If you plan to stay for a while in Amsterdam, count on gaining a pants size or two! You eat well in Amsterdam – very well indeed! The multi ethnic history of the Netherlands has left its wonderful mark on the culinary scene in Amsterdam. So you can enjoy Dutch pancakes for breakfast, Peruvian potato dishes for lunch and Spanish tapas for dinner.
Rijsttafel, inspired by the Dutch colonialism in Indonesia, is still a classic in the Dutch kitchen. Rijsttafel consists of a multitude of small dishes of seasoned meat, vegetables prepared in different ways, noodles and of course lots of “rijst” (rice).
Dinner is the most important meal for the Dutch. For lunch, they grab a soup, a sandwich or a salad – often with a glass of milk. The Dutch have a big affection for French fries and waffles, which are sold from stalls all over town.
There are lots of wonderful places to eat in Amsterdam. Here are some that won’t disappoint:
Supperclub
A hallucinating place that has existed in Amsterdam for many years and has since expanded to Rome, San Francisco and lately Istanbul. After taking your shoes off, you are seated in huge couches in psychedelic surroundings; everything is white and only white. You will sit with the hostess of the evening, while your waiters are leading you through a very unusual restaurant experience.
A female DJ pumps up the atmosphere as the evening moves on and food is served on the low fiberglass tables in the all white furnishing.
Between the courses, a masseur offers a low-cost massage and a drag with too much make-up “forces” the male guests to feed him whipped cream from a dog plate!
The food at Supperclub is not extraordinary – so only go here for an unusual dining experience and a supreme start to a festive night.
The fixed menu is 65 euros.
Reservation is a must.
Supperclub, Jonge Roelensteeg 21, Center city
www.supperclub.com
De Kas
De Kas is literally situated in the middle of a vegetable garden inside a huge hothouse in a park on the outskirts of Amsterdam.
Under the high glass ceiling, you will sit and enjoy the view over the greens and the chefs working in the open kitchen. There is only one fixed menu and there is a good reason for that: De Kas uses organic products from its own garden and from its regular meat supplier. This limits the selection, but not the taste; because … what a menu!
A four-course menu costs 47,50 euros and consists of a selection of small appetizers, a main course and a dessert. We had corncobs with vanilla butter, filet of veal and a lovely salad.
If you really want to observe the work of the chef, reserve “the exclusive chef's table” in the kitchen. You will sit right next to the action and get special courses served. That experience costs 125 Euros including wine.
At lunch, De Kas serves a four-course menu, which costs 35 Euros. If you don’t have an appetite for all that, you can order à la carte.
Tram number 9 goes straight to De Kas (stop at Hogeweg). Or take a local bus, 59 and 69, or a regional bus, 169.
De Kas, Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3
www.restaurantdekas.nl
Tempo Doeloe means “the old days” – and the restaurant serves classical Indonesian food. Including rijsttafel, which is a selection of small delicious seasoned dishes, such as gado gado salad (fresh vegetables in peanut sauce); sateh-skewers (chicken, pork or goat), beef with coconut and coriander and lobster in black bean sauce.
If you don’t care for spicy food, there is no reason to avoid Tempo Doeloe. All dishes on the menu are categorized from mild to extra hot.
Tempo Doeloe, Utrechtsestraat 75, Southern Canal Belt
www.tempodoeloerestaurant.nl
Fifteen is created from the Jamie Oliver recipe: Giving the young and disenfranchised a chance to create and manage a restaurant. At Fifteen, they have succeeded perfectly. Some of the toughest kids have been trained into becoming great chefs.
Fifteen resides in Pakhuis Amsterdam. The restaurant holds over 200 people, who are seated on benches at long light wooden tables. Aside from the food, the patrons can admire the graffiti paintings on the walls.
Even though there is room for a lot of people, it is important to reserve a table well in advance at Fifteen.
Fifteen's “Trattoria” is also worth visiting. After a long day of sightseeing, you can rest your feet here while enjoying a drink and some anti-pasti.
Fifteen, Jollemanhof 9
www.fifteen.nl
Envy
This Italian inspired eating-place is a mix between a restaurant and a deli. Envy describes itself as a delicatessen bar.
It is a very cozy and minimalist spot with small Italian dishes that change daily and really good wines. For 50 Euros you can also try the chef’s five-course menu.
One half of the tables at Envy can be booked in advance, the other half is for drop-in only.
As a novelty, Envy is open for lunch from Wednesday through Sunday.
You can buy several of the deli’s specialties to take home.
Envy, Prinsengrache 381
www.envy.nl
Vlaamse Friteshuis
You haven’t really been to Amsterdam before you’ve eaten at a Belgian French fries-stall. There are lots of stalls selling French fries of varying quality. You should try Vlaamse Fritehuis, which has been selling fries in greasy newspaper cones since the 1880s.
Vlaamse Fritehuis, Voetboogstraat 33
Yamazato
Yamazato is quite simply the best sushi place in Amsterdam! This year again, the restaurant was rewarded with a Michelin star.
The restaurant is located at the bottom of the Okura Hotel – the favorite hotel of Japanese tourists and businessmen and -women. And it’s a perfect spot for savoring authentic Japanese cuisine.
The simple light wooden furniture, the big windows with rice paper blinds and the Japanese garden give you the impression of being in Japan from the moment you enter the restaurant.
In the kitchen, the chef Akira Oshima and his 25 cooks will prepare the most delicious Japanese specialties for you. The best thing to do is to try one of the restaurant’s set menus that cost from 65 Euros and up.
Yamazato, Okura Hotel, Ferdinand Bolstraat 333
www.okura.nl
By Mette Lomholdt