I spent last weekend in Amsterdam. It rained and it rained and then rained a little bit more. Trekking from one food spot to the next was a damp experience, but worth it on every count. Here is a chronological account of the noteworthy things I ate in Amsterdam…

The Ice Bakery by Nutella

If you like Nutella paired with more sweet, sugary goodness then the Ice Bakery is a must. I had the ‘Nutellone’ which was like a doughnut, crammed full of the chocolatey goodness. I also had a Nutella hot chocolate which was so good and something I will try to replicate ASAP. My friends had waffles topped with whipped cream/bananas/Nutella (of course). This is certainly a must for an afternoon snack, they even have Nutella macaroons!

 

 

Frites

We got our humungous pile of chips from Chipsy King; there are three dotted around Amsterdam. There are plenty of places to find these delicious chips, just looks for ‘frites’ or ‘patats’. I got mine slathered in Dutch mayo which is pretty much mayo but has more of a sour cream taste. If you love your sauce then you’ll get your fair share with a portion of these…

 

 

The Pancake Bakery

       The Pancake Bakery was one of my favourite places that we visited. We had to queue for a little while but it was worth the wait. The cosy interior is full to the brim with tables. Each table has a selection of syrups to accompany your choice of pancake. We started with the poffertjes which are like mini, thick pancakes. We ordered them with butter and icing sugar. They were hot and sweet and tasted amazing. A perfect sweet starter. Next I had a banana and bacon pancake which I topped with syrup. It was cold and wet outside but after this meal we left feeling cosy and warm.

Brasserie Harkema

We stumbled across this place whilst exploring. The menu was more fine dining than any of the other places we ate. My friends had burgers which were nice but a little odd as they had meatball-style tomato sauce in them. I went for the cod which came with fresh gnocchi, tomatoes, spinach and courgette. It was a light lunch which was packed with flavour. Until this point, and afterwards we ate a lot of sweet, heavy dishes so this was a welcome change.

 

 

Van Stapele Koekmakerij

Make sure you locate this amazing place. A bakery that only sells one type of biscuit – a chocolate cookie which a gooey, white chocolate centre. We queued for a little while to put in our order. We then had to wait for the fresh batch to cool down before they were dished out. If you want a large amount it is worth calling ahead as they will put some aside. They are around €2 each.

 The Lobby

A place great for brunch, it was a lovely vibe. It feels like you’re sat in someones cosey, but decadent sitting room. Make sure you book ahead, especially on the weekends as they get very busy. I had the Flammkuchen which is a special pizza with a super thin base and covered with an even thinner layer of creme fraiche. On top was goats cheese, honey, thyme and pecans. It was light and flavoursome, a truly unique pizza.

Amsterdam is full of tasty treats. For my next trip I would like to go The Butcher and Burgerlijk. I would also like to try to stroopwaffles which are sold on the street. Overall, if you’re after a food filled few days then Amsterdam is the perfect destination. Be prepared to queue for places where you can’t book but try to book ahead if possible.