Little Crumbs at De Laatste Kruimel

One of my favorite pastry shops in Amsterdam is tucked into a narrow street, unassuming and a bit hidden. But the window displays are so beautiful that you’re immediately lured in to taste the goodness that awaits! It’s called De Laatste Kruimel, which means “The Last Crumb.” Which is what you’ll be searching for on your plate when you go.

Those crumbs come from quiche, bread pudding, cakes, scones, and tarts, all made right there in the little shop. All seriously good.

The shop is tiny, and there are only a few tables, made from wooden crates with lacy vintage tablecloths thrown on. The best location to munch on your treats is on the back patio, overlooking the canal. While the tour boats go by, you can wave sweetly and take another bite of your cake.

As the wonderful hand-drawn sign says, they also serve lunch sandwiches and soups. And everything is delicious, right down to the de laatste kruimel!

De Laatste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, Amsterdam

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The Joy of FEBO

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, restaurants

I crossed something off my “to-do” list last weekend. Amsterdam has a fast food place called FEBO that’s stuffed into areas all over town–usually near a collection of bars. Ever since we moved here I’ve been promising myself that I need to try it. It was a necessity! Why did it take me so long? Because the food comes from a vending machine.

This is strange to me. In my head I know it’s freshly made (well, ‘freshly’) and placed in the slots to keep warm until I come along. But my eyes want to say, “Are you crazy? That’s a vending machine!” So I required a lot of time and a night out to said bars before I worked up the courage to try it. Luckily for you it was well documented, so you can get the full feel of FEBO without the actual food.

The selection is a mix of traditional dutch food like krokets with the normal fast food burgers. There’s also a counter where you can order fries and smoothies and other made-more-fresh things. I went with the machine-food, of course. Jesse selected a kroket and I a burger, and we stuck our coins in the slot. After the “clink” I pulled open the little door and took out my prize. (I also learned that you must open the bottom door–the others stay locked.)

The verdicts. The kroket: yum! Crunchy and hot, full of meat-gravy goodness. I would get that again anytime. The burger: not so yum. It tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for a good long while. Which it had been. Surprise, surprise.

“FEBO– the most delicious!”

So, our FEBO experience was good and bad, like so much of life (what a life lesson I learned.) At least now I can say I’ve eaten a burger from a vending machine! I like to gauge reactions of my visiting friends when I tell them about it. Some have tried it gleefully, right away, while some have given me faces and swore they’d never touch it. What do you think–would you try FEBO?

Sittin’ on the Dock of the Canal

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs

I’m taking a little break from Edinburgh at the moment. My favorite part about blogging is the chance to look at the little things in life and appreciate them, day to day. When I get so caught up in multiple posts about our trips, the here and now tends to fade into the background, and I forget to appreciate it. So here’s a few photos about our weekend, which was nothing special, but still lovely.

The sun played hide and seek with giant fluffy clouds all weekend, teasing me into thinking it was warm then fading away again. But when it was out, it was gorgeous. I spent a few hours on two separate days sitting on a dock by a canal, eating, drinking, and chatting.

That white drink is a new, delicious creation of mine. I had a bottle of too-sweet white wine in the fridge, so I mixed it with bubbly water and put a couple halved cherries in it, and voila! A perfect dock-sitting summer drink. And if I’ve learned anything from Amsterdam, it’s that plastic cups won’t cut it if you want to make something special–only the best for me and my friends.

I relaxed in the sun, caught up with a friend, snacked on delicious things, and waved at boats as they passed. On one occasion a man went by in a boat, alone. He waved, and we waved back. Fifteen minutes later he came back the other way, this time with the addition of six women with him, all smiling. When we waved this time, impressed with him, they cried out, “isn’t he lucky?” We laughed and agreed, toasting his luck.

The EuroCup games are going on, for all the football/soccer fans here. I’ve caught glimpses of some games, but haven’t followed it too emotionally, which is good, because the Netherlands are losing quite miserably. My favorite part is all the cheery orange bunting out everywhere, and the rallying cry, “Hup Holland!”

It’s the end of the weekend now, and it’s pouring rain again, but I can hope for more sun soon!

Whiskey, or, Birthday Event #2

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edinburgh, Scotland

Our second requirement for celebrating Jesse’s 30th (golden!) birthday, was whiskey. We started with the Whiskey Experience.

Right on the Royal Mile, the Whiskey Experience is pretty touristy and starts off with a kind of kitschy ‘barrel ride’ through whiskey production. But, as someone who didn’t have a clue before, I did come away knowing a lot more about making whiskey, which was pretty interesting. And it comes with a tasting, a keepsake glass, and a peek at the world’s biggest whiskey collection (over 3,300 bottles).

I did not know that whiskey must be aged in a previously-used barrel, like bourbon or sherry. And that all of it’s flavor comes from the aging process, which is why you get expensive whiskies aged 70+ years. I also didn’t know that during aging a small percentage is lost–poof, gone–and this is called “the angel’s share.”

