wow chufi, this is just what I've been looking for, someone else blogging about food in Amsterdam in English! and blogging excellently...big yay. great, great posts...
i'd like to add a couple of recommendations (um, actually eleven at last count)...these would be things I would really really miss if I left Amsterdam for any length of time.
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1a)
Broodje Pom at
De Tokoman, Waterlooplein 327.
As you probably know if you're on this page, a broodje is a sandwich. As you may not know, pom is a Surinamese casserole, sort of. It's a baked, kind of Thanksgiving-y seeming dish with pomtajer (taro root), chicken, orange juice, a sort of bacon (zoutvlees), and nutmeg, with slight variations. When you order a Broodje Pom at De Tokoman, one of the extremely pleasant ladies behind the counter will ask if you want "zuur and peper" on it, and you definitely do: zuur is a yellow cabbage/carrot/onion relish, usually called an atjar...peper is fiery madame jeanette (scotch bonnet relative) pepper relish.
Anyway, the creamy comfort of the pom casserole combined with the tart relish and the (usually) gentle smoky heat, all on a crispy baguette...you get the picture. The Hete Kip broodje is also nice (spicy chicken), as are many of their other sandwiches--I just never really got over those two. Buy a cold coconut water to cool off with.
1b)
Broodje Chili Kip at
De Hapjeshoek, Metrostation Waterlooplein 6.
Another Suriname/Indonesian sandwich place, across the street from the Tokoman. This one's down in the subway station underneath the opera house (Stopera) and Waterloomarkt. Same general setup, but I find his pom to be less appealing. Instead order a broodje Chili Kip (also 2,50 i think, maybe 3,00). It's just sauteed chicken with both mild and hot peppers and onions on freshly baked bread, but executed perfectly and spicy as heck. Same drill, when he asks if you want peper and zuur, say yes...he makes his own zuur, which in this case are homemade, pink-tinged cucumber pickles, while the Tokoman's are off-the-shelf bright yellow atjar. Another great sandwich here is the Kip Ketjap, a dark sweet Indonesian chicken with ketjap manis.
2)
Lamahcun/Turkse Pizza at
Mercan Patisserie, Rozengracht 148.
They have great boreks and baklava here as well, probably because they're primarily a real bakery (as opposed to a bakery storefront, where everything is made offsite) and they make everything themselves. But, they also have a fine, fine version of the ubiquitous lamahcun (called Turkse pizza on Amsterdam menus), which is an oven-blistered flatbread coated with ground lamb, pomegranate syrup, garlic, tomato, and spices. When you order, she'll ask you if you want everything on it (she might say, "Alles erop?") and you say yes. A handful of chopped onions, lettuce, and red cabbage are placed on top of it, and THEN you get a squirt of a garlic-yogurt sauce and a squirt of spicy red sambal sauce on top. It's then rolled tight like a burrito, and you walk out as happy as anyone else in the city for the next 5 minutes.
This is not the only place to get a great Turkse pizza, but this is one of the few I've had that is truly excellent and reliable in the center of town, and where I can heartily recommend the rest of their offerings as well. There might be another Mercan on the Nieuwendijk, at the very top near the Singel, but they might not have a pizza oven. Another very reliable source is
Kismet (Kinkerstraat 350), but they're a bit further off to the west. They also have an Albert Cuypmarkt location, but last time I visited they didn't have a pizza oven (the rest of their food is very nice, a lot of stuffed vegetables).
And having said all that: a "bad" Turkse pizza is still not that bad. And if it is, you're usually only out 2 euro or so. So at least have one somewhere if you can't get to Mercan or Kismet. The Albert Cuypmarkt and surrounding streets (for example, the corner of Van Woustraat and Albert Cuyp) offer an especially good chance for your hits to outnumber your misses.
3)
Kibbeling , Gebakken Mosselen, Krabsalade at
Volendammer Vishandel 't Centrum, Haarlemmerdijk 4.
Well, I've listed three of my favorites above (fried cod, fried mussels, and crab salad), but every single thing I've ever eaten here has been sterling, which explains the constant line out the door (I say out the door, but it's a small place. The line's never longer than 10 people), I guess. So, in order to not have to stand in line more than once: if I were you, I'd definitely get 1) something fried, 2) a sandwich, and 3) some herring. At least. Their smoked salmon is excellent too. Let's tackle these in order.
When you hear the words "something fried", don't think of generic cheap-style fried seafood, 1 part breading to 2 parts marine life. This is just the barest coating of thin batter, and the other 90% or so is fish. Cod, or kabeljauw, is the most common choice, but their fried mussels are perfect as well. So, to order, you want a
bakje of kibbeling or mosselen, this is typically 150 grams or so (6 ounces?). Or you can just order by the gram. The cute-as-a-button girl behind the counter might tell you that it's only lukewarm and do you want to wait for a fresh batch. I wouldn't, it's still great lukewarm. She'll ask if you want sauce, and your choices are the Viswinkel Holy Trinity of ravigotte/tartar, knoflook/garlic, and cocktail/whisky. Cost: I think it's 2 euro per 100 grams, so 150 grams is..............3 euro.
Sandwiches? They make their own fish salads: smoked mackerel, herring and beet, paling (smoked eel), tuna, etc., and you can get these all on sandwiches. They're all good, but my favorite is the "crab salad", which is really surimi, but it's in an amazing dressing of mayo and oranges, just perfect on a hot day. So in this case you'd want a broodje krabsalade, or broodje makreel, etc. There's a menu on the counter.
And then herring. I'm not truly a convert to non-pickled herring yet. As in, I like
zure haring in a jar a lot, but if it's the fresher stuff (which is only very lightly cured), I still have to be in the mood for it. When I am though (beer is usually involved), I ask for it with uitjes (onions) and zuur (pickles).
Pay, and then squeeze your way out the door and walk across the street to the little bridge...there are some benches there where you can devour your catch.
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Well, it looks like this may require several posts...I obviously got all nostalgic about my old neighborhoods and was eating vicariously through my writing. Stay tuned, though, for the other 7 or so (if your curiosity is killing you or you're coming to Amsterdam imminently, the full (and growing) list is
here.
Edited by markemorse, 23 July 2006 - 06:14 AM.
