La Maria @ Vechtstraat

La Maria is a very cute (French an Italian oriented) restaurant in Rivierenbuurt and exactly the kind of place I would love to have myself when I'm 'old' :-). The place has a wood oven in which -almost- all dishes are prepared: from the fresh bread you can get as a starter (with some tasty olive oil and green olives) to the pizza, fish- and meat dishes that are being served. If you want to dine all night this is the place to go: order one of their great wines, some food and you will just forget about time. Last time I was here, I had a great curry with pumpkin, red onions and sweet potatoes which was served with warm freshly baked bread. Amazing! You can really taste that all dishes are being prepared with good and fresh ingredients. If you want to take a look at the menu, click here. Main courses cost around €15,00, starters and desserts around €8,00. There are only a few tables available, so don't forget to make a reservation. Check out the for more info on opening hours: http://www.hornolamaria.com

Map Meanwhile in Amsterdam

Meanwhile in Amsterdam. weergeven op een grotere kaart

Not sure where to find a certain location? Check the adress below each message or the 'Meanwhile in Amsterdam Map' above. You can find this map under 'categories' at the left side of my blog.

REM-Eiland @ Spaardammer area

REM-eiland is a restaurant in the former Veronica television broadcast station. Situated in West (Spaarndammer area), REM-eiland looks very beautiful and impressive. When you arrive, the place seems almost unreachable by foot but luckily, there's a small road that will take you to the restaurant. REM eiland was not always this high above the ground, it's new owners put it on poles and built a third floor on it as well. If you want to know a bit more about the buildings' background, check this page
The kitchen is oriented on the French cuisine and when I was here with my colleagues lately I had a lovely dinner. REM-eiland served a salad with french cheese and caramelized nuts as a starter, my main course was 'rotollo' (an Italian pasta dish which was served with pastinake and an undefinable white creamy sauce) and we got a 'grand dessert' with amongst others crème brûlée, chocolate pie and fresh fruit. Although the food was good, the view was even better - just wonderful!
REM-eiland might be a bit pricy for students - a starter costs around €8,00, main courses cost €18,00 - it is a great place to take your parents or to have a romantic dinner with your boy- or girlfriend.


See below for the exact location on Google Maps and for more info on opening hours, check www.remeiland.com

RTFKT clubnight @ OT301

Music collective RTFKT (check www.rtfkt.net, well known for their website about experimental electronical/techno music) is having a party in Amsterdam next week. At April 6, the party will take place in club OT301 at Overtoom in Amsterdam and oooh - it's gonna be good! I'm really looking forward to it :-) Lanny May (Berlin, DE) is going to perform,  just like Applescal (live), PNOQ, the Glitch Bastard and Guido & Fef. Last edition in Merlijn (Nijmegen) was in one word great: an intimate atmosphere with really good music and and an audience that didn't want to stop dancing.. don't miss out on this one!

Tickets are available for €7.50 at the door.

Check for more info their Facebook page (click here) and www.rtfkt.net

Talia @ Prinsenstraat

Talia is a one of a kind store. The interior doesn't look particularly nice, the website is not that pretty as well but the food and the coffee (try their espresso!) sold at this place are just amazing. Everything is freshly prepared daily by real Italian people - and honestly, you can taste the passion! Whenever I walk through Prinsenstraat, taking a look at the fresh focaccia's and pizza's in the window always makes me want to go inside because the food makes me feel like being in Italy. I love it!
Besides selling this lovely food, Talia also is a cultural meeting place where you can find music, art, stories and inspiring people to hang out with. There is a nice jam session held every two weeks. Go discover this little pearl at Prinsenstraat 12.

For more info on events and opening hours check www.i-talia.net

Frozz @ Rokin

Sunny weather asks for sunny food. And what is nicer to have on a lovely spring day then an icecream? There's one kind in particular that has stolen my heart: frozen yoghurt. Frozz at Rokin (and in summer it also has pop-up stores at several other locations in amsterdam!) sells this lovely stuff. Whether you are studying, working, relaxing at home or just walking around in the city: get yourself a frozen yoghurt on a sunny day like today and you'll have the perfect break :-) Yoghurt might not sound that attractive but the ice cream you get is not as sour as normal, unfrozen yoghurt. Plus, you don't just get a plain ice cream: you can choose from all kinds of different toppings like chocolate sprinkles, fresh fruit and all kinds of cookies. Tough choice!

Check out for more info on opening hours and locations http://www.frozz.com/

Options! @ Damrak

 The unexpected became reality: a nice, fresh and trendy concept store has opened its doors at Damrak. As the name already reveals, Options! has all kinds of different products. Varying from 'fashion options' (clothing made by young designers, shoes, bags) to 'home options' (art and photography books, all kinds of nice things to decorate your house with) to 'special options' (products like Japanese beer, hupsake and Pukkha tea) ...you name it! The shop is open every day and is situated roughly opposite to the Bijenkorf. The products sold at options are pricy, but oh so pretty. I really hope that in the future more of these stores will open their doors at Damrak, since it looks so much nicer than all the McDonalds restaurants and tourist shops!

