There is definitely more than pancakes in Amsterdam. Holland is known for cheese and the cheese is good. We picked up lots of cheese at the airport on our way out; Gouda, Edam etc. It’s also known for Indonesian food so we had to have it.
We booked a table for dinner at Sama Sebo, right near the Marriott. The restaurant is recommended in guidebooks and known for its rijsttafel (literally, rice table). The atmosphere is nice and the staff is friendly. (However there was one strange lady who kept looking over at us from another table. I couldn’t tell if she were bothered by the presence of children in the dining room or she was just weird. Thank goodness she left before our food came.) We ordered rijsttafel, which was too much food and most of it bad, except for the chicken. The food was too heavy for our taste. I personally would not recommend it but I suspect I will be in the minority on this one. The waitstaff made up for the food by being so nice to the girls. They showered our daughters with over a dozen chocolate pieces!
The Dutch are also famous for fish, such as cod, herring, salmon and mackerel. We like fish in general and looked forward to trying some. We got our first chance at the Van Gogh Museum café. The girls had hot chocolate which they liked and I had a salad with smoked fish, herring and salmon. The salad was really good. Based on this, my husband decides we should have more fish. It’s a good thought.
The next day, we stop by the supermarket to get some food and picnic next to the canal nearby. My husband, since it was his idea, led the shopping expedition and came away with cheese, bread and fish among other things. Generously, he hands me a whole herring (no head). I eyed it suspiciously and did think it looked very oily. It also had small pieces of onions on it. It seemed a bit intimidating but I generally like fish so I took a big bite and yuck! it was raw!! I eat sushi but sushi isn’t usually whole fish and oily and oniony. I’m afraid I did not swallow. I pride myself on being quite adventurous with food but I met my match. My husband could not eat it either.
To make up for the raw herring we set out to find Puccini (Puccini Bomboni Singel 184, 1016 AA Amsterdam), touted as having some of the best chocolates. The store is cute, minimalistic. I thought it would be a sit down dessert place but it is not. It just has lots of handmade chocolates! The woman at the store was not friendly, certainly not kid-friendly. She asked our girls to step away from the long table where all the chocolates were piled. The girls weren’t touching…oh well. I didn’t let that stop me and picked out 2 pieces for myself. The kids each got one and their daddy picked one. The pieces are large so a couple will suffice (plus they are expensive). I chose chocolate with hazelnut and another with walnuts. The chocolates were yummy and definitely worth the visit.
I have to mention the cafeterias on the upper floors of the department stores in Amsterdam. Great dining option with children...attractive, clean, reasonably priced and variety of food. We liked it a lot. (August 2009)
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