L'Ozio made it to my top 3 Italian restaurants in Amsterdam

For my graduation last Friday, my parents treated me and some of my girlfriends to a dinner at l'Ozio on the Ferdinand Bolstraat in the old Pijp. 

My visit to l'Ozio took place roughly two weeks ago, on a Friday. Close by to where I live and with an in intriguing menu, it seemed like the right place to celebrate my third university degree with my parents and a couple of girlfriends.

Overall we managed to sample quite some dishes, but still leaving enough to indulge in during my following visit. Which I am hoping to take place shortly.
I ordered the octopus salad as a starter, platter to share, meat for the main course, and sampled a coquilles st. Jacques from the oven.

Octopus salad - Amazing. As a lover of almost all dishes including octopus, I really enjoyed it. The octopus was very well cooked, tender, and with a nice clean flavor. I could have eaten a second portion with no hesitation or regrets. Well, maybe regrets for a split second, upon realizing that the summer months are coming :P 

But then again, it was light, fresh and high in proteins, so I see great health benefits.
I also ordered the 'Degustazione dei nostri Salumi e Formaggi tipici' to share. A mouthful, I know, but I was happy about my mouth being full of the delicious Italian cold cuts and cheeses. I even asked the chef for the mane of the cheese we had. He wrote it down on a paper for me. Since I cannot find it at this moment, however, you will have to go to l'Ozio and try it yourself. Or wait until I update this review.

The main course I ordered was the 'Tagliata di Manzo al pepe verde'. Lean beef slices with a nice pepper sauce. The portion was the right size. Not too big, but also not too small. You should understand this in the following terms: I managed to finish it after having my starter and the shared platter on the one hand, while my dad was also satisfied with the portion, and did not complain of still being hungry on the other.

I skipped the desert as I was quite full, but from what I hear it was great. A quick coffee, and we were ready to hit the town for some light K'night celebrations. 

Verdict: I really enjoyed my dinner at l'Ozio. Great company, great food and good mood. What else do you need?

Excited about Taste!

I see how the topic of this post might have somewhat of a double meaning. But what I am referring to is the event Taste of Amsterdam, which is about to begin in less that 48 hours.

My participation in the event will start in roughly 28 hours from now. I will be joining a cooking workshop tomorrow evening, courtesy of Yelp! Amsterdam.
Chef Juan Robledo will be showcasing his expert cooking skills and making the signature dish of restaurant Bluespoon, in the AEG Makro Taste Theater.

I will be reporting on my experience during the evening, as well as on Friday afternoon.
FOOD!

xxx
A.

Food fetish month is coming up!

OK, fine, it is not an official thing. But, it might as well be.
Everyone who wants food (porn) all day every day must be jumping around with sincere excitement.
Even if you are not a sucker for Instagram posts of food made by you or anyone else in the world with internet access; trust me, you should be excited. Child in a candy shop excited; On a serious sugar rush.

So here is a list of what we should all be looking forward to:

Amsterdam Coffee Festival

I know, I know...not strictly food. But who are we kidding? Coffee is amazing, so it deserves its own weekend. Also, it is an amazing introduction of the month in which the weekends do not seem to be enough for all the binge eating.

When? 
Happening om the 2nd and 3rd of May at the NDSM-werf.

Who is gonna be there? 
Participants include Headfirst coffee roasters, Coffee Company, Lot Sixty One, and Food Kitchen for an additional epicurean edge.

Chek out their website for more info and tickets, or share the event with your friends.

Food Film Festival 

When?
Starting on the 9th of May. So for 3 days you will be able to stare at food in motion.

Films, workshop, lectures, parties, you shall have it all.
Here is a link to the event, as well as their official website, where you can also get your tickets.

Taste of Amsterdam 

When?
From 15th til the 18th of May.