Check out for more info on products and opening hours http://www.optionsamsterdam.com/

Favorite terraces @ Amsterdam

This week's sunny weather gives me butterflies and makes me want to sit outside all day long! Unfortunately I have to study this week, but for everyone who doesn't I put together this list with my favorite terraces in Amsterdam. Click on the names of the places to go to their websites. Of course there are lots of others, but these are the ones where you'll probably find me most this summer :-) Enjoy!

IJ-kantine 
A lovely, large and sunny terrace along the waterside in the North of Amsterdam. Grab a seat, order a beer and enjoy the view on the water and the passing boats. Take the (free) ferry departing from Houthaven of Amsterdam Central Station to get here.

Canvas op de 7e 
Canvas (on the top floor of the former Volkskrant Building) has a beautiful roof terrace at the seventh floor. It can be kind of windy here, but if it's a warm day the wind can also be a very welcome breeze. Enjoy a cocktail, they're good making them!

Hannekes Boom 
Last year Hannekes Boom opened its doors and not surprisingly, it immediately became a beloved spot. Hannekes Boom is very popular so the terrace is always kind of busy, but it has a relaxed atmoshpere, a nice terrace and Hanneke also serves good (maybe a little bit expensive for what it is - but still good!) food. Close your eyes, forget about the hipsters around and you will have a lovely afternoon :-)

Do-it-yourself beach @ NDSM. Maybe the most promising one of my list.This do-it-yourself beach opened last year in June and was immediately mentioned as the 'new Hannekes Boom'. The beach is not open yet but I am already looking forward to the events that will take place here this year. Mind my words, keep an eye on this one!

NEMO (roof terrace)
I love this place. In spring and in summer, NEMO opens up it's roof top terrace so that you can enjoy the sun here. You can take the stairs at the right side of Nemo to the terrace so you don't have to pay for the museum. You will be surrounded by a nice mix of people; tourists but also people from Amsterdam who want to enjoy the nice view over Amsterdam that you have here.

Brandstof A large (and beloved!) terrace at the crossroad of Marnixstraat and the end of Rozengracht. You'll have to be lucky to get a seat here, but once you have one you can enjoy the sun until the last sunbeam has disappeared.

LouterIf the terrace at Brandstof is already full, try the terrace of Louter which is situated half way of Jan Evertsenstraat. Nice and friendly service, and the food is gooood! When the sun goes down you can move inside and enjoy dinner.

Wilhelminadok 
If you take the (free) ferry to IJ-plein departing from Central Station, you'll find Restaurant Wilhelminadok on your right hand side. Wilhelminadok has a huge terrace with a view on the water. You can have breakfast, lunch or dinner here so if you wish you can stay all day long.

EdelEdel at the end of Jan Evertsentraat (close to Louter) also has a big terrace along the waterside (Kostverlorenvaart). Sometimes, Edel has nice events like vrimibo (friday afternoon drinks) or parties so if you are lucky you can celebrate your weekend here!

'T Nieuwe Diep 
See my recent post about 't Nieuwe Diep. This hidden pearl in Amsterdam Flevopark has a sunny terrace where you can have a nice, home-brewn liquor (or a coffee/softdrink :-)) while having the feeling that you are completely out of town.

Alfie's (Australian) pies @ Ceintuurbaan

Alfie’s is a take-away restaurant which sells original Australian (savory) pies. Probably not wat you are used to for take-away food, but that's exactly why I liked it so much to try them. I didn't know that these pies were an Australian specialty, but Alfie surely proves that they know how to bake 'm! The puff pastry pies are stuffed with all kinds of different ingredients for a student-friendly price: try for example a chicken pie with asparagus and mushrooms in white wine sauce (€4,50), a pumpkin pie with ginger and fennel (€4,00, my absolute personal favorite!) or a salmon pie with feta cheese and spinach (€5,00). You can eat these pies all day, whether you want them for breakfast when you have a hangover or for dinner when you don't feel like cooking: you will love them! If I wasn't a vegetarian, I'd definitely tried the 'breakfast pie' (bacon, eggs and tomatoes), just because I like the idea :-) Guten appetit!

