Amsterdam Cuisine

(Stroopwafels are my favorite Dutch food)

Our flight to Amsterdam landed late afternoon and a fast 15 minute train ride R and I were in Amsterdam Central station hopping onto our tram to our Airbnb apartment. After so many hours of traveling we were both hungry and excited to see what local cuisine we could find. We decided to stay close to our apartment and found a restaurant that exceeded our expectations.

The Seafood Bar is tucked away between buildings down a quiet street, a hidden gem among the restaurants of Amsterdam. For starters our waiter came out with a bowl of lobster soup and crab cakes. The lobster soup was one of the most incredible soups I have ever had and paired well with the fresh slices of bread. The little crab cakes were each bursting with taste. Because it was so late neither of us wanted to have a whole plate of food so we split the main dish, battered fish fillet chips with fries. The Seafood Bar uses daily fresh products with the highest level of quality, the fish they serve is line caught, MSC certified and prepared with outstanding care and selection. We left the restaurant satisfied and eager to find more places to eat similar to this one.  

(Lobster Soup)

(Crab cakes)

(Bar at the Seafood Bar, this restaurant was really photogenic!)

(Fish and Chips, so delicious!)

(Freshly caught fish)

(Most amazing dinner at The Seafood Bar)

We had one full day of touring Amsterdam the next day so we enjoyed a quick breakfast. After getting dressed I ran across the canal to C’est Magnifique, a café filled with freshly baked donuts, croissants, waffles and pastries. I brought back a bag of fresh pastries, but they looked so good and smelled heavenly that we ate them before I got a chance to take a photo.

(Waiting to order a few of these for breakfast at C'est Magnifique) 

Around lunch time we began to look for food. R was in the mood for a döner kebab so we rode our bikes to the center of Amsterdam to Fifty Döner. Just as it began to rain we found the restaurant and ordered. Each bite of the döner was filled with a creamy saucy and flavorful meat. A perfect lunch stop and easy meal to keep us biking through the city.

Several hours of biking around Amsterdam made us hungry again. We headed towards Jordaan, a quiet neighborhood west of the city center. A few weeks ago I had posted about our upcoming trip to Amsterdam and asked for any recommendations of where to eat. Rae from Love From Berlin recommended the Pancake Bakery, a forty three year old pancake restaurant inside of a former 17^th century warehouse. As we locked up our bikes and entered the place we were surprised by how full it was, and it was only late afternoon. 

R and I cozied up at a table and poured over the long list of pancake options. I picked the apple and Grand Marnier pancakes and R chose the banana pancake. And of course we ordered a side of bacon! On our table was also a large jar filled with dark thick liquid, as we waited for our pancakes R and I tried to guess what it could possibly be. We both guessed it would be a sweet and savory maple syrup. Once our pancakes arrived we poured a little of the mysterious liquid onto a small piece of our pancakes. It was the complete opposite of what we had guessed, the taste was closer to a spoonful of vegemite! For those of you unfamiliar with vegemite, think of a bitter, salty and yeasty flavor. Our pancakes were some of the best pancakes we have ever had and I want to thank Rae again for the recommendation! It was a real treat to eat there =o) 

(The mysterious syrup)

(Our huge pancakes and side of bacon)

To celebrate our time in Amsterdam and relax after a day of biking we headed to Casa di David. R had noticed it while we were riding around and thought it would be a great place to enjoy our evening. The atmosphere inside was welcoming and intimate. We sat at our table and ordered some of Amsterdam’s finest Italian food. We wanted to order pizza but because we got to the restaurant so late, they had already finished making pizza for the night, next time we need to go earlier.

Instead R and I ordered the bruschetta con pomodoro e basilica (toasted Italian bread with fresh tomatos) to start and each ordered a plate of pasta, the spaghetti aglio olio e pepperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chilli) and the ravioli con ripieno di ricotta alla carbonara con asparagei selvaggi (ravioli stuffed with ricotta in carbonara sauce and wild asparagus). We ended up sharing both dishes because they were so delicious. I only managed to get a photo of the ravioli, because again the food looked so good I forgot to take a picture =o) But I did get a quick one on my phone...

(Not the best photo, candle light isn't the best lighting for my phone camera but trust me this dish was  divine)

Just within the day and a half that we explored Amsterdam’s cuisine we got to indulge ourselves and enjoy each dish. There were so many restaurants we wanted to stop at and didn’t have enough time, but that only means we will have to return again soon =o)

(I love a cup of espresso with my favorite treat - a mini stroopwafel! - espresso from the pancake bakery)

The Seafood Bar | Spui 15, 1012 WX Amsterdam, Netherlands

C’est Magnifique Café | Leidsestraat 18, 1052 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands

Fifty Döner | Monnikenstraat 12, 1012 BP Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Pancake Bakery | Prinsengracht 191, 1015 DS Amsterdam, Netherlands

Casa di David | Singel 426, 1017 AV Amsterdam, Netherlands

x the Adventurer