanted to drink. I took t ...

Quick and cheap pizza at Firenze 2007-11-01 10:23:03 You are on Rembrantplein and want to get a quick, cheap, but nice dinner. You fancy some pizza or other italian food, then Firenze is the place for you! Located in the Halvemaansteeg, just off Rembrandtplein, it offers whole pizzas from about €4 and up. Beat that New York Pizza When we got to Firenze, it was not so busy luckily. The welcoming was not so friendly though. We got pointed to a table, we just guessed which table the waiter meant, and sat down. A moment later we got some menus. We both decided to go for a pizza and have some bread with herb butter to tie us over before the pizzas. A little later the waiter returned with a gruff ‘You can order now’. I put in our order and the drinks and the bread came soon after. So even if the service isn’t overly friendly, it is quick. The basket of bread was quite generous too. After a while our pizzas arrived, delivered by a more friendly waiter. Even though the pizzas are cheap you can still recognize the toppin ...

Speedy lunch at Hannibal 2007-10-31 12:39:29 Now Hannibal is what I call a typically Dutch place. No nonsense decoration, Dutch men behind the counter running the place and a dutch sandwich menu. Sandwiches with typical dutch fillings like cheese, ox sausage or egg. And of course kroket! There are also eggs sunny side up or sate with fries if you are really hungry. The service here is very efficient, but still friendly. Almost immediately after we sat down here, the table was cleared of the previous occupants leftovers and we were asked what we wanted to drink. When the guy brought the drinks, he asked for our food order. My friend didn’t know yet, but I did. I ordered eggs sunny side up on bread (we call that a uitsmijter in Dutch) with roast beef added to it. Hannibal is a very busy place. There were a lot of people coming and going here and things behind the counter was a frenzy. While I was waiting for my eggs to arrive and group of women entered with a baby in a pram. The baby was quite noisy sometimes, especially wh ...

Eat all you like in one hour at Dim Sum Court 2007-10-26 05:26:51 Last night we wanted a quick bite to eat and didn’t feel much like Subways or MacDonalds and we already ate a quick wok meal this week. So on the way to Rembrandtplein we came across Dim Sum Court on the Rokin close to the V&D department store (there are 2 more locations close to Leidseplein and on the Zeedijk). The formula of this place is simple. There is a buffet with different warm Chinese dishes (meat, fish or vegetables in sauce, fu yong hai, fried spring rolls, rice etc.), some cold sour vegetables and of course dim sum where the place gets its name from. The dim sum are in baskets being steamed. There was not a great variety in dim sum when we were there yesterday though, but maybe that was because we were there rather late. When you get in the place, you pay €8,50 per person to the girl behind the cash register and she gives you a plate. Then you pick one of the free tables, which have placemats and utensils, and you attack the food in the buffet. Drinks are no ...

Deliciously cheap lunch at La Place (OBA) 2007-10-24 10:46:28 Close to Central Station on the top floor of the new building of the public library of Amsterdam (OBA) La Place has opened a new location. It was in the local news right after opening, because it was robbed twice! That peeked our curiosity, so today we finally decided to visit it. To get to the top floor you can take the lift or the escalators. We took the escalators so we could see the new building as we were going up. We were quite impressed. It all very white and modern. After 6 floors, if I counted right, we finally reached the La Place. It was also quite impressive. The interior is very modern and there is also a balcony where you can sit outside and watch the water and the Amsterdam skyline. La Place is self-service so we took our tray and had a look at the selection. The selection is more limited than at the location at the V&D in the Kalverstraat, but we found some tasty things. There was an offer on the fish, where you got a whole fish with potatoes and spinach for only s ...

Eighties lunch at 1e Klas Central Station 2007-10-14 07:56:39 Today we went to a place on Central Station, located on track 2B, called 1e Klas (first class) and the decor of the place is first class! With high painted ceilings and woodworks it is really in the style of the central station building. It’s just worth coming here to have a look at it. When we got here there was no place at the seats in the window, so we took a table. But as soon as we settled down a window seat opened up and we moved to there. The view from the window is beautiful, you look right down the Damrak street. I could see some of the high rides of the carnival on Dam square. I couldn’t hear the screams though After we had a look at the menu, the waiter came to our table. I have to say he was not very friendly and very short. When my friend asked about the marinated chicken, the waiter also didn’t know what it was marinated in. In the end we ordered a marinated chicken sandwich and a steak sandwich and for drinking I had an apple juice. The drink arrived ...

Catered lunch at Frenzi Cucina 2007-10-06 05:30:54 Today my friend was a bit sick, so we decided to go somewhere close to his place. Of course Toasty would have been an option, but we wanted to try something new. By accident we found Frenzi Cucina at the end of the Overtoom. Now this is not really a restaurant, but more a deli/caterer where you buy something to take away. There is table though with some not so comfortable seats in the window where you can sit and have something to eat. The sandwiches and starters are the same price, but main courses are a little extra if you have them here. If you want the full Frenzi restaurant experience, they have a restaurant on the Zwanenburgwal across from Puccini The menu is very interesting. Frenzi Cucina offers different kinds of sandwiches and very interesting sounding dished for the main course. Just after we sat down, a very cheerful and friendly girl came to us if you wanted to order drinks already. Then an acquaintance of my friend came in to say hi. I think the girl came back three times ...