Free Wireless in Amsterdam

Access to a wireless network has become essential, but still is much harder to find than it should. Especially when traveling, considering how spotty wireless coverage still is in airports and hotels. And also when on the road and you want to get some work done on your way to the next appointment without having to return to the office.

So here are three great suggestions for free wireless access in Amsterdam. And with free I mean free of charge and also hassle free, i.e. no having to ask a waitress for a cryptic access code that you have to type and that expires after 60 minutes…

The first is Felix Meritis, a center for arts, culture and science that is frequently used for conferences and has a nice, public cafe with free wireless access in the front. Felix Meritis is housed in a beautiful old building and very centrally located on Keizersgracht half way between the Westerkerk and Leidsestraat. The cafe has a small lunch menu and good espressos and cappuccinos. It’s usually very quiet and ideal for working and even small meetings. It can sometimes get busy when there is a conference and people flood the cafe for drinks.

The address of Felix Meritis is Keizersgracht 324 and the English web site is at www.felix.meritis.nl/en/

My second recommendation is Casa e Cucina, a cafe cum shop (the shop is called Casa e Luce) down Koninginneweg by Amstelveenseweg. Casa e Cucina is a very friendly and spacious cafe with a decent menu serving breakfast in the morning and sandwiches and small dishes at lunch time. The design and large selection of juices give it an ‘organic’ feel. Tables are large and there is an upstairs and a downstairs area. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Casa e Cucina is located at Koninginneweg 218 and their web site is www.casaecucina.nl/ (sorry, no English info).

My final discovery of the elusive free wireless access is Dicky’s Grand Cafe by the Amsterdam Zuid WTC station. It’s not as nice as the other two, but very convenient. Dicky’s is a typical ‘borrel’ cafe, frequented by the bankers, lawyers and other WTC employees for after-work drinking and socializing. Dicky’s is convenient for its location right by the train, metro and tram station Zuid / WTC and with ample parking in the parking garages of the new Zuidas.

You can find Dicky’s at Gustavmahlerplein 110 or check it out at www.dickys-grandcafe.nl/

Felix Meritis, Casa e Cucina and Dicky’s Grand Cafe all provide free wireless access. Just walk in, open your laptop and you are good to go! Then order some food and drinks and make sure you tell them how much you appreciate this great service!

Delicious Autumn at De Witte Uyl

Two weeks ago I wrote about some wild (their words…) additions to the menu at De Witte Uyl. Unfortunately I still have not had a chance to sample them.

Now, a trip to De Witte Uyl has become even more pressing as owner Annemieke has announced delicious autumn dishes. As usual, De Witte Uyl changes their menu for each season. On the menu for this fall are open lasagna with venison, sweet chestnuts, forest mushroom and sage, pasta with boletus and fresh black truffle and wild sea bass with dill, chervil and parsnip.

The full menu is available in English on their site. Yum!

Unbelievably Expensive Chicken at Marqt

As a foodie I love the concept of Marqt – selling food directly from the producer with a focus on superior quality, local produce and eco-friendliness. I followed Marqt pre opening and praised the idea. And I wrote about the opening and recommended to everyone to go check it out – like I did. The first impressions were great. Marqt was different with a visible focus on tasty food rather than expiration dates and pretty packages.

expensive chicken from marqtNow, about six months later, I am starting to have doubts. What really struck me was the price of two chicken fillets I bought earlier this week. More than 11 Euros for about 400 grams of chicken breast is outrageous! I know and expect Marqt to charge a premium for quality. But 11 Euros?!? I usually buy chicken at a Turkish butcher around the corner where the same chicken breasts run between 3 and 4 Euros. A quick check at Albert Heijn online shows 375 grams of chicken breast for less than 3 Euros. So Marqt is about three times more expensive than the small Turkish butcher and its price is four times that of AH.

watery chicken from marqtWhat about quality then? Both Marqt and AH provide far inferior quality to the Turkish butcher. The chicken has an artificial light color and is watery to the point where frying it becomes a health hazard. Given that AH currently markets its meat with a “healthy choice” seal, I really see little difference between the fillets of Marqt and AH – except for the outrageous price tag at Marqt.

