Brian B

What a joy amsterdam in the sun is, and a good excuse to try a few more flavours at the ijscuypje, must say the omas appeltart is quite good and the boeren jongens is not bad either. Noticed that a new burgermeester has opened by the artis so popped in for a good burger with a very good baked potato and a very reasonable price. Really is weather for eating on the go, we had a great picnic in the Westerpark last week and it seemed half of Amsterdam had the same idea,but there were high spirits all round and a very positive vibe. Will be interesting to see how the city is during vacation as there is normally a mass exodus this weekend, hopefully some more room on the better terrraces, What are peoples favourites? As I am in the east/centrum I like Plancius for Lunch,Kadijksplein in the afternoon and Studio K in the evening. Enjoy the sunshine all.

Just had a very nice meal at Blauw an de Waal in Amsterdam on saturday, funny location in the heart of the red light district, but quite removed from the madness outside. A very nice knowledgeable host and a good balanced menu with carefully chosen wines by the galss. Would definetly recommend it. Was wondering about good coffee in the city which can be at times awful, my current favourites are the Coffee Saloon on Utrechtstraat and Tramazzini on Haarlemerstraat, if anyone knows of more please let me know as am happy to cycle far for a good cup. Would also recommend De Puur Markt, which is in Frankendeel on the last sunday of each month, weather permitting it is a lovely day with some good produce (food and non food) and some things to keep the kids happy.(i do have an interest in this as we sell olives on the market). Also good news for Ice Cream lovers as the Ijscuype from the Albert Cuyp markt has opened on the Prinsengracht on the corner of the Eilands gracht. Very good quality and not bad value too.

I do like the idea of convergence and it seems a natural process within a metropolis like Manhattan or London,but outside of these two great cities I feel it would be down to an individual like D. Chang or in London someone like Peter Gordon who have the palette,skill and grasp of a bigger picture that enables them to do it at a higher level. To me it would still be at the trailblazer stage,its when the people around these great individual cooks clearly get it and are themselves able to pass on the knowledge then we could really consider it a proper movement.

Just watched clips now and very excited about the rest to follow,well done Matthew and looking forward to updates.

had a very good meal at Beulings last week,was quite impressed and will definetly go back,3 course dinner for €35 that includes appetizers,Bread and pettitfours at the end of the meal,you can extend this to 4 or 5 courses if the hunger is upon you.One of those meals that was suprisingly good and left me in a happy mood. Beulings,9 Beulingsstraat, 0203206100 For a sweet fix it would be worth checking out kuyt on the Utrechtstraat,they are master pastry chef and one of the best in North Holland,they also have a cafe next door. De kaashuis tromp across the road should have most cheeses you are looking for including Epoisses and some good munster. there is an excellent new bakers on the Nieuwendijk 35, funny spot for a gourmet bakers but it is a lovely premises that do good pastries and excellent french style bread which you can see being baked while you munch on your croissant. Gebr. Niemeijer, Franse Bakkerij, 0207076752 Your list seems quite comprehensive so I hope you have a great time here in Amsterdam

I have just started to sell organic olives and delicatessa on the buttermarkt on fridays,but also stock rustichella pasta,and really good italian jarred tomato sauces,if your around call down to the stall. Was there on good friday and it snowed on and off all morning,was so cold the oil in the marinades for the olives set hard. Have not had time to look around but will try to follow up some of your suggestions,good coffee is always worth seeking in Holland.

Funny thing is the restaurant that I just handed in my notice too has just offered to double my hourly rate,have told them i can only work two days a week and they said that was fine and were just happy that I can help them out of a bad situation they have got themselves into. This comes after I recently found out how much a friend for whom i had done some catering was charging for my labour,just under 2.5 times what he was paying me. This is one of the reasons I am giving up cooking for a while,chefs do not get paid a rate that is realistic for the work they do and if you are good enough play hardball and you will be suprised what could happen,I certainly was, and for the first time feel in control of what is happening to my career and relatively guilt free.Am already planning on cooking for friends that have been neglected due to work and it is the best thing one can do with your passion;share it with those you care for.

Have just handed in my notice in the restaurant I am working at and intend to stop working in restaurants to concentrate on the business I set up on the side. Having worked as a chef from the age of 19 to 31 am wondering if it is possible to give it up,would love to hear from anyone who has made the step away from the stove. The business I set up is selling organic olives at markets in North Holland so still feel quite connected to food and produce but am wondering how much I will miss the buzz of a busy good service. I will be helping out a friend who has a catering buisness and am importing cheese into Holland from Ireland so keeping busy is not a problem but have a bit of a fear about becoming a civilian and no longer a cook. Advice appreciated.

looking for some good ideas for Sevilla,as am heading there on the 2nd March -6th and really want a few pointers for good tapas and one great sit down meal. also if there any olive oil producers close by that would be worth a visit.

Myself and my girlfriend are going to Tokyo for two weeks in Sept, and we are already excited about the prospect, we really want to experience a good range of food experiences and are planning our budget accordingly. Any advice would be great as we think we can go for 2 never to be repeated experiences aswell as many middle dining experiences as can be had. A bit of an open topic I know but we have friends who live in Tokyo, so a place to stay is sorted leaving more room and money for other things. I know it is a good way off and I will update the idea closer to the time but we would like to plan some time outside the Tokyo area so any ideas would be appreciated.We will be in japan for 2 weeks and we have a real interest in organic foods and artisan producers of foods and materials.

I would definetly recommend Oud Sluis, was there last January with my girlfriend and had a great experience, a great meal and special service, we also stayed close by at a great guesthouse were the owner drove us to the restaurant and we were dropped back that night by one of the chef de rangs, in Sergios 4x4. Very happy memories and then spent the next day in Brugges relaxing and remembering a special night.