Scottish whiskey, or scotch, is from Scotland, while Irish whiskey is slightly different (and from Ireland, of course), and bourbon is American whiskey (also different). Single-malt scotch comes comes from one distillery and one barrel, while blended whiskey (the most popular on the market) is a blend of many kinds.

We also visited Tullibardine Distillery on a later day, which was a fun glimpse of a small distillery. I’d wager, though, that Jesse’s favorite moment was at The Bow Bar, where he found his holy grail: a 30-year aged whiskey, like himself. He’d been talking about getting it ever since we planned the trip, to anyone who would listen. We chose a nice old pub, got ourselves some drams, and sat down to watch the world go by for a bit. Cheers, Prost, or, if you’re in Scotland, sláinte!

Jesse’s is on the left, a Glenfarclas 30 yr old whiskey.

Barrel art promising to wait 11,000 nights and days, which equals 30 years.

Scottish Treats

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beer, edinburgh, Scotland

I just love the way that a location’s food is tied into the entire culture. There’s no better way to get a true sense of a place than to eat up! We were on a tight budget in Scotland, but we did manage to indulge in several delicious items. Of course there were the fish’n’chips!

And a traditional hog roast sandwich:

After days of walking, we refreshed ourselves with lots of fine Scottish ale. Pints and pints of it! Imperial pints, too, which are an entire 20 oz. A whole meal, right there in a glass. British/Scottish ales are drastically different from the Belgian ones we find in Amsterdam, so it was treat to try all of these.

But the most memorable thing we ate was haggis. You’ve heard of haggis, right? It’s usually the food that’s used to describe something a normal person would never eat, along the lines of monkey brain. The funny thing in Edinburgh, though, was that every restaurant offered it! It wasn’t some crazy specialty, it was actually a normal staple. It’s made with a sheep’s offal (heart, liver, lungs), minced with onions, oatmeal, spices, salt, and simmered in broth. (I had to look that up afterwards, because while we were there I refused to know!) It’s served with traditional ‘neeps and tatties,’ mashed turnips and potatoes.

The middle one is haggis, and the sides are ‘neeps and tatties.’

Jesse was brave enough to order haggis and I was brave enough to try a tiny bite. Then another. And another. And before I knew it, I was saying, “Hey, don’t eat all of it, I want another bite.”

Friends, it was good. Really tasty. Savory, perfectly seasoned with a pleasant texture, it was a delicious surprise. I could have eaten more! In fact, we did, when we went back later and ordered the haggis nachos! (Because when else in your life do you get to eat haggis nachos? Seriously.)

The things you learn traveling. What an eye-opening, tastebud-pleasing world it is!

Rollende Keukens, or, The Food Cart Festival

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, restaurants

Something special happened last weekend. Something that made my heart swell with joy, my mind remember Portland, and my taste buds salivate. Amsterdam hosted a food cart festival!

 

This was really exciting, because food carts are a pretty big deal in Portland, and I used to eat at them no less than three times a week. Moving to Amsterdam held a lot of new exciting things for us, but I still miss food carts and their cheap, delicious offerings. So when I saw the ad for the festival I knew I had to go there. It was lucky that our visiting friends were up for it, because we went on Friday, then again on Saturday! There were just too many choices to try them all in one go! We still didn’t try everything, but we made a heroic effort.

A few impressions. First, I love the name. Rollende Keuken: rolling kitchens. Perfect! Second, these carts were swanky! All dressed up, decorated, and tricked out. The sushi cart had a moving belt, the omelet cart had a coop with live chickens, there was a boat-cart, a church-cart, many buses, a VW bug, and more! All serving delicious food.

 

We gathered several meals together including tostis, paella, sausages, bbq pulled pork, crepes, waffles, fresh potato chips, Breton sushi, cider, and of course, a Heineken or two.

A delicious way to enjoy the weekend!

A Sunny Saturday, With Friends

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, bikes

Happy Weekend! I have some friends visiting us at the moment (it’s promising to be a busy summer!), and we’ve been doing all sorts of fun Amsterdam things. They’re here for a nice long time so we haven’t needed to stress about squeezing everything in. Lazy, relaxing days with lots of food have been the focus.

I love the wisteria on the canal houses, all over the city.

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, the nicest we’ve seen in a long time, and we all had a blast soaking it up. Sometimes the best things to do with visitors are the things you’d do anyway! We started by visiting the Noordermarkt, a busy farmer’s market. It was warm enough for dresses at last, and I got to use my new basket tote for carrying veggies. It performed beautifully. We also got some fresh squeezed orange juice, which is the tastiest thing ever!

{Photo courtesy of my father.}

We spent the afternoon at a food cart festival, which was amazing and deserves it’s own post, and then we ended the day at Vondelpark. I don’t get down there that often, since we live a bit far away from it, but yesterday I was reminded why I should. It’s such a lovely place! The trees were in bloom with spring flowers, people were lounging everywhere enjoying the sun, grills and picnics were in full swing, and the fountains were happily gurgling. We enjoyed the perfect bike ride through the leafy paths, and I even managed to snap some pictures while riding, one-handed. Amsterdam has taught me well.

Visiting Guests

Oh, my