Latei - Lovely spot for the weekend!

 

Latei at Zeedijk is a coffee place within a cute little vintage shop. Almost everything that you see around you is for sale - even the cups you are drinking from and the plates you're eating from. How nice is that! The store is kind of messy but that actually gives it a cosy atmoshpere. You should really to try their daily soups, and don't forget to try the apple pie as well: I personally think it is the best apple pie in Amsterdam. This is a nice spot to chill out in the weekends, I love to go here on saturday mornings.

Stadsboeren - Grow your own veggies @ A'dam!

I would love to have a garden but still I really don't want to move back to the country side again. Therefore, the project of Stadsboeren which I recently accidentally ran in to, makes me very happy! In the Bellamy Garden in Amsterdam West, Stadsboeren creates a mini garden for everyone in Amsterdam who is interested in having one. The project is only temporary, and the objective is to give the wasteland a new destination as long as no new houses are built. If you take part in the project, you get you own (small) wooden container where you can grow vegetables, fruit, herbs or even flowers. Of course, since it is winter now there aren't to many things growing at the moment but...spring is near!
If you love to cook like I do, what is better than having your herbs home-grown? I think the project is also a nice way to meet some people from your neighborhood, which is something that doesn't happen too easily in Amsterdam.

If you are interested, send an e-mail to info@stadsboeren.org or just go and have a look at Bellamyplein.

Melly's Cookie Bar - Cookies & Coffee!

Melly's Cookie Bar is a place that I loved since the day it opened it's doors. I red about it in NL20 a few years ago, and immediately wanted to go and check it out. Melly, who is the owner of the cookie bar (unexpected, huh? :-)) came to Holland and started this business because he had such good memories about the cookies his mum and grandma always used to make. He bakes all kinds of cookies every day - it's just impossible to choose! - following his old family recipes from Argentina and Eastern Europe. With the cookies, Melly also serves lovely coffee. It is possible to take away but what I like way more is to take a moment to sit down, relax, watch all the busy people walking by at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal.. and enjoy the good life with coffee & cookies.

Click here to check out the website for more info on opening hours

FoodFilmFestival - March 16/17/18 @Studio-K

Food Film Festival is a three day festival at Studio-K that is all about food. Theme of the festival is food in its broadest sense: you can see films about food, participate in several workshops, there are a lot of parties and of course you can EAT! FFF is organized by the Youth Food Movement and Slow Food, two organizations who want to make people more conscious about what they eat.
Presale starts tomorrow (27th of February) at 12.00, make sure you get your tickets on time cause the festival is very popular. I am really looking forward to the workshops, can't really choose between this one (given by the chief of one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam, Betty's), this one (baking bread at Hartog) and this one (cooking with Ricardo van Ede, chief at Neva).

Check the entire programme here, get your tickets tomorrow and maybe I'll see you there!

Bakker Baard @ Westerpark

Bakker Baard - who was educated as a baker, then became an artist, and one day decided to start baking and cooking again- has a nice little cafe at the Westergas Terrein. Here you can have lunch and dinner, or try one of the freshly squeezed juices. His specialty is 'clafoutis', a kind of pie made of puff pastry with a sweet or savory stuffing. Bakker Baard, who's real name is Simon but who owns his nick name due to his long long beard, shops at the market for fresh fruits and vegetables and adjusts his menu to the products he finds. In this way, he always sells pies made with seasonal veggies.

I was here with my sister lately, and we tried three small clafoutis: one with figgs and dates, one with green grapes and white chocolate, and one with apple and raisins. I loved them! At Bakker Baard you can also have dinner (with savory clafoutis! - Fridays and Saturdays only) or just come by for a nice cup of coffee/tea. When it's cold, Bakker Baard also has a special kind of hot chocolate.

Check this page for the menu and opening hours.

Bar Basis @ Vijzelstraat – Bring you own food!