I have been selling olives at a biological market in Amsterdam for around six months and the amount of plastic 350ml containers that we have gone through is frightening,I have asked customers to reuse and will start to offer a 10cent refund,but I do find that people are reluctant to do this for various reasons. If anyone has a contact for a European distributor of food safe degradable containers please let me know.

You can make a really nice flavoured oil,100g of rind to 250ml of light olive oil couple of sprigs pf thyme ,1 sprig of rosemary heat till bubbles are apearing and take of the heat, allow it to sit in kitchen while doing other things then strain at the end of the night and keep in the fridge. Makes a great base for any salad involving parmesan or for dip for crunchy bread.

Hi all, just getting off the boullion issue to share some recent experiences, had a good meal at Toscannini, was very busy and at times the staff seemed a bit stretched but enjoyed a good meal that was the most authentic italian Ive had in while,would definetly go back. Had a slightly dissapointing meal at Plancius close to Artis,this is a local restaurant that my girlfriend and i enjoy but when we brought friends recently it was not a good experience, again the floor was understaffed(is this a dutch thing),the food under seasoned and unremarkable and the restaurant manager very much out of his depth. A bit embarassing after singing the places praises earlier in the afternoon. Will be back for lunch which is quite good but not for dinner. Borderwijk was a much more satisfying experience,(a heftier bill to boot). They do quite a good job in transforming quite an ordinary room and there was a good buzz about the place,the chef who we know to see from the market came to the table (as he does to all) and gave a description of the dishes on the carte,a nice touch. An amuse of eel was a great start follwed by tuna carpachio for the better half and terrine of chicker and foie for myself, then halibut for esther and sweetbreads for me, followed by a good cheeseboard. All helped down with a quality pinot whose name escapes me. waldorf on eilandgracht is a reliable Italian and have not been let down,pancakes on the nine streets has not settled yet, went in and sat myself down the girl on the floor was not in control at all and was having big problems,two tables walked out in the time it took me to finish my coffee so thought the pancakes could wait another day,it is a good concept but the execution was terrible. The olives are going well,we are now on the bio market on tuesdays in Amsteelveen and will be starting in Zeeburg at the end of the month on Wednesdays. Have also started to import Irish farmhouse cheeses and have got the cheese into 5 shops in Amsterdam so am quite excited about that too, will keep you all posted.

Was back in Dublin last week and was lucky to be able to fit in lunch at Mint and dinner at Locks, both were very good and was happy to see Dublin supporting two good restaurants with young chefs doing there own but different things. Mint was very good,the lunch deal of 3 courses for €36 is a good deal in my opinion,the fact that the room was empty probably has everything to do with its out of centre location because it was the best lunch I have had in Dublin in terms of food execution and combinations of taste and texture. I had the Veal Shin with Ravioli of Veal and a Langoustine Boudin to start, a very busy plate with 8-9 different things on the plate,which posting the week after I cannot fully recall but it did work and felt the combinations complimentary. The lamb with cauliflower puree, coco beans,onion and a dried ham , a lot going on but the flavours did work and there was a reason for them being on the plate and the skill level involved in bringing it all together quite admirable. The poached Apricot with pistachio anglaise was a winner,the sauce being poured at the table to add a bit of drama and hard to fault,the apricot nicely poached with some apricot puree complimenting the richer pistachio anglaise and mousse. All in all areally good lunch which left me wanting to come back again for dinner, had a quite professionalism about the staff and were most accomadating to a slightly scruffy unreserved guest. All I can say is hop on the luas its 5 mins from the centre of Dublin. Next stop Locks,a very different restaurant and cuisine,having worked for Troy I must declare some previous but was happy to see him in the relatively relaxed enviroment(compared to the madness of gueleton),the room is bright and welcoming and I really like that part of the city. Arrived with the folks around 8 and sat with a glass of cremant while looking at the menu,definet memories of gueleton but with a bit more luxury and naturally more expensive. I went for the snails, my mother the Mackerel and the father had the terrine, all were good and the terrine stood out, my snails came with a rich smoky sauce pieces of bacon(possibly ventreche)onions and mushrooms exactly what I expected and none the worse for it some petit salad leaves of set the richness quite nicely. The Mackerel salad lacked some oomph but my mother enjoyed,Did not get to taste the terrine of chicken and foie as my father had demolished without an offer of a taste but assured me it was excellent. A complimentary salad of baked sheeps cheese with jamon and truffle honey was the stand out dish of the night. The selection of mains is again a step up form Gueleton, with halibut and lambs rack both on offer which shows the kitchen has the time and space for some more finesse and precision. But having been away for a while it was hard to resist the rib eye withe bernaise and homemade frites and it did not let me down. The father had the lamb and again was most impressed and it seemed a good balanced dish with the braised potatoes with bacon delicious. My Mother had the best steak she has ever eaten,all helped with a good languedoc from a producer I cant remember(visiting Dublin does not do much for the brain cells). The desserts were very early geuleton and the ice creams as good as ever,the blanc manger was dissapointing and the portion sizes and earlier gluttony left me unable to finish the good brownie I had chosen. The service was good and the restaurant busy with a more mature crowd than gueleton. Speaking to Troy he seems happy and is glad to be able to give the dishes a bit more time,I cant compare it to London restaurants but in terms of mid range dublin places it is very good, I would not compare Mint and Locks as they are on different levels and have a completely different style. The lunch I had at Mint was a stand out in gastronomic terms but its hard to beat going out somewere nice with your Mum and Dad