Amsterdam is one of the cleanest, most efficient cities that I have ever visited. Andrew and I were there for 3 days we did not set a foot in one single art museum….I know right. How could we not see the Dutch Masters in person?!?!?! We were having too much fun enjoying the food, the beer and the green spaces.
We’ll visit the museums next time, and the great thing about this part time gig that I have is that I know there will be a next time!
The food in The Netherlands was so good. Here are some of my favorite things that we ate while visiting.
- When we picked up the keys to our Airbnb we were given a tin of Stroopwafels, they were so good! They are a crisp waffle cookie split in two and glued back together with caramel, place one on top of your coffee to warm a bit and they are so gooey and good. Andrew practically ate the whole tin himself and we came back to the states with 4 more. You actually don’t need to go all the way to Amsterdam to eat these yummy little discs, I saw some at Target the other day.
- Bitterballen are a deepfried ball of goodness that comes with a side of mustard. These round croquettes are traditionally made with meat, but there are also vegetarian versions with cheese. After a few pints of beer they are a lifesaver.
- Indonesian food is also a must eat when visiting Amsterdam. Yep, you read that correctly, Indonesian. The Dutch arrived in Indonesia in the 16th century in search of cloves, nutmeg and pepper during the height of the spice trade. When the Dutch East India Company went bankrupt in 1800, Indonesia became colony of the Netherlands. During this period the Dutch embraced the Indonesian cuisine and the rest is history. Order the Rijsttafel, “rice table” which is a large meal of little Indonesian dishes meant to be shared. We ate at Sampurna.
- Another cuisine that I think you must try is Ethiopian. We had never eaten at an Ethiopian restaurant and I must say we’re now hooked! We even sought out another Ethiopian place when we went back to Brussels a couple of weeks ago. We ate at Abyssinia and ordered both meat and veggie dishes to share. The food was delicious and so was my mint tea.
- Indulge in Dutch desserts. How could you be in Amsterdam and not order Dutch Apple Pie? It was the perfect finish to our more traditional dinner of Wienerschnitzel and Dutch Stew.(no pictures of dinner I was too hungry) De Rozenboom was super cute and the staff were so nice. We also got a lovely strawberry tart while walking the markets, so good!
I basically eat my way through any city that I visit. I love to try new things and next time I go to Amsterdam, maaaaybe I’ll make it to the Van Gogh Museum. 😉
