For convenience sake, we ate close to our rental apartment in Leidseplein on our first and last nights in Amsterdam. As expected, the food was generally tourist crap and not worth the expense though N’ku enjoyed the fries and condiment that came with her ribs at one of the first venues we were convinced to dine at. Don’t even know its name.
Little Buddha was supposed to be a relaxing fine dining and people watching experience, but our server was such a bimbo and the cocktails and food were such a disappointment, especially given their high price tags. The atmosphere is cool enough though so maybe under threat of death I would consider going there again to have a single drink which I will clutch fiercely and sip from slowly while watching the nightlife about me.
Wok to Walk was another disappointment for N’ku. She ended up with a €10 lo mein lunch one day that tasted like the takeout it was. That day, I had opted for a döner kebab from next door and while tasty, it did not compare to the döner kebabs of my Berlin childhood.
Roopram Roti, a barebones, unpretentious hole-in-the-wall in De Pijp, was another hit where we had delicious chicken and lamb Surinamese roti on the cheap. The ginger beer I got to wash my roti down with was not too shabby either and I actually ordered another to go.
In terms of snacks, I had far too many ice-cream cones including at Yscuypje which was not worth the higher price.
Moral: eat with caution in Leidseplein! Unless you want one of the many Italian pizza/pasta venues or Argentinian steakhouses that seem to compete for space here…
On the other days we made sure to trek out to previously identified venues for our dining experiences and were not disappointed.
We roamed around the Jordaan neighbourhood stopping to ask people for the location of “the Thai restaurant” (whose name we had forgotten) and each time we were directed to Kinnaree, which luckily for us ended up being the restaurant we were interested in dining at. It was good Thai food and I believe N’ku was in Thai heaven with her soft shell crab medley ordered especially spicy.
Roopram Roti, a barebones, unpretentious hole-in-the-wall in De Pijp, was another hit where we had delicious chicken and lamb Surinamese roti on the cheap. The ginger beer I got to wash my roti down with was not too shabby either and I actually ordered another to go.
Lunch in the outdoor park at the Museumplein was not bad either considering we were at their mercy…
Alas, our Indonesian choice was an overall miss. We ended up at Srikandi on a Tuesday evening when Blue Pepper (the other consideration) was closed. We chose to do the rijsttafel (rice table) which consisted of rice with 10 different side dishes but it was hot and stuffy on account of the air-conditioning not working, nor the ice-machine, and service was pretty slow.
In terms of snacks, I had far too many ice-cream cones including at Yscuypje which was not worth the higher price.
I sampled various flavourful cheeses at Reypenaer though I did not participate in their cheese-tasting menu per se. I ate fries from Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx (Sausmeesters) which are supposed to be one of the best, but I was not too impressed.
N’ku had fries from the chain FEBO and enjoyed them but that was a late night craving so who knows. If I had had the time, I would have tried fries from Manneken Pis another reportedly good place, or at least from the chain MAOZ which is right next door, both being close to Centraal Station.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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