Amsterdam: The Pancake Bakery

A coworker of mine gave me one piece of advice about Amsterdam: Go to the Pancake Bakery. Do not miss it. It is awesome. Something along those lines.

Amsterdam had so much for us to see and do, so it wasn't until the morning we had to leave that we made the walk. ABF hadn't had his coffee yet, so if you hear him tell the story he may leave you with the impression that I forced him to march for 19 miles before feeding him, but really, it was just about 15 minutes down the long, winding canal roads.

We'd passed this spot the day before and saw loads of people waiting to sit outside, but on this day, we walked right in and got a table! It's a little dark inside, but it smells like home and breakfast and warmth. And the cook in that kitchen is hustling!!! He works those cast-iron skillets like an artiste, never missing a beat.

Our table was already decorated with two types of syrup and a giant jar of... molasses??

The menu is all-encompassing and a little overwhelming, especially for someone like me. Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure book? I would need both hands to read them, because I would try to read all three options at once, using my fingers as placeholders so I could see everything that might happen! It took me forever to get through those books because I couldn't stand to miss out on something. That's a whole other ball of wax though...

ABF wanted eggs for breakfast, so he ordered the omelet. It took up half the plate, and it smelled wonderful. It also came with a lovely mixed salad. It was all as delicious as it was beautiful--crunchy, salty bacon. The Dutch do know how to do bacon, God love 'em!

I ordered the basic pancake. I know. Very plain for me...but I wanted the base experience, because we fully intended to share a dessert pancake at the end.

Well, I intended...apparently ABF thought I was joking at first. Silly ABF--I don't joke about food! The server explained to me that Dutch pancakes, at least at the PB, are thicker than a crepe, thinner than American pancakes, and I noticed they are stretchy, too. One pancake takes up an entire plate, as you can see.
I experimented with regular syrup, the 'caramel' (which tasted more like our American maple syrup), the powdered sugar, you name it--a different flavor in every single bite!

These pancakes are delicious! Delicious! And I'm not a huge pancake person. These were not at all bready or heavy.

The coffee was delicious, too. Strong, thick, caramell-y. It came with a stroopwafel, a waffle/cookie type snack with a caramel/syrup filling.

Delicious dunked in the coffee!

But wait..the best is yet to come! With our "Iamsterdam" card, we got 20% off any 'international waffle.' The Brazilian pancake came with walnuts, pecan-caramel ice cream, amaretto, mocha sauce, and of course, whipped cream!

I liked this. A lot. But I think it's safe to say that ABF loooooved it. Loved it. In fact, he was glad that I insisted on getting it before we left.

We are both adamant about returning someday to Amsterdam, and we may have to make more than one visit to the Pancake Bakery!

The Pancake Bakery
Prinsengracht 191-A
1015 DS Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 625 1333

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Amsterdam: Spanjer & Van Twist

Our first real meal in Amsterdam was after my tour through the Anne Frank House (this is just a food blog, light and happy, but I must say I am still in awe that I stood in the very same spot where Anne Frank and her family and friends hid for 2 years. I touched the bookcase that hid the entry staircase. I was there. Words fail).

Back to the more inane details of life--brunch along a canal!

Spanjer & Van Twist was just a block up from the Frank house and had immediate seating. They had seats and tables inside, but hello! Amsterdam! Gorgeous weather! You bet we picked a spot right along the water! I mean right along the water. It was so neat to see all the boats drift past us (and a swan!) as we ate in the sunshine.

First things first--where's my coffee?

I hadn't had a proper breakfast yet, so I opted for the bacon, egg and cheese on toast, and of course, a coffee. It was melty, salty, crunchy, and exactly what I wanted.

ABF, once again, had his ordering mojo going. He ordered the sandwich on pumpkin bread. My American brain pictured a dense, heavy, sweet loaf, but it turned out to be a light and lovely bread with a hefty sprinkling of pumpkin seeds on the crust.

This was outstanding!

Also yummy? The crunchy little cookie (reminscient of Cookie Crisp cereal) that came with our coffees. A sweet little ending to our lovely, relaxing meal along the water.

Spanjer & Van Twist
Leliegracht 60
1015 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 639 0109

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Amsterdam: Street Eats

While visiting ABF in London, we made plans for a quick weekend jaunt to Amsterdam. I'd never been, I didn't know that much about it (Tulips! The Anne Frank house! Bikes!), but it was a cheap flight, quick trip, and it was someplace extra to visit while we had a home base in London.

Neither ABF nor I were prepared for how much we would enjoy it. What's to like? How about friendly people? Every time we paused to look at our map, a local would walk up to us and kindly ask if we needed help. Sometimes we did, sometimes we didn't, but every time it was a delight.