But why? 
You can be eating dishes prepared by the crème de la crème.
Last year this time I had exams so I was not able to attend last year's edition. I was very bummed out, so I plan on making up for it. Were you obstructed as well? I suggest you follow my lead ;)

Who is gonna be there?
Just to mention some of the participating restaurants I got excited about:

- &Samhoud Places
- Aan de Poel
- Bridges
- Jaime van Heije (young talented chef!)
- Julius Bar & Grill
- Le Garage
- Screaming Beans
- The Harbour Club (Bring on the oysters and lobsters!)
- Vis aan de Schelde (Ditto)


Use this useful link to share with your friends, and get your tickets through the official website.

Dutch Rhubarb Week 2014

What a peculiar plant is this rhubarb! Totally in season and waiting to be used in creative ways from the 22nd until the 31st of May.

Organised by Mister Kitchen, who also co-organises the Weekend van de Rollende Keukens.

Het Weekend van de Rollende Keukens 

I mean, since we are on a roll with this food thing, we might as well.

When?
From Wednesday 28th til Sunday the 1st of June the Westerpark will be full of food trucks and tents.
Thank you Mister Kitchen and Pacific Park for organizing this event for the seventh time!

Last year I went twice, and I loved it! Some things were quite overpriced, that is true, but everything I had was delicious. I cannot wait to go again.

De Oysterkar - They had about 6 different kinds, tried them all

Rollende Keukens 2013

In Conclusion

Like seriously?! Are you freakin' kidding me?

All in all, I got overly thrilled just by writing this post. That cannot be healthy.
Also, I am fairly convinced that you will agree with me than May is not the month to start working on your beach body.

xxx A.

Burger lunch in Du Cap (Old West)

One not so nice April Monday noon I was in the Rozengracht area (Jordaan), and since I rushed out of my house disregarding my basic human needs, I was starving!

Ignoring my better judgement that the search for 'a new interesting and great brunch place' when really hungry is usually ineffective and disorganised, I biked into the Old West neighborhood. Obviously many places were closed; it being Monday.
Just as I was about to settle for Bagels & Beans, which I thought of when I realised that Screaming Beans on the Eerste Constantin Huygensstraat is also closed on Mondays, I biked past Du Cap. In fear of fainting from hunger during the next rain shower, which was well on its way, I decided to embrace the unknown and pop in.

First moments

After a quick and rather embarrassing encounter with a woman who was speeding towards me, so I mistook her for a waitress, I found myself a spot at a high table in the middle of the room. Only a couple of minutes later a waitress came to my table. This time it was an actual waitress, and I would like to note she had a much nicer attitude than the one who almost ran over me as she was on her way to grab the daily newspaper.

Speaking of waitresses and niceness - I always feel that when it comes to staff in Amsterdam 'horeca', being nice is a rarity. In most places the staff is exuding this bizarre I-am-bothered-by-you vibe. I do not want to get into this now, but in order to not leave things in the middle, I recommend you take Vice's test assessing your eligibility for the Amsterdam hospitality industry.

The decor is quite nice. Hues of blue, as their website suggests. Which I checked out as I sat down.

They should definitely put some pictures online. I usually check the website before I go to a new place in order to assess the atmosphere, as well as to figure out the appropriate dress code.

I found these hat-lamps above the reading table quite intriguing

Food

I ordered a cappuccino, bottle of sparkling water and the 'Du Cap' special burger. When I read in the ingredients pickles and BBQ sauce, I was immediately sold. I LOVE PICKLES!

My drinks arrived. I was very happy about the water being S. Pellegrino. Not that I terribly mind other ones, but I like S. Pellegrino the most, so it always makes me a tad more happy. The cappuccino was nice: I really needed that caffeine kick. My burger also arrived rather quickly. Side note: there were not that many people in the restaurant at the time of my order. 

My burger came with fries and salad greens. You can also order the burger without fries.

'Du Cap' burger

Even though I am not sure they make it themselves, the BBQ sauce was great. The meat patty was nice and juicy. I could have personally done without the cheese, but for people who like their burger with a crunchy cheese slice it's a win. I enjoyed the onions in the burger a lot. They were not quite caramelized yet, but were softened so they got the nice sweet flavor, and complemented the BBQ sauce nicely.The bun was also the right size, not too thick or too dry. The mayonnaise was nice. Ketchup - not so much.