'T Nieuwe Diep @ Flevopark

'T Nieuwe Diep in Flevopark is a small distillery which brews over a hundred different kinds of genevers, liquors and vodka’s. The distillery is situated in a nice old renovated building and has a large ‘proeflokaal’ and a terrace where you can try every kind of home-brewn alcohol that is produced at ‘t Nieuwe Diep. It takes a while to get here (best option is to go by bike or by taking tram 14) but it is so lovely to sit on the sunny terrace in spring or in summer that I think it is absolutely worth the effort. Since it is going to be very sunny this week, I felt that I had to share this hidden treasure with you :-) Last time I was here I had a home-made blueberry genever, which was really really good. If you don’t like genever or wodka don’t worry: you can also order a good cup of coffee, a beer or a biological juice (and still enjoy the sun!)

‘T Nieuwe Diep is open from Tuesday to Friday from 15.00 – 18.00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12.00 - 18.00. See below for the adress on Google Maps.

Check for more info: www.nwediep.nl

PapaBubble @ Haarlemmerdijk

If you like candy, you'll love PappaBubble! This candy store at Haarlemmerdijk instantly makes me happy from the moment I walk in. Actually, if you are walking at the Haarlemmerdijk you can smell the candy even if you are still around 10 meters away from the store. PapaBubble makes all kinds of supersweet coloured candy, which is being hand made in the back of the store. Take a look to see how they do it, I think it is fascinating. You can order personalized sweets (with a logo or a name on it!) but then you'll have to buy 10 kg at once which might be just a liiittle bit too much :-) Fortunately, Papabubble also sells small packages and lovely jars with candy, ánd (huge) lollipops. Yum!

For more info on opening hours and PapaBubble in other cities check out http://www.papabubble.nl

Espressofabriek @ Westerpark

Coffee, coffee, coffee! Espressofabriek at Westerpark has professional baristas (who also take part in barista championships!) who love to make the perfect coffee for you. Enjoy your drinks at their big terrace near the water or take them with you to the park. Espressofabriek further has home made apple pie, fresh tramezzini’s (Italian sandwiches) and some soft drinks, but ofcourse – what’s in a name? - that is not the main reason to go here :-) I think I’ll have a coffee here before I go to the Neigbourfood Market at Westerpark this Sunday.  

Gartine @ Taksteeg

This place is not new and I guess that there's a bigger chance that you know this place than that you know the other places I blogged about, but since it is my own personal favorite spot in Amsterdam I couldn't resist mentioning it here. Gartine is a small lunch cafe in Taksteeg (a small side street of the Kalverstraat, near Spui) which is set up by two people, Jan Willem and Kirsten. They have their own kitchen garden elsewhere, where they grow a lot of the vegetables and fruits they use. Also, all the eggs used are from adoption chickens and the bread they serve is from Vlaamsch Broodhuys. These ingredients alone would already make the place a success, but Jan-Willem and Kirsten put so much love into every single dish that I honestly think that that's the main reason why the food (and the atmosphere!) is so good here. At Gartine, you can have breakfast, sandwiches, high tea or a piece of freshly baked the pies and cakes. Take a look at their glass case when you get here to see which cakes they have (and how beautiful they look!). For my birthday, my sister gave me a cook book which is written by Jan-Willem and Kirsten and which is filled with dishes that Gartine also serves. The recipes are lovely but I still love to go to Gartine and just sit back, relax for a moment. Gartine is the kind of place where you can take your mother for lunch, have a high tea with you girlfriends, or just go by yourself and have a coffee. Enjoy!

Check for more info www.gartine.nl

OneDayShop @ Haarlemmerdijk

Got to love this shop! One Day Shop is a pop up store that changes owners every week. Situated at Haarlemmerdijk 41, One Day Shop probably changes interiors more often than you ever saw a shop do. The shop is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and sellers who rent the space can decide whether they want to stay 1, 2 or 3 days. Companies that already have been selling their products here vary from POM to PastaVandaag to VTWonen to Frillz...so if you don't like what the shop sells today, just come back next week and see if you are more lucky then! Keep yourself updated about the shops that will sell their stuff at OneDayShop via this page.

N8 Salon @ March 16

 

N8 Salon is Museumn8's little sister. At March 16, N8 Salon hosts an event in Tassenmuseum Hendrikje (see below for the exact location) from 20.00-00.00 with music, lectures and movies. The night has been built up around the theme 'bags.'  The program looks pretty exciting I think, there will be lectures by i.e. Thuy Ngyuyen and O My Bag, performances of DJ Silvester (Daisy Age, NightFlight) and MC AllSincere. Stylist Aynouk Tan (who you might recognize from NRC Handelsblad where she writes about fashion) walks through the museum to get to know more about the bag you are carrying and there will be a movie about bags made by Carmen Felix from VICE Magazine. During the night you can do a workshop to learn how to make your own smartphone cover, there will be tours through the museum and you can have a drink at the museum cafe.

Don't wait to long with buying your tickets! There's only a limited amount available for €7 via this page.

