Walk, eat, and pray it doesn’t rain so you can keep walking and then eating. That’s usually my mantra when I go to Europe. Last week, I decided to give my taste buds and my finer senses a little treat by finally going on a much-awaited––although very short––trip to Amsterdam and Paris. Suffice it to say, I have had a gourmet holiday. Here are my tips on where and what to eat if you’re in Amsterdam for a couple of days, because good food should always be shared. Now, Amsterdam and the Netherlands aren’t known for their cuisine. The food is usually a little bland and doesn’t have much range, but the produce they use is as fresh as it gets. My focus in Amsterdam wasn’t the food. It was the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, but food cannot be far behind. After my long day at the Rijksmuseum, where you can see Rembrandt’s The Night Watch being restored on site, I found a small local restaurant called The Pantry, barely a 15-minute walk from both museums. Run by a couple, the cosy restaurant was chock-a-block on a weekday and had people waiting outside. It served me proper Dutch comfort food: Bitterballen, the Dutch version of what we call mince chops – just with less spice and more cheese – and the most delicious salmon in a lobster sauce with mashed potatoes. Greens are a foreign concept in both Paris and Amsterdam, as I found out. Another discovery I wasn’t aware of was the large number of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam. This isn’t really surprising, given that between 1800 and 1949, Indonesia was a Dutch colony. In fact, few know that it was called Dutch East Indies till it gained independence. The Dutch colonised Indonesia for the same reason the British colonised India – for the spices. Coming to the Dutch influence on Indonesian food and vice versa, only in the Netherlands will you find the Rijsttafel, made of two Dutch words: “rijst,” meaning rice, and “tafel,” meaning table. This is a Dutch creation which doesn’t exist in Indonesia. The rijsttafel can include up to 30 dishes! I tried Rijsttafel at Mama Makan restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam and went back a second day. It’s similar to how we eat food in India – bowls of various dishes are served with two types of rice, all of which you’re meant to share. From lamb and chicken satays, to a tofu and bean stew, pickled cucumbers, Sambal Goreng Telor (boiled eggs in sambal), to Gado Gado, Ikan Kecap (cod with lemongrass), and Udang Asem Pade (a spicy prawn dish), many sambals – it was a feast. For those who miss Indian food while traveling abroad, I’d recommend giving Rijsttafel and Indonesian fare a shot in Amsterdam. It’s spicy, not watered down, and some of the finest Indonesian food I’ve tasted. Amsterdam’s food, while not its star attraction, is a pleasant surprise. Whether indulging in traditional Dutch comfort food or exploring the rich flavors of Indonesian cuisine, the city offers a culinary experience worth savouring. And don’t forget to try the cheeses. Next week, I will share the food wonders of Paris.
