Sometimes I don’t have to travel far to cope with that strange feeling the Germans beautifully describe as Fernweh: the longing for somewhere faraway. I just have to grab my bike and head for the Lizboa. This steamer from the nineteenth century on Veemkade 251 offers a unique location to escape daily life and to be immersed in a friendly and welcoming world. With its cozy wooden tables arranged in long rows, the bar shining with wood, copper and water, the interior transmits the long forgotten world of sailors’ solidarity.

During the week the Lizboa hosts parties, weddings, and so on, but once a week on Sundays it’s open to public. From 5:00pm you are welcome to find a place along the long tables. If you opt for dinner you can buy a large or small plate at the bar and serve yourself at the banquet (various dishes mainly Mediterranean) downstairs. From 8:00pm live music starts playing in the same room. In wintertime you unfortunately miss the tremendous view over the water from the upper deck, but you still can enjoy thousands of little lights shining over the dark water.

Filled with sweet memories of the Lizboa, because my sweetheart gave a party there to celebrate his newly attained doctor’s title, I was pleased that it still has this relaxed informal ambiance with a totally mixed crowd. A couple of Sunday’s ago we met with friends and had a brilliant night even though I thought the African percussion was a bit too loud. So I ended up smoking on deck with a waiter who had to flee from the music as well.  Don’t let this scare you away since the bands change every Sunday, but to be sure you check the website.

For me it’s the familiar atmosphere at the Lizboa I cherish, but acknowledge it’s not a cool or trendy place. A classier alternative can be found on the nearby boat Odessa on Veemkade 259: open four days a week, with an à la carte restaurant and the possibility to dance on Friday and Saturday night.

Go further: Read here about Frederique's visit to the unique Lloyd Hotel located near Lizboa.

My darling and I had a night off so we decided to go out and, instead of dropping into something familiar, visit something new. Not that Kamer 401 opened recently – it’s just that I don’t normally frequent bars in Amsterdam, but rather spend my time in cafés. As I later concluded, there’s a good reason for this.

 

Intrigued by the name, I found Kamer 401 on Marnixstraat 401 to be a pretty dull place where a homogeneous crowd of students and beautiful kids meets. It was all easy - the lounge music, the relaxed interior, the overall ambiance, but for me a bar should be slightly different. Thus after a couple of drinks we choose to look for something less tedious elsewhere.

Knowing the building only as the former headquarters of the newspaper I used to read (de Volkskrant), I was pretty curious when I heard that since the editorial department moved, a restaurant and club opened in their former canteen. So after the dull evening in Kamer 401, I thought it a perfect occasion to sample this new place on Wibautstraat 150. Some people compare this street with the Karl Marx Allee in Berlin. I don’t completely agree, but it’s true both streets have heavy traffic and ugly buildings – including Canvas op de zevende (on the 7th).

As the name indicates, Canvas op de zevende, is located on the seventh and top floor. While I was walking around in the entrance hall searching for the lift I heard shocked mutterings: “she did it herself… she strangled her cat with her bare hands”. Not much of a hero I didn’t dare to have a look at the murdered animal even though it was supposed to be art. Finally in the lift, with evident traces of a cat’s existence (food containers) I reflected on what next in the name of arts should be killed.

Photo: Bravoure Media

After this dodgy experience we arrived on the seventh floor. I stepped into a space with grey concrete, graffiti on the walls, vintage sofas, white tables and chairs, and a marvelous view. My first impression was that I had stumbled into a garage - a place where teenagers have their hangout - but the second glance convinced me I had to stay a little more. The interior decorator has left Canvas to deliberately like an off location. That seems a huge trend in Amsterdam, but since I am living in Berlin it displays a watery copy of the original.

Canvas' terrace on a summer day                                                                                     Photo: Pr1001

However I liked the mixed crowd, the great cocktails, and the heavenly view. On our night the terrace was closed but the windows enabled a panoramic view over the city.

The ‘shop around the corner’ is back! It’s so obvious that even I see them pop up everywhere in town. Not like in the old days with a clumsy stock of lifesavers and other alibi food, but now as a stylish place where products for sale are chosen with a curator’s care.

Related to this phenomenon is the increasing focus on regional products and cuisines. Recently I read in the newspaper that members of the parliament demanded Dutch food made of local products during state banquets instead of having products flown in from all parts the world.

The closer the better has become a mantra so vegetables, dairy products, fruit, bread coming from a village not far from town suddenly are immensely popular.

A perfect illustration of this trend is the Warmoesmarkt on Warmoesstraat 135, a classy bio-supermarket in the red-light district. Andy Verdonk, is one of the initiators behind Warmoesmarkt that opened in the summer 2008 and he explained the concept to me. 80 percent of the assortment comes from Amsterdam’s backyard or other Dutch regions and the remaining 20 percent (products such as wine, oil and balsamico) comes from Europe. Andy, a professional chef himself, owns one of the farms (Anna Haen) which supplies the shop.

Instead of cozy decorations and studied arrangements, a noticeable simple interior indicates that Warmoesmarkt is all about food. Although plain with wooden crates and neon lights, the ambiance in Warmoesmarkt is warm and friendly.

A volière at the end of the shop and a little herbarium, where strange looking mushrooms are cultivated, invite the curious visitor to linger around in the shop just a bit longer.

At the moment guests can enjoy five different Dutch cheeses (of course) at the workshop table. But I hope that in the near future the people behind Warmoesmarkt will realize their plan to offer take-away and arrange picnics – all with the delicious bread and pastries from the nearby De Bakkerswinkel.

Not only does the Warmoesmarkt fit perfectly into Amsterdam’s mayor Job Cohen’s master plan to ennoble De Wallen (the red-light district) once again. It is also a genuine enrichment for the neighborhood.

DE BAKKERSWINKEL, Warmoesstraat 69, Amsterdam