Trash to Treasure - March 25

One man's trash is another man's treasure. It was this saying that inspired Leanne and Kakie to organize a new event in Amsterdam: Trash to Treasure. The girls believe that every object has its own story which is worth knowing about and therefore they have been collecting clothing, accessories and furniture - and the stories, histories and anecdotes behind them! On the 25th of March they sell everything they have collected. Instead of just buying an impersonal object, you will hear the stories behind the items as well :-) I'm looking forward to go here, I love to go to flea markets and since I'm pretty curious in general, I think that it's nice to get to know a little bit more about the things you buy (instead of just having a quick glance at the former owner). Besides the market, there will be music and an exposition of the items with the most special stories. So, save the date!
Click here to check out their Facebook page for more info.

Lazagne @ Frederik Hendrikplantsoen

I always find it really hard to decide what my favorite food is, I just can't choose. But what's for sure is that I looove the Italian kitchen. Therefore, Lazagne at Frederik Hendrikplantsoen (Westerpark area) is one of my favorite take away restaurants. Lazagne only sells three kinds of lasagna (home-made every day!) and three kinds of desserts. But if you thought that would make things easier, guess again. I lately had a pumpkin lasagna with artichokes and tomato sauce here (€8), just wonderful! In the summer, it is nice to get your lasagna here and take it with you to Westerpark which is only 5 minutes away by bike.
Check for more info on opening hours and for the menu http://www.lazagne.com/

Gebroeders Niemeijer @ Nieuwendijk

When I walk at Nieuwendijk, I always wonder why all the tourists go here instead of discovering the real nice places Amsterdam has to offer. They probably just don't know any better (or, maybe they do like to hang out in this street with its 10.000 'I love Amsterdam' beanies, hemp seeds and sandwiches that look like they have been lying there for ages). Anyhow, normally I try to avoid this street but there is one shop for which I make an exception: Gebroeders Niemeijer. This is a French bakery slash lunch cafe where they sell bread with the best crust you've ever had. Also, even though the shop is situated in one of Amsterdams busiest parts, you don't notice anything of that while you are inside. You can enjoy a lovely lunch here or buy bread and pastries to take home. I like the fact that they have options in every price range on the lunh menu - from a pain au chocolat (1,50) to an assortment of several kinds of freshly baked bread, cheeses, jam & butter and San Daniele ham (8,95). My personal favorite in the bakery is the walnut-fig bread, it's pretty expensive (3,95) but OH so good with French cheeses.

Check for more info http://www.gebroedersniemeijer.nl/

Helena Primakoff @ Czaar Petersstraat

The perfect place to have a relaxed lunch or breakfast. Helena Primakoff in Czaar Petersstraat might not be centrally located, but the freshly baked coconut cookie that comes with you coffee completely makes up for that. Helena Primakoff (who actually was Czaar Peters' sweetheart) serves some nice sandwiches, scones with home-made lemon curd and jam, and freshly baked pies. If you just want to have a small breakfast, you can get a croissant, yoghurt with muesli/walnuts and fresh fruits, wentelteefjes or toast for only €2,50 - 4,00. The cafe is nice and light and I could easily sit here all day long.

Best of all: if you can't get enough of Helena's goodies, you can also take them home! Buy for example coconut cookies (10 p./ 3€ - you have to order them 2 hours in advance since they are freshly baked every day), an (whole) apple pie or some home-made jam. Check out for more info: www.helenaprimakoff.nl

Pintxos @ La Oliva

When I was in San Sebastian (in the North of Spain) for a surfing holiday two years ago, I actually liked the Spanish food way more than the surfing. Around 5 in the afternoon, every cafe in San Sebastian puts large plates with 'pintxos' on their bars. Pintxos are all kinds of delicious small bites (made of fish, meat, cheese, vegetables and other tasteful ingredients) which you eat while having a drink at the bar. I was very happy when I came back from my holiday and discovered that Amsterdam has a restaurant where they serve Pinxtos as well: La Oliva in the Jordaan. I always find it so hard to choose, if you take a look at the pictures above you will understand why. Go to Oliva for a nice glass of wine and try some, you'll love them!

Check for more info www.laoliva.nl

Starbucks The Bank - Concept store @ Rembrandtplein

At the 8th of March, Starbucks opens up a huge new concept store at Rembrandtplein. The store is going to be 430 m2 and is situated in a former bank building. I'm looking forward to go here, the pictures look amazing! I always like the atmoshpere of Starbucks, but I never really go there to study or to work on my computer. Their new store however seems perfect to do so: there are lots of seats, there is an on-side bakery (which sends out tweets when new freshly baked cookies are available!) and the design looks beautiful. Starbucks the Bank has been decorated by Dutch designers with sustainable materials only. The store had multiple levels and offers space for local bands, poetry readings and other cultural activities to grab the stage. Can't wait!

For more info, click here