dutchgrub, Author at dutchgrub

Cost of Drinks on Amsterdam Terraces

Amsterdam came in at a quite affordable number 29 in the recent Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living survey 2009 – City ranking. The research investigates over 200 goods and services in 290 locations.

The ranking shows that overall Amsterdam is considerably cheaper than leader Tokyo or European capitals Milan, Paris and London. Food and drinks are another story, though. This is confirmed by the results of the yearly research on the average cost of drinks on popular terraces by Dutch gastronomy consultancy Van Spronsen & Partners.

Van Spronsen sampled the cost of two glasses of the legendary small Dutch beers, two glasses of regrettably trendy rosé wine and two soft drinks. Amsterdam is the most expensive city in the Netherlands with an average cost of € 16,= for the six drinks. Rotterdam and The Hague come next at € 15,20.

I ran a quick check of the prices against my list of best Amsterdam terraces. Not surprisingly, Cafe ‘t Sluisje in Amsterdam Noord is cheapest at € 12,60 – a significant saving. But even centrally located hot spots Cafe Walem and Cafe de Jaren charge less than the average – € 2,20 for a soft drink, € 2,30 for a small beer and € 3,00 for a glass of rosé. Even Gent aan de Schinkel, the most expensive on my list, is below average at € 15,80.

Pick your spot in the sun carefully as clearly some terraces in tourist locations are charging way too much for poor quality!

cafe de jaren amsterdam - terrace gent aan de schinkel amsterdam - terrace

Pizza to Go at Forno Communale

One of the nice things about Forno Communale, one of dutchgrub’s best pizzerias in Amsterdam, is the possibility to get pizza to go!

They don’t do delivery or take advance orders by phone. So you will have to make your way over to Rhijnvis Feithstraat, order your pizza and wait for it to be freshly made. The wait is actually a lot more fun than it sounds since you get to hang out in the kitchen, admire the wood fired pizza oven and watch the expert pizza maker roll out the pizza dough and garnish it lusciously!

Burgermeester Opens Restaurant by Artis

Burgermeester – maker of the best burgers in Amsterdam – has opened its third restaurant on Plantage Kerklaan near Artis!

The new location follows the same formula – inventive burger concoctions, made from fresh ingredients, in a no frills setting of red booths amidst cow pictures on the walls.

I love going to Burgermeester for a good lunch and have been at the locations on Albert Cuypstraat in de Pijp and on Elandsgracht in the Jordaan many times. The third restaurant will be convenient when you’re east of the center and calls for being combined with a visit to local micro-brewery Brouwerij ‘t IJ for burgers and beer of the finest quality!

Los Pilones Jordaan – More Authentic Mexican

In May I wrote about Los Pilones in Kerkstraat – a simple and honest Mexican place that delivers exactly what it should: Good enchiladas, tacos, salsa and guacamole in a bar-style atmosphere with small tables, Inca style symbolics and Corona and Tecate commercials.

On a recent trip to the Jordaan, I finally managed to check out the second Los Pilones restaurant in the Jordaan. It’s on the 1e Anjeliersdwaarsstraat, near Westerstraat and close to Jordaan drinking institutions like De Blaffende Vis and Cafe de Tuin.

los-pilones-inside los-pilones-amsterdam-decoration los-pilones-amsterdam-kitchen

Los Pilones in the Jordaan delivers the same no frills Mexican food in a similarly authentic but more light and modern decor. The menu and drinks lists are identical. The design is similar, making the Jordaan location the cooler and more urban sibling of the original Los Pilones. There are large cartoon style drawings on the walls and quirky figurines on display.

The food is just as simple and good – tacos y cerveza!

los-pilones-amsterdam-enchilada los-pilones-tacos

26 Michelin Stars in Amsterdam on 6 and 7 November 2009

Amsterdam has seen a number of food festivals the last few weeks. In November, Stars, Food & Art will crank it up a few notches. 11 world-renowned chefs, worth a total of 26 Michelin stars, will cook their signature dishes for a gala diner at Sofitel Amsterdam The Grand.

The lineup includes top Dutch chefs Jonnie Boer of De Librije and Sergio Herman of Oud-Sluis, both three Michelin star restaurants.They will be joined by an impressive list of Michelin star chefs from France, Italy and Finland.

For € 650,= you can reserve a seat and enjoy six course of signature dishes including wine!

Fa. Pekelhaaring – Another Good Italian in De Pijp

I have complained extensively about the lack of quality neighborhood Italians in Amsterdam. And I would certainly not have suspected them in de Pijp with its focus on trendy concept restaurants with a short lifespan. But I have just been proven wrong again! Fa. Pekelhaaring joins l’Ozio, an artsy Italian with a rural Piedmontese menu, and Renato’s, one of the top pizzerias in Amsterdam, as the third quality neighborhood Italian in de Pijp!

To add to the confusion, the name “Pekelhaaring” is rather misleading, suggesting pickled herring rather than rural Italian cuisine. A quick look at the menu reassured us that we were in for a broad and non-standard selection of Italian dishes. There are sandwiches, salads and deep-fried snacks of which we liked the arancini – small deep-fried saffron balls with a pepper mayonnaise. We almost missed out on them since the deep fryer was broken the day we went. But the chef managed to produce fantastic arancini anyway using some combination of shallow frying pan and determination.

The focus of the menu at Pekelhaaring is antipasti, pasta and grilled meat. The antipasti are standard choices like Parma ham and vitello tonato, presented nicely in a glass showcase. The pasta variations are more daring. We liked the ravioli with haricots and ricotta. The gnocchi with salted cod also sounded interesting. All pasta is available in small and large portions – ideal for lunch also. The mains off the grill include rib-eye, mackerel, and an enormous hamburger made of tasty meat and cooked just right.

The design is clean and modern and creates some sort of über-dimensional living room atmosphere – stylish and welcoming at the same time by way of a rather idiosyncratic combination of styles. The dining room feels spacious with its open kitchen and is very light because of the large windows on the entire Van Woustraat side.

restaurant-pekelhaaring-amsterdam-kitchen

Johannes van Dam awarded Fa. Pekelhaaring a well-deserved 9 out of 10 (Dutch), praising the quality ingredients and great team work of the two brothers that run it.

I find Fa. Pekelhaaring a perfect all-day long destination. You can enjoy sandwiches, salads or a small plate of pasta for lunch, have a multi-course dinner or enjoy a cappuccino or some snacks any time in between. They advertise free wireless on their site, although I have not tried it.