The overall taste of the burger was really nice. It was very filling. The greens were also nice and fresh. I did not finish my fries. On one part because I was really full, and on the other because they could have used some more crunch. 

For a kick out of my food coma, I ordered an espresso. Smooth, no sugar needed. I love coffee :D

In sum

Food: The coffee was very nice. The burger BBQ sauce and patty were great. The fries could have been more 'crisp' on the outside.

Price:

Burger with fries - 12,00 euro

S. Pellegrino 0.75 l - 4.50 euro

Cappuccino - 2,50 euro

Espresso - 2,25 euro

Total: 21.25 euro

Staff: Friendly until the very end.

Atmosphere: Due to the weather conditions I could not sit outside. I imagine it being really nice on a sunny day, as it is situated on a sunny square. I like the color blue, so the interior was to my liking. Although, first I had the impression of the theme being 'the seaside', which I later was no longer so sure about. There is a bit of a bistro feeling, but then not really. Bottom-line: Blue, not too complicated.

xxx
A.

P.S.: Keep your eyes open for my upcoming post "Bloody Monday, why is everything closed? I am hungry!"

Oslo

Oslo is not a city in cold Norway.

Ok, fine, it is.

But Oslo is also a nice and warm spot in Amsterdam Oost (or East, if we are keeping it English).

It is my second time here, and for a second time I am very satisfied with establishment. So far I have only experienced what Oslo offers for lunch, but they also serve dinner and fiction as a bar in the evening.

As for the food, here is what I had:

Main course the first time: 

Eggs Benedict 

I thought the dish was great. Although served in a non-standard way (on a bread roll) they were very tasty. For me, when it comes to eggs Benedict, the 2 most essential factors are 1) the runniness of th poached eggs, and 2) the Hollandaise. Both of the elements were great, so I did not mind the bread. 

During my second visit I ordered:

Cappuccino

Fresh mint tea

Croque Madame (very nice, they uses appropriate cheese and the fried egg on top was still with a runny yolk, making for a nice 'sauce' for the croque)

Dark chocolate cake (from Holtkamp)

As to the service - good, even when it got busy around 12:30. Extra treat after WC - lollipop. I guess a reward for washing your hands?

Overall it was a great success. But now I need to get back to my exam prep. 

Xx

Culinary trip to the Italian island of Sardinia

Last week I visited an Italian restaurant in the Oud Zuid neighborhood called Sardegna. I went there with a good friend of mine - Gala. I have maybe mentioned her before, but she is undeniably my buddy for food loving in Amsterdam. After spending some months in vibrant New York doing her internship at the MET, she came back to Amsterdam to finish her thesis. Her new place is in the center of Oud Zuid, which makes up for a great excuse for us to explore what culinary treats it has to offer.

Our pick for a Friday evening dinner - Restaurant Sardegna.

We came in around Dutch dinner time - 6pm ish - with no reservation, but after waiting for only about 10 minutes (I am guessing we were lucky with that one), we were seated at a little table for two.

First of all, I must say, I quite liked the decor of the place. I am rather positive that the true reason for that was that the first thing that I noticed on one of the restaurant walls when we entered was a big posted of Marlon Brando with a cat on his lap, taken out of the Godfather movie. And I love that movie. And I totally love Brando's depiction of Vito Corleone in that movie. Just spectacular in my eyes.

Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone

Second of all, I personally think that the feeling when you enter the restaurant is way warmer than depicted on the pictures on the website of the restaurant. Which is a good thing. When it comes to Italian food, you want to feel warm, homey and happy. There is this certain buzz I have in mind when I think of good Italian food.

The bar - While waiting to be seated you can have a drink at the bar

It was full house that evening

As to the food, I really enjoyed what I ordered. We started of with an appetizer of oven baked aubergine with tomato and mozzarella filling. Gala and I decided to share it, but we established that this appetizer was not made for sharing, as the portion is quite small. Nonetheless, it was a tasty bite to begin the dinner.

