Amsterdam cafe reviews

All photos © garethreid 2012

I take a trip to Amsterdam or elsewhere in Europe every now and again to see some friends I met whilst studying in Melbourne. (Of course) you will have already read my round up from our trip to Berlin last year... so may be familiar with my approach to these weekends.

In general, I try to get to know a place by perusing as many of their dining establishments as possible. And this weekend was no different. When you're getting up at 8am on a weekend away I think second breakfast is more than appropriate, don't you?

So, here's my thoughts on a few places to eat in Amsterdam:

de koffie salon, Utrechtsestraat 130, 1017 Amsterdam, Netherlands

I may have cheated a little bit when researching places for good coffee near our hostel and taken a tip from the TimeOut "Best of Amsterdam Awards 2001". You can't be too careful when researching "coffee shops" in Amsterdam though so I was happy to ask the experts on this occasion.

de koffie salon was less than 5 minutes away from our hostel so we stopped by both mornings to grab a coffee and quick snack to keep us going on the walk into town. The coffee was really tasty, and they always ask whether you want one or two shots so you can personalise depending on your taste.

The first morning I had a single shot latte and some granola with natural yoghurt which was served in a drinking glass with a long sundae spoon - nice touch.  My other half had a double shot cappuccino and ham and cheese croissant. This all came in at about €15.

The coffee and snacks were great, but my favourite thing about this place was the giant communal table at the back. Both days we stopped by the table was bustling with people grabbing breakfast and reading the paper - dogs, babies and all.

www.dekoffiesalon.nl

De Bakkerswinkel, Zeedijk 37, 1012 Amsterdam, Netherlands

I'd been to De Bakkerswinkel on a previous visit to Amsterdam and remembered really enjoying it so sought it out this time as well. They've since moved premises to a rather shady street mostly housing Chinese restaurants, making for rather a shock when you stumble upon this bakery-come-canteen where you least expect it.  

I've included the 'please wait to be seated' sign in the images above because we stood looking at it for about 20 minutes whilst doing just that. I could see they were busy, but I could also see quite a few free tables so found it extremely frustrating to be ignored for so long. Not a good start. 

Once we were finally seated the waitress was very friendly and the food was great, I guess the reason why it was so busy (dammit). My other half had a coffee which was fine, but not particularly memorable apparently, and I had a fresh orange. For (second) breakfast we both had fried eggs and bacon on sourdough which was tasty and generously proportioned. The whole meal came in at just over €20.

www.debakkerswinkel.com

Footnote: I know this doesn't technically come under the 'cafe' category, but thought you might find it useful to know that we stayed at CocoMama - "Amsterdam's first boutique hostel". The staff were amazing, really welcoming and annotated our map to show us the best places to go. They have a cat. And an honesty bar where you can get a beer for €1. Nuff said. www.cocomama.nl

Review - Pimlico Fresh

Image by Masumi Hirayama

86 Wilton Road, Pimlico, London, SW1V 1DE

I got a new job in the new year. Fresh start and all that. The transition to Victoria wasn't one I was particularly eager to make having been so spoilt by the abundance of eateries and high street shopping on my door step in Angel. However, I have gradually aclimatised to my new surroundings and found that (once you get far enough away from the station) there is plenty to do and see.

Sticking to Pimlico rather than Victoria is a good start. If you want something on the go then you can't beat Tachbrook Street market. There's loads of food stalls towards the end of the week with everything from amazing £3 falafel wraps, to brisket burritos, kebabs and curries.

However, if you're looking for somewhere to sit and while away your luxurious lunch hour, I'd definitely recommend Pimlico Fresh. In an area otherwise saturated by coffee chains and italian delis (which are fabulous in their own way) - I was relieved to be recommended this place through a plea on Twitter.

Image by Masumi Hirayama

It's got a real Aussie vibe with 'proper' coffee - double shot, micro foam and all. The menu adorns one wall and there's a big communal table you can sit on on your own with a book without looking too conspicuous.

I've had lunch here a couple of times now, starting off with a salmon and cream cheese bagel, and working my way up to a Moroccan chicken filo parcel with rice salad. Both times I was impressed, and full. They do fruit juices and smoothies as well as cakes so you can decide whether you feel virtuous or not. I'm usually not.