Bar Basis is a new restaurant/cafe at Vijzelstraat with a cool concept: Bring our own food! The idea is the same as with ‘bring your own booze’ (which you all probably know :)) but instead of bringing drinks you can eat you own food at Basis. You can bring it yourself but, even nicer, you can order delivery food here! They already have selected their favorite delivery services, but you can order anything you want. I actually really like the idea: Basis provides a nice, cosy cafe where you can meet with your friends and have dinner together (for instance when your house is too small), you can get drinks at the bar for a reasonable prize and best of all: eat exactly what you want.

Basis also organizes a lot of events and live music, so you can also go here just to have a nice evening! Check out http://nl-nl.facebook.com/BasisAmsterdam?sk=photos for info on events.

NeighbourFood @ Westerpark

Some of you might be familiar with the Old Biscuit Mill market in Cape Town, South Africa, which is held every Sunday. It was one of my favorite places to go to in the weekend when I lived in SA and I really missed it when I came back in Holland. But there have been some really nice developments lately; since a few months we have the same kind of market here in Amsterdam! The market is called NeighbourFood Market and it is held every third Sunday of the month. You can buy all kind of regional products here, from honey to chocolate (remember the chocolate makers I wrote about earlier?) to cheese, wines and cookies. There are also a few stands where you can buy clothes or ready-made food like the best pizza's, wraps and pasta's. And of course a good cup of coffee to start your day with!

It is still a bit in it's start-up phase,  but this market definitely has a the potential to become as popular as the Old Biscuit Mill. Hope to catch you there next weekend!


For more info check: http://neighbourfoodmarket.nl/

Joosje @ Spuistraat

I can’t pass this store without having a quick look. Joosje sells vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry and bags – lot’s of bags! Sometimes you have to search for a while, but if you are lucky you can find the best dresses and rings here. Joosje has two other stores, Rumors (at Haarlemmerstraat 99A, they have a large collection of vintage boots here!) and Marbles (Nieuwe Hoogstraat 12) where they sell shoes and dresses as well.

Poptasi Pastry - First macaron store in Holland!

Great news: it will take a few more weeks but at March 20, the first macaron store of the Netherlands opens in Amsterdam! Macarons are small sweet bites made of meringue and cream, in all kinds of flavours and colours. Some people say that macarons are the new cupcakes, so keep an eye on this one!

You can find the address and specific location on a map at the bottom of this message.
For more info also check: www.poptasi.com

Beter & Leuk @ Oosterparkstraat

This place combines two nice things: they have the best breakfast/lunch and they have a small shop inside where they sells clothes and other nice things. Beter & leuk serves fair products, which taste even better: Brood van Bbrood, cupcakes from Cupcake Heaven and coffee from Bocca. I love their 'medium breakfast': you get sandwiches, home-made jam, home-made chocolate spread, cheese and a large freshly squeezed juice for only €6! If you are a ZZP-er you can sit here all day long (I think it is a nice place to work/study as well) and order the ZZP-menu: you get coffee, a pot of tea, a large juice and a sandwich. Definitely a good way to make your working day more pleasant!

Don't forget to take a look in the in-store boutique: you can buy jewelry, coffee beans and (fair trade but not musty!) clothes here. Beter en Leuk also organizes specials evenings sometimes, like cloth-swop evenings. Check the website to keep yourself posted!

www.beterenleuk.nl
www.bbrood.nl
www.cupcake-heaven.nl

Da Portare Via @ Leliegracht

This small pizzeria doesn't need an extensive description. It is all about one thing, just like it should: pizza! You can't sit inside in this particular establishment (they are also situated at Frans Halsstraat and Copernicusstraat, where you actually can sit inside), they only sell pizza and some beers and wines to take-away. The place has a wood oven which makes the crust of the pizza's just delicious. There are about 10 options to choose from, but my personal favorite is the most basic pizza - with tomatoes, mozzerella, parmesan cheese, olive oil and rocket. Writing about this spot really makes me look forward to the summer, then I always go sit outside with a view of the canal and eat my pizza there. 4 more months to go..!