For main we ordered two different things. Gala ordered the Filetto al Ferri, which was a grilled lean cut of grilled beef fillet. I ordered the Agnello con miele e tartuffo, which was a delicate lamb meat marinated in honey and truffles. Though the taste of the beef was a bit on the blander side, the lamb was delicious. It was obviously a good quality meat and it was very well done. The dish is quite sweet, due to the honey marinade, but the combination of honey and truffles is something I have not had yet. I found it to be a very interesting combination that worked with the lamb very well. As a side we were served oven baked potatoes with rosemary and broccoli. 

Oven potatoes and broccoli side

Delicious lamb with a honey-truffle marinade

For dessert we also picked two different dishes. Gala chose a panna cotta with coffee sauce, while I opted for the other Italian classic - the tiramisu. Both of them were very delicious. As for the portion, the panna cotta is definitely a one-person dish, but the tiramisu can be also shared with two people. The tiramisu was very light with a distinct coffee taste finish.

Tiramisu

As for the wine, I picked the house wine, since I was the only one drinking wine. The house wine was ok, a good all rounder. However, if you are not the only one drinking, I would definitely suggest to consider one of the bottled red wines they offer, as the move spicy ones would compliment the lamb more. 

Finally, the service was very good. The staff was very friendly and involved. They were not afraid to give suggestions if asked, and made sure to come by the table often enough. They came by just the right amount of times. They were neither too pushy, nor scarce. They hit the perfect middle, so the service definitely deserves a positive mention. 

Great food and great company makes for a great evening. 

Easy dinner?

Today I came back from my Christmas holiday in Slovakia. Seeing my parents was awesome, as was my mami's Christmas dinner food. Which, unfortunately I only could eat in the last days - thanks stomach flu!

So in the past two days I have been trying to make up for the Christmas binge eating I missed out on, and I think I am being quite successful.

Also, while some people would prefer sleeping after spending half a day traveling, in the airplane and then in the city public transportation, I decides to make myself some easy dinner. I am physically quite well, I think, but I think my sanity might have suffered under the absence of the usual amounts of food consumed per one of the Christmas days.

Spanish paella in Amsterdam next to Panama

Mashua - Peruvian fusion on the Prinsengracht

Let me start by saying that I do not have an overwhelming knowledge of Peruvian food, but from the little experience I have with it, I established that the Peruvian cuisine is a very exciting one.

When consuming a good Peruvian dish you feel like your tastebuds have been taken on a joyride. The flavors are strong, but not heavy. Your dish can be creamy, but is fresh at the same time. A sudden twist of lime, or a flake of chili gives the food a surprise element, and its distinct wow-effect.

For quite a while I have been thinking of enriching my Amsterdam culinary experience by heading to a Peruvian restaurant. Casa Peru was the one I had in mind. As far as my knowledge goes, I believe that is the oldest Peruvian restaurant in Amsterdam. It is on the Leidsegracht, which gives it a great location while being just out of the sight of the tourist flocks.

Though this restaurant with traditional Peruvian food is on my restaurant to-do-list, it is not a place you an head to every day. Since I was going out for a casual dinner with a friend, I suggested to go to Mashua. I knew it was a Peruvian restaurant as well, and a friend of mine told me that her experience there was great. So why not?

Mashua - Peruvian fusion restaurant on Prinsengracht (crossing with Leidsestraat)

We went to the restaurant on a quiet Wednesday evening, so we did not have to wait or fight for a table :)
The waiter was very happy and welcoming, promptly got us a menu card and a wine card.
After looking at all the delicious choices, we picked.

The meal was delicious. I am rarely out of words...But "Oh my, God, this is delicious" was pretty much the only thing that my friend and I could say for about 15 minutes.
After finishing our dishes, we called the waiter and sent our compliments to the chef. I don't remember doing that in a very long time.

Delicious, delicious, delicious!

Next pleasant surprise - the bill. For a total of 70 euro (including a good tip) we had 2 mains and a bottle of Verdejo.

