Tag: netherlands

Posted on

Japanese-Style Crispy Chicken

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. Having spent a few days in Delft at a conference, and meetings in Utrecht I took the train back to Schiphol Airport where I had booked a hotel, the CitizenM, which is literally next door to the airport.

I ordered some Japanese-Style Crispy Chicken, which was described as karaage inspired juicy chicken bites, served with lemon and Kewpie mayonnaise dusted with Japanese 7-spice.

This was beautifully presented dish and looked great. The chicken was cooked well, with a nice crispy coating. The spice level was perfect. I really enjoyed these.

Posted on

CitizenM Margherita Pizza

CitizenM Margarita Pizza

I am never really a fan of hotel pizza, either it’s a ready made base, or a ready made pizza. However there are exceptions. The Drayton Court Hotel for example has a proper pizza oven and use proper fresh pizza bases. 

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. Having spent a few days in Delft at a conference, and meetings in Utrecht I took the train back to Schiphol Airport where I had booked a hotel, the CitizenM, which is literally next door to the airport.

I did wonder about out the pizza, but once I saw what they looked like (as another guest had ordered pizza) I decided to have one for my dinner. You would think that if I was in the Netherlands that really I should be eating Dutch food. However there wasn’t anything typically Dutch on the menu.

I ordered the margherita pizza, this was a hand-stretched pizza topped with tomato sauce and rich buffalo mozzarella, with fresh basil. 

It wasn’t long before it arrived, and I have to say I was quite impressed. The base looked good, and I liked the addition of the fresh mozzarella and basil.

It was a really nice pizza and I enjoyed it. The base was nice and doughy, with an element of crispness. The tomato sauce was tasty and there was enough cheese on the pizza as well. They do a range of pizza, so there were other choices as well.

Posted on

Screaming Beans Flat White

Amsterdam

I was visiting the Netherlands attending a conference in Delft, I had some time before my flight home to explore part of Amsterdam. After walking around a bit, I decided to stop for a coffee.

I quite liked the look of Screaming Beans, even if the name was a little unnerving. I ordered a flat white and took a seat.

Flat white coffee on a table in a cafe

This was hand crafted coffee which looked great and was delicious. Though small and cosy, it was a welcoming environment and a pleasant place to spend some time drinking coffee.

Posted on

Ravioli al Tartufo

Delft

You would think that if I was in the Netherlands that really I should be eating Dutch food. The challenge I sometimes have when I am travelling abroad for work, is finding places to eat, but also finding places to eat that are within budget. Not that I sometimes mind paying more for excellent food, sometimes I do mind.

The last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2022 when I visited Amsterdam for a conference. This time I was attending a conference in Delft and attending meetings in Utrecht as well. 

Upon my arrival in Delft, I did have a chance to explore the city and looking around there were some nice looking places for dinner, but they all seemed out of budget. In the end I went to an Italian restaurant, Pavarotti, which is situated in what was the old railway station. It certainly doesn’t look like a station from the inside any more.

They had an extensive menu, but I decided I would have the ravioli al tartufo. This was filled pasta with wild mushrooms, cream sauce, truffle tapenade, mushrooms and arugula (rocket).

The pasta was well cooked and still had a bite. The sauce was nice and you could taste the truffle. The sauce did contain mushrooms, think I would I like to have had some wild mushrooms in there. Not sure how much the arugula added to the dish, but it was nice to have some greenery in the dish. I enjoyed the pasta.

Posted on

Coffee at Kaldi (again)

Amsterdam Canal

I was visiting the Netherlands attending a conference in Delft, I had some time before my flight home to explore part of Amsterdam.  After walking around a bit I remembered that the last time I was in the Netherlands was in October 2023 where I was in Amsterdam for a conference. Back then I had some time to explore the city as well and had a delightful coffee at Kaldi.

I decided I would try and find Kaldi again, though the obvious solution would be to be to use Google Maps, what I actually did was use Apple Photos find the picture of the coffee I had taken which had the geo-location data. I did then need to check Google Maps to see where I was and in my head work out a route.

I actually found it more easily than I thought I would.

Kaldi

I went in and ordered a flat white, and took a seat. It certainly is a popular place, more for coffee to go, than sit in. It wasn’t long before my coffee was ready, it looked great.

coffee on a table with a window in the background

The coffee was delicious and I really enjoyed sitting in Kaldi, drinking coffee, and watching the world go by through the window.

So, I guess, the next time I am in Amsterdam, I think I will try and find Kaldi again.

Posted on

Fries of Mine

I wasn’t really that hungry walking around the streets of Amsterdam but I was a little peckish. 

A few places caught my eye, but the prices were, well not eye watering, but not in my budget. 

I noticed that Ter Marsch & Co was quite popular, so looked at the menu, they did burgers. I wasn’t in the mood for a burger, but the signature fries looked interesting. You could also see into the serving area and I liked how they were making the signature fries.

I decided to go for the Fries of Mine, which had been winner of best fries 2020 (in the Netherlands). This was fries with truffle mayo, grated parmesan cheese, cheese-nut crumble, diced pork sausage, and fried parsley.

Despite the queue, it moved quite quickly and it wasn’t too long before I was ready to place my order. I ordered my fries at the counter and then took a seat. When my fries were ready, my number was called and I collected my fries.

They looked fantastic.

I was provided with a little wooden chip fork, personally I would have liked a bigger fork. The twice cooked chips were hot, with a crisp outside and fluffy inside. The topping was generous, but not overpowering. You could tell it was just the right amount as by the time I finished the box of fries, there was a small amount of topping left in the box. I never felt as though I was just eating plain fries.

This was a lovely place to eat fries, it was rather cosy, but that just added to the charm of the place. The service was welcoming, friendly and efficient.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to have, but I really glad I went here and I enjoyed my signature fries.

Posted on

Coffee at Kaldi

canal in Amsterdam

I was visiting the Netherlands attending a conference in Amsterdam, I had some time before my flight home to explore part of Amsterdam.  After walking around a bit more discovered Kaldi.

cafe frontage

This was a cosy nice looking coffee place. There was a short queue, and it wasn’t too long before I placed my order and then I could take a seat.  I had ordered a double espresso Cortado.

coffee

It didn’t take long for the coffee to be served, well they put it on the ledge in front of my table and I had to take it from there. That did make me smile. It was served in a nice china cup.

It was a great coffee.

Alas I drank it probably too quickly, and it was finished.