Check out the menu at www.daportarevia.nl

Treasure hunting @ IJ-Hallenmarkt - NDSM Werf

Without a doubt, visiting the IJ-hallenmarkt is one of my favorite weekend activities. When I was a kid, me and my father often visited flea markets, since he really likes them as well. Now that I'm grown up, I still love to go. The IJ-hallenmarkt is a vintage market in the North of Amsterdam, organized once every month, where you can buy clothes, antiques and lots of strange, undefinable things. The entrance fee is 4 euros, which is actually way more than you pay for most items sold at the market. One tip: make sure you get there early! I always (I have to admit I literally go here every month..) arrive at 09.00, when the market opens, together with a lot of other treasure hunters & fashion addicts. The next market will take place 3-4 March. Good luck!

www.ijhallen.nl

5 Days of(f) Lovely Music!

5 Days off is a 5-day-event for dance music which takes place in Amsterdam. If you like dance music and like to party, you don't really have a choice: you just HAVE to go! Remaining question: where to? I always find it so hard to choose.. My boyfriend will be playing at Paradiso on the 11th of March so I will definitely go there. Furthermore there is a Berlin night with Monolake and Ostgut Ton at the Melkweg the 9th of March which I would love to attend. Since I have lived in Berlin for a while, I'm kind of addicted to the feeling I get from dancing to die-hard Berlinish techno. Looking forward! Check out the complete program (and do'nt wait to long with buying your tickets!) at www.5daysoff.nl

Also check:
http://www.5daysoff.nl/melkweg/09-03/monolake_en_ostgut_ton
http://www.5daysoff.nl/paradiso/11-03/gui_boratto_e_a

Ready-made food the healthy way @ STACH

Since I really like to cook it doesn't happen very often, but if I'm tired and I still want to eat something nice I love to go to Stach. Here you can get lovely pasta's and other food to take-away (personal favorite: Indian curry with sweet potatoes for app. €7) but you can also enjoy your meal in the petite 'living room restaurant' inside. Furthermore, Stach has the best sandwiches for only €3, nice coffees, and it also sells a bunch of luxurious products like chocolate an raw food bars. Go check it out!
www.stach-food.nl

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Like no other - The Otherist

I live in the Jordaan area and when I'm on my way to the Noordermarkt, I always walk along this shop. It had caught my attention a few times since they had a lot of interesting stuff in the window, but still I never went inside. Until a few months ago. I saw the cutest ring in the window which I immediately adored and I couldn't resist to go inside to see what else they were selling. The Otherist (what's in a name) turned out to be a shop like no other shop I know, where you can buy unique, one-of-a-kind gifts. It sells jewelry (the ring is a vintage one from Paris!) but also books, affordable art and pieces of antique - and they also have some more unexpected items like a collection of glass eyes. Those I left untouched, but the ring I brought home with me - still absolutely in love with it!

http://www.otherist.com/

Spanish and Italian delicacies @ Caulils

I discovered Caulils when I was having a wine tasting with my former colleagues and I immediately fell in love. Caulils sells Spanish and Italian delicacies: wines, cheeses, all kinds of quality meat, olive oil and lots of other products. It is one of these shops where you (if you are a food lover like me) just want to buy e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! The owner is a very enthusiastic guy who is passionate about food and wines and makes you just as enthusiastic by talking about it. He often goes to Spain and Italy, since he imports everything he sells himself. The assortment often changes; if the owner has discovered new wines he likes better, the old ones are out. Even the cheapest wine sold here (priced around €6) is lovely. If I'm having drinks with friends and looking for nice appetizers, or if I'm looking for some nice wine to give someone as a present, I always drop by. And don't be afraid to ask for advice, it will help you discover the best things in the store! Only disadvantage is that you will probably leave with much more than you had planned..

Check out the website for more information Caulis and about it's wine (and champagne!) tastings: www.caulils.com

Boca's @ Westerstraat

New personal favorite! Boca's is a restaurant at Westerstraat with a refreshingly new concept I think. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner but not in the way you're used to. Instead of having one kind of sandwich, you can choose all kinds of small sized sandwiches. No more doubting about what to eat,  you can just try a lot of different kinds and share a plate of sandwiches with your friends as well. And what's maybe even better about Boca's: if you are having drinks here in the afternoon, you don't have to leave for dinner. Boca's has a menu that is made especially for 'borrelaars': it serves it's (quality) dinner, snack-sized and on big plates, so that you can share it with your friends as well. Sharing is caring!