Given the area is pretty touristy and there are a fair few theatres just down the road, Pimlico fresh is usually inhabited by people on their lunch breaks popping in and out and you rarely to trip over luggage. The prices are also refreshingly uninflated.

If I had one criticism it would be that the service is sometimes a little slow. Especially if you're just waiting for a take away coffee. However, quality takes time. And if you're not interested in quality, got to Starbucks.

@PimlicoFresh

Recipe - Rhubarb upside down cake

Rhubarb's just about in season now and I got hold of some at my local supermarket. For me rhubarb spells summer, so I thought I better find a way to make it a but more suitable to the soggy weather we're having. Result? Rhubarb upside down cake - from this recipe:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/rhubarb-upside-down-cake-ghk

The recipe's American so they use cups, which I have, but it should be easy enough to convert. According to Wikipedia, 1 cup = 250 millilitres.  Nothing like some mathematical wrangling to keep you on your toes...

The sponge is vanilla and coupled with the tartness of the rhubarb it's a really tasty summer pudding. We had it with custard. Yum.

A visit to Happy Kitchen

Arch 393, Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3PH

I've been meaning to drop by Happy Kitchen for ages and never quite made it, but yesterday the March sunshine encouraged me to wander further afield than usual and I came across it quite by accident. It's not exactly on the beaten track, but if you're happy exploring London Fields you'll find it not far from Pub on the Park.

Unfortunately, having had a BBQ pork Banhmi11 baguette for lunch at Broadway Market and then a rather generous hunk of baked cheesecake from CakeHole  at Hackney Homemade, I was stuffed and couldn't manage anything to eat. However, I did have a very yummy coffee (coffee beans from St Ali) and can vouch for the cakes looking amazing.

With a focus on organic whole foods, sweetened only by fruit sugars and no gluten, eggs, dairy or wheat, my glutounous side at first felt at risk of being disappointed. However, the smorgasboard of cakes adorning the counter put this to rest, and given they have their own range of brownie bars, I know these girls understand my sweet tooth, as well as my waistline. Yummy, decadant cakes that might also be good for you? Never?

The proof is, of course, in the pudding, so I will have to return on an empty stomach and sample their baking. They do pancakes at weekends so I think I'll have to give those a go soon, as well as perhaps invest in some of their vitality-inducing granola and grains (they have a 'pick 'n' mix' nut bar...).

Happy Kitchen are on Facebook, Twitter and have a website.

A review of Foxcroft and Ginger

42-43 Boxpark, Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 (main cafe 3 Berwick Street, Soho, London, W1F 0DR)

Finally made it to Boxpark on Saturday, despite only living 20 minutes down the road. The concept of a ‘pop up mall’ made from shipping containers certainly got my geographical juices running (I did a whole module on the geographies of fashion at uni...) but their promise of ‘a unique mix of international fashion and lifestyle brands’ rather put me off if I’m honest. With disappointingly few retailers I’d actually buy from, the galleries and cafes are pretty much the only thing that actually caught my interest.

Having heard about Foxcroft & Ginger and dribbled over their website, I was rather chuffed to find they have a pop up at Boxpark so I didn’t have to hotfoot it over to Soho to check them out. Arriving just as a torrential downpour hit London, my sister and I were rather pleased to surrender ourselves to an hour in their cosy, woodshed-like installation.

We were greeted as soon as we came through the door and, expressing our intention to shelter from the rain, were taken to a table and given menus.  There’s plenty of seating for a little place, although if you’re sat in the corridor rather than against the wall you do have to give in to people brushing past you every few minutes (adds to the charm...). 

I had a latte and THE MOST AMAZING apple cinnamon bun I have ever eaten. It was literally sex on a plate (as I promptly tweeted). They make all their breads, pastries and jams themselves which is pretty impressive and I can’t think of a better place for afternoon tea on a rainy day.