There are other issues at Marqt: The milk section is extremely limited – I often cannot find crème fraîche or full fat milk and there a few yogurt options. Ready made meals have taken over a section of the supermarket that used to provide interesting sauces. And while the canned products are from eco-friendly brands, they are often not the best tasting ones.

A group of food retail experts that visited Marqt to study the new concept seems to agree. Their conclusion was that Marqt is a great concept with a superior shopping experience but no difference in quality compared to the standard supermarkets they run.

Marqt recently opened a second store in Haarlem. I really hope that they will focus on quality food as they set out to do. And I will be happy to pay a premium for quality, shopping experience and the eco feel good factor. However, right now it looks more like a snobby and expensive food boutique with a messed up price to quality ratio!

Lulu Restaurant St. Julian’s – Best Restaurant on Malta

This post may sound slightly off topic. What does the best restaurant on Malta have to do with dutchgrub – restaurants, food and drinks in Amsterdam? Read on! There is a connection other than Malta being warm and sunny and only a direct, affordable Malta Air flight away from the cold and rainy dutchgrub center of the world.

Lulu Restaurant St. Julian’s - Best Restaurant on MaltaBut first things first. Lulu Restaurant is by far the best restaurant on Malta. Lulu stands out in a restaurant scene dominated by two types of restaurants: beautifully located Italian and seafood restaurants with standard menus and sub par food aimed at mass tourism; and expensive hotel restaurants with well executed but equally boring menus aimed at luxury tourists.

Lulu Restaurant is located in a quiet side street of the tourist area near Spinola Bay in St. Julian’s. Lulu’s interior is chic but also welcoming with a focus on food – think modern, wall-mounted bookshelves filled with cook books and a wine cellar separated from the main dining room by a large glass window.

What stands out most is the extremely friendly service by owner Nick and his staff. We were greeted with a big smile when entering and given the best table, in the far corner, with couch seats and overlooking the entire restaurant. Fun conversation, jokes and interesting tidbits followed immediately.

The menu is an interesting combination of Maltese and Mediterranean dishes with a modern, eastern twist. It was hard to choose and after quite some deliberation and expert advice by Nick we decided on a Parma ham with figs and goat cheese and seared tuna with snow peas and a chili dressing as starters. For main courses we went with a pumpkin risotto with coconut and monk fish and pancetta spaghetti.

Nick’s impeccable and very helpful service stood out when choosing the wine. We had pretty much decided on going with a Gavi di Gavi and were looking for advice on which of the three on the menu was best. Nick returned with a different bottle – also Italian, a mix of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We liked it but as soon as Nick saw that we were not convinced he disappeared and came back with the perfect Gavi di Gavi.

The food was excellent – well prepared and full of surprises. The risotto was very smooth and made with coconut milk. The Parma ham went really well with the warm figs and had a brown sugar and cinnamon dressing that worked really well. The tuna was seared just right and you could taste the monk fish and the pancetta very well in the spaghetti.

After great starters and mains, a perfect bottle of wine, very rich profiteroles and a strong Irish coffee to finish, Nick finally revealed a little secret. Lulu restaurant is named after Amsterdam’s own Lulu restaurant in the Runstraat. A great excuse to write about a great restaurant on Malta!

Wild Menu at De Witte Uyl: Wild Red Bass, Wild Duck and Tofu

Haven’t been to De Witte Uyl to taste their most recent menu additions, but they sure sound good! As always. As hostess Annemieke reports, this time around there are some “wild dishes on the menu”. There is tasty duck, red bass and a tofu dish marinated with soy sauce, fresh ginger and spring onion that they borrowed (with permission) from Restaurant Zen (also in the Frans Halsstraat).

Hope I can go soon!