Main courses:
1) Lobster (whole) with cheese filled tortelloni (excuse me if I did not get the type right) with a delicious sauce, and a quinoa salad with beans, ruccola and chili on the side

2) Duck breast with rice, with lemon and vegetable sauce (this is a very simplistic description, which does not even come close to the deliciousness I had on my plate)

Would I come to eat here again? Absolutely!


And a interesting side note: Mashua and Casa Peru share the same owner. Casa Peru is traditional, while Mashua serves a slightly more affordable Peruvian fusion.


Xx

(p.s.: sorry for the pictures that do not do the food justice)

Lunch break at Café George

The morning fog lifted and the sun came by to say hello.
There are many ways of celebrating this fall rarity.
I chose some eggs Benedict and a fresh mint tea on the canal.

Exploring Oud Zuid for lunch

It has been a while since I visited a new place for lunch in my neighborhood. After a drunk conversation with a friend of mine about great lunch places, he pointed me to a place on the Cornelis Schytstraat. Though unsure about the name, after my morning class in criminal law, I decided to indulge myself with a nice brunch.

I drive up and down the Corbelis Schuyt, and decided to go to Brasserie De Joffers. I soon realized that I have been here before (I remember some quite nice scrambled eggs with salmon and kaviar after coming back from holidays sometime last year).

However, I have not sat inside. I ordered a coffee and started looking at the menu. After a tough decision between the Club Martini Deluxe sandwich (with chicken, avocado, tomato and basil mayonnaise), and a Hamburger Royal, I went for the Italian bun with beef and truffled egg and spicy cheddar cheese. At least I know that I will pick the club sandwich next time.

I ordered some French fries to accompany the burger and I one needs to eat a lot of fruit and veggies every day :)

My burger was great, the French fried were also nice. Overall, I am very satisfied with my choice and the preparation.
Hence - will be coming here again soon!

My Amsterdam To Do List for September

It has been 5 full days since I have not left my house (and I do not count the 20 seconds necessary for throwing my trash out yesterday evening). I have been mainly bed-bound, since I have contracted the chicken pox. Most people have this illness when they are in kindergarden or elementary school. The few others, people like me, have managed to successfully dodge it. At least until last weekend, when I most likely contracted it when I was doing some volunteer work at a farm for kids. My friend made a good comment about this "That's some weird karma right there". I must agree.

Anyways, since I am feeling much better now, I started thinking of all the things I can be doing out in Amsterdam, once I can actually get out of my house without being a health hazard to my surroundings.

So here is are some things that are on my list:

1. The Stedelijk Museum
I have been waiting for this for so long! The museum has been closed for ever, and not even the interns there knew when exactly it would be opening. I wish my friend Gala would be here, with whom we have discussed this museum countless times.

Read more about the reopening here.

2. Unseen Photo fair
First time I heard about this was around a month ago from a German friend of mine. I was immediately intrigued, and put a mental marker on it. In the last 2 weeks I constantly see posts related to it in my Facebook feed. All of my friends in Amsterdam seem to be going nuts about it. So there is only one this left to do - Go see it myself.

For more info check out the website here.

3. The Begijnhof
The last time I was here was probably one of the first times I visited Amsterdam. I would definitely describe it as the secret garden hidden in the most busy touristic area of the city. Right next to the busy Kalverstraat and the Dam square, you can find this beautiful, tranquil, and somehow magical garden. This time I am gonna go see it as a resident of Amsterdam.

Check out the website here

Finally, here is one for wishful thinking - Inside Design, which was features in ELLE Decoration.
I was really hoping I could go see this one, but my chicken pox did not agree. In case I would look better on Sunday, I would love to catch the last day. But the realist in me, knows that it is probably something for next time.

Fashion's Night Out - Amsterdam Edition

Exactly a week ago I was leaving the P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, after a very nice evening dedicated to fashion. The little shopping and pretty-things addict in me was rejoicing the happening of that day, but definitely the happening of the month in Amsterdam - Vogue's Fashion's Night Out. 