Their coffee is usually Monmouth, but I did spy some bags of Climpson & Sons beans which is actually my preferred roaster. It was tasty and well poured either way. My sister had an Americano which came in a cute cup and saucer:

And there was ample supply of minted water when our coffees had dried up but the weather hadn’t.

They also do a full brunch menu and some bigger meals including lamb shoulder and triple cooked chips – I’ll definitely be hitting up their Soho HQ sooner rather than later!

Foxcroft & Ginger are on Twitter, Facebook and have a website.

Prufrock latte art class

23-25 Leather Lane, London EC1N 7TE

I was lucky enough to be given a voucher for one of Prufrock Coffee’s Saturday school classes for Christmas (after a certain amount of pre-Christmas hinting...). So keen was I to use it, I got my butt along to the London ‘BRAT’ (Barista Resource and Training centre) the second week in January to try out their latte art class.

If you’ve read the ‘about me’ section of this blog, you’ll know I’ve worked in a couple of coffee shops so assumed I’d be ok with the basics and could jump right in with the fancy stuff. Turns out I may have been a little over ambitious - despite expert tuition from the wonderful Jeremy, even after a few attempts my latte art looked like this:

 Although three hours wasn’t nearly enough time to master the basics of latte art, it was great to hear the theory (...something about muscle memory?) and watch an expert at work. Plus I got to meet a group of other coffee enthusiasts and we had a laugh at our disastrous attempts.

As well as showing us the basics of heating and aerating milk to create the sought after ‘micro-foam’, we were taken through the various elements necessary to make the perfect coffee. The amount of coffee you use, the coarseness of the grind, the temperature of water hitting the coffee, and the time it’s left to filter through all affect the overall taste (apparently).

These guys take coffee EXTREMELY seriously and do things to a much higher standard than your average coffee shop, and way beyond what you’d ever do at home. However, it was really good to see how things should be done by the real experts. £65 might seem a bit pricey but for a three hour small group tutorial it’s more than worth it.

Find out more on their website.

A review of St Ali (now renamed Workshop Coffee)

27 Clerkenwell Road, Clerkenwell, EC1M 5RN

Having read several rave reviews, I finally made it to St Ali this weekend. I’d had a busy morning learning about latte art at Prufrock Coffee (more on this later) and was starving hungry – what better opportunity to try it out?

Arriving to find it packed but without a queue, we were met at the door by a very friendly Aussie waitress who whisked us upstairs and found us a table. Although this was great service and meant we weren’t left standing around worrying about what to do, I did find it a little formal for what I wanted to be a laid back luncheon.

Our table was quite close to the one next to us and the vivaciousness of the two American girls sat there made our own conversation rather difficult. Still, we managed to look over the menu and decide what to order mostly through a series of finger pointing and gesticulation. The menu was a little ‘over styled’ and lacking the simple, wholesome food I so cherished when living in Melbourne (where their original cafe is located), but there was still plenty to tempt my tastebuds.

I ordered a China breakfast tea and my fella ordered a black coffee. Both arrived on tiny trays, mine complete with tea pot and mini milk bottle. The presentation was fun and the fact that ‘tea for one’ meant a pot rather than just one mug meant I was hydrated throughout my meal.  Table water was also provided as standard. The coffee tasted delicious black, with just the right amount of bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Food-wise, we both chose from the breakfast menu which was packed with tasty treats from simple museli and porridge to extravagant french toast. I had poached eggs on sourdough with some halloumi on the side. It came with some spicy tomato chutney/salsa which livened it up a bit and the eggs were cooked to perfection. I did find it quite hard to cut the sourdough though and ended up throwing half of one of my eggs on the floor after some misplaced knifework...

My other half had the corn fritters with tomato, spinach, poached eggs, and halloumi, inspired by his food envy when the neighbouring table’s order arrived. Again, very tasty and perfectly cooked.

Overall, the food, drink and service was great, although the atmosphere did bemuse me a little. It was busy and very loud, which made our own conversation stilted, and I wasn’t expecting the formal restaurant atmosphere, though welcomed the great table service. Would I go back? Yes, I think so. I’d like to try it again on a weekday when it might be quieter and have a go at sitting downstairs.

St Ali have a website, and you can follow them on Twitter.