Check out the menu at http://www.bar-bocas.nl/index.html

Small World, Big Sandwiches!

Another amazing lunch spot. Small World is not easy to find, but impossible to forget.

The sandwiches are pricy, but OH so worth it! My personal favorites are the sandwich with grilled vegetables, avocado, sundried tomatoes and wasabi mayo (6,95) and apple/orange/carrot juice. Small World is a 'traiteur' as well - they sell all different kinds of pie, salads, quiches and pasta's.

I love to go here on hangover-sunday's, to get a sandwich and a freshly squeezed juice: there just ain't no better remedy!

www.smallworldcatering.nl

Hannah & the Chocolatefactory

Rodney and Enver: Two guys, one passion - chocolate! I met the two of them at the Neigbourhood Food market in Westerpark last January. They have started their own chocolate factory, just because they love it and because there's no other chocolate factory in Amsterdam. Rodney and Enver do everything in the chocolate making process themselves, from buying the cocoa beans 'til wrapping up the chocolate bars. They make the chocolate how they like it themselves - a relatively dark milk chocolate bar (37%) and a very dark chocolate bar (68%). If you want to, you can even visit the factory. Check the site for their contact details and for selling points in Amsterdam. Pure, fair, lovely!

http://chocolatemakers.nl/

Under the Bridge

Maybe it's a bit too early, but I'm so much looking forward to this night that I couldn't resist posting this here already. At the 22nd of March (save the date!) there is a jazz night at Brug9, one of the best kept secrets of Amsterdam. Brug9 is a small club underneath the bridge next to van Zuylen, which hosts parties only incidentally. Once every two months there is a jazz night here with amazing live music, which you really really can't miss! The club is situated in the former vaults of the tower that previously was standing upon the bridge. By the contours of the old tower that are drawn on de street you can still see where it used to stand. Amazing club, even better when it's filled with jazzy music. Be there!

http://www.brug9.nl/agenda/

Brood Bar

If I go studying at Bushuis, one of the UvA locations situated in the city centre, me and my friends always go for a coffee at Brood Bar during our breaks. You can also eat some very nice sandwiches ('boterhammen!') here and the coffee is good as well, but what we like most are definitely their brownies. Actually, we love them so much that the brownies sometimes even are the reason for sitting down and drink our coffee at Brood Bar instead of having a coffee to go, because if you drink you coffee inside (and if you're lucky!) you get a small piece of brownie with you coffee...mmm :) irresistable!

www.broodbar.nl

Best coffee in town - Lungoccino

About a year ago I discovered this tiny espressobar, very well hidden in a small alley just around the corner of Spui. They serve the best coffee I've had so far in town, prices are reasonable and they roast the coffee beans they use themselves. My favourite coffee (and their specialty) is the Lungoccino, a stronger version of a cappuccino. The bar is open from 07.00 am till 07.00 pm - so bye bye Coffee Company, hellooo Lungoccino!

Lungoccino has a second location in the Pijp. For more information check: www.lungoccino.com

Eat With Your Heart - Guerilla Lunch @ Spui

Free lunch at Valentines Day! The Youth Food Movement organizes this guerilla lunch tomorrow 12.30 pm @ Spui Amsterdam, to make people more conscious about what they eat. There will be bread from 'Vlaamsch Broodhuis' and lovely warm soup. I think it is a very nice way to celebrate your Valentine's Day!

Check for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/181796341925940/ and http://youthfoodmovement.nl/

De Laatste Kruimel

Hi!

On this blog I share (new) things I've discovered in Amsterdam. What you will find here are the places I love, like (lunch) cafés, restaurants, shops, parties and others cool places I think you should visit. Contact me for anything at hannahkeulen@gmail.com