For the first time Vogue organized this evening, full of events happening in the famous Dutch department store De Bijenkorf (meaning 'beehive'), and on the renown high fashion shopping street P.C. Hooftstraat in the Museum District of Amsterdam. 

The event started at 6pm and lasted until 10pm on the P.C. and until 11pm in the Bijenkorf. Needless to say, there was no realistic scenario in which 4 hours would be enough for me to go check out all the sports I wanted to. Therefore, I decided to calm down a little, and enjoy the things I can see to the fullest.

After trying on and tossing clothes to the side for about an hour and a half, I figured out what to wear and hurried to meet two of my friends at the Bijenkorf for the viewing of the fashion documentary "Diana Vreeland: The eye has to travel". Excited, but not with too many expectations, I joined my friends on the top floor of the Bijenkort where the first screening started at 18:45.

And OMG! The movie was so well done! It is made as an interview with Diana Vreeland, the figure who made Vogue Vogue. And there was one thing on my mind during the movie: "Wow, this woman is so funny!". This woman was the pioneer of crazy awesome fashion shoots and daring editorials. But I will not get into the detailed biography if this interesting woman, as I am sure I would not do better that Wikipedia. I will, however, post the official trailer to the documentary to spare you the YouTube search.

After watching the documentary, we made use of the cab service. There were three types of 'vehicles' - the Vogue FNO Mercedes, the Moet & Chandon tuk tuks, and the Tommy Hilfiger yellow cabs. Though the tuk tuk with a glass of champagne sounded awesome, we decided not to be picky (as the line was about 15 minutes of waiting, and it was quite cold outside), and hopped into one of the Vogue Mercedes cars with a sympathetic young driver who, though professional, did not manage to keep a straight face during the 15 minute ride. Not that he did not try. Let's just say that the conversation we were having was very girly and full of entertaining anecdotes, which did not start with "that one night, we decided to stay sober".

Finally, we arrived at the P.C. Hooftstraat. Almost every store had something going on. The huge line at Chanel made us suppress our desiree to see the special edition lipstick and nailpolish, so we continued down the street, and after a brief stop and the Frozz frozen yoghurt stand in front of the Italian luxury store Iceberg, we  headed to Filippa K. 

Filippa K did not not disappoint. We were greeted by the DJ's dancey tunes form the second floor of the store, which we sipped on a glass of champagne. To avoid the alcohol hitting the head, the guests were served finger-food (on a stick), which was delicious. A ball of goat cheese covered in pistachio and honey, or a trendy take on a simple meatball...it was delicious, and definitely excited the foodie in me as well. After browsing through the pretty clothes of the Scandinavian designer store, we decided to quickly check out some other spots on the street.

DJ at the Filipa K store

We entered the Diesel store, where the party was full power. Dimmer lighting, loud music. White wine, Russian Mules, Peroni, and Pellegrino. The whole shabang. It was definitely more about the Diesel motto, than about their clothes that evening :)

We continued to Hermes. My motto when entering the store "Indulge the eye, with what the wallet cannot buy". And we did. The experience was made even more magical by a handsome young gentleman who set a little paper on fire and turned it into a light-orange rose. Which he then turned into two...and that one in another two...until all the ladies watching had a rose to take home. And when you would look at it at home, you would dream of that Hermes bag.

After exiting dream land, we went to Karen Millen, where we savored a nice glass of pink champagne while checking out the new collection. Soon we headed back to Filippa K. to meet the rest of our friends. By now the shops were closing and the quite tunes of the DJ in Filippa K. had tuned to a fun party, which everyone was enjoying outside. 

For some the evening ended there, for others at the after-party in the Conservatorium. My evening ended up with some beers with a couple of my friends at a bar in the centre of Amsterdam.

Fun night!

Live music to close down the evening

The Zara Home store was ready for visitor since the morning

Old school ride

Tommy Hilfiger yellow cab is parked at the store at 4pm

The last preparations for the evening are going on

Nothing says festive as some gold and silver balloons - Nice job, Oger!

Make space for fashion!

The cover comes alive

The weather was kind the whole day