What else? Oh, the museums! Rembrandt, Van Gogh, you name it! We actually found a great little snack spot right outside of the Reijksmuseum, the Dutch national museum.

"Real" American hot dogs--how could we not?

We got a kick out of seeing the extras--freshly-chopped raw onions (my favorite!), some sort of relish, mustard, ketchup, and in the not-quite-typically-American area: curry ketchup & sriracha!

Naturally I had to try those too-- I love sriracha, a very distinctive hot sauce, but had never thought to put it on a hot dog! Good idea! The curry ketchup was a bit too sweet for me. I like my hot dogs salty, not sweet.

(That's the sriracha on the left, curry ketchup on the right--test-sized portions at first!)
The texture of the dog was a little different--softer, no casing, I think, which is fine with me!

As we enjoyed our hot dogs in the afternoon sun, we spotted another treat a few yards closer to the museum entrance: a portable cappuccino stand! Oh Europe, I heart so many things about you!

A young woman was running this stand solo. In the back of her vehicle she had a fully-operational espresso machine. I ordered a latte to share with ABF before we went into the museum. It was a rich, creamy, robust latte, and for only 2.50 Euros (about 4-5 bucks). So much better than Starbucks, and a much better atmosphere!!

Look at the setup she has going on there! The miniature chandelier gives it a nice set of whimsy, and the back door of the truck serves as an awning/sunshade, and was plastered with postcards from all over the world.

It was a wonderful latte, and an unexpected treat to enjoy before making the trek through the gorgeous museum. Sightseeing takes a lot of energy--a little extra caffeine boost is always a good thing!

Note: If you're visiting anytime soon, the museum is under construction, so a lot of items have been rearranged and grouped together, but we found this made it possible to see everything even faster!

Rijksmuseum
Jan Luijkenstraat 1 Amsterdam 1070
The Netherlands
31 20 6747000
info@rijksmuseum.nl

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London: TomTom Coffee House

A glance on Foodspotting.com one day put TomTom Coffehouse on my radar, and I dragged LaShauna out there one day for a midday break amidst our nearly ceaseless walking/traipsing about London.

In a town know for its tea, TomTom has made a name for itself with superb espresso. Located in the very chic Belgravia area of London, it has a tiny counter area but plenty of outdoor seating, and a few seats inside. TomTom also offers cigars, as you can still smoke outside at this place and many others around London, but we didn't see anyone taking advantage of that.

On the day we came, the dishwasher was broken, so all drinks had to be made in takeaway cups. Sigh. I ordered a mocha and joined LaShauna at the communal table, where another couple was lost in their newspaper and conversation.

The mocha, fellow food fans, was absolutely transcendant. Velvety smooth, full-flavored, and just the slightest hint of sweetness. Wow. This is coffee well worth the trip.

LaShauna ordered the hot chocolate and gave it equally high marks. Normally TomTom is known for creative cocoa stencils on its drinks, but due to the glassware shortage, we had to settle for smooth-as-silk foam. Fine with us!

We sat at a communal table, and I noticed a bevy of options to top the fresh croissant I ordered there: marmelade, fresh butter, and local, homemade jams. I tried a little bit of everything (NB: marmelade is still too bitter for me to enjoy).

I scraped the last bit of that delectable blackberry jelly out of the jar, as well as some of the delicious strawberry jam (seriously, WHY is it so much better over there??) and put a different flavor on every bite of my croissant. I do so love options. :)

LaShauna ordered the carrot cake and gamely let me take a bite. It was awesome. Even though it had raisins, I still enjoyed it--moist, dense, rich cream cheese frosting, a lovely edging of walnuts. This was fantastic.

My favorite part of the visit to TomTom? Discovering the tap water fountain in the middle of the inside seating area.

If you've ever traveled to Europe you know what a find this is! Tap water isn't a given at most places, but there was a 'help yourself' sign and I absolutely did. Don't worry--I got some for LaShauna, too!

TomTom was a great sanctuary for two tired tourists, and it looks pretty popular with the locals, too. One sip of their killer coffee will be enough to convince you that TomTom is worth spending at least one coffee break there.

TomTom CoffeeHouse
114 Ebury Street
London SW1W 9QD, United Kingdom
020 7730 1771

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RIP: Hinsch's

**I'm taking a brief break from the lovely London posts to update a sad closing in my part of Brooklyn**

The rumors are true.... one of my favorite neighborhood spots is no more. Apparently the owners of Hinsch's decided to retire early, and they closed their doors forever while I was away on vacation. This place was not a glamorous, five-star place, but it was a reliable spot for easy breakfasts and decadent sundaes, and the bill was never more than 10 bucks a person.

Bay Ridge won't be the same without you, Hinsch's. Thanks for the delicious memories! (You can see my old post on Hinsch's here-then you'll see why we'll miss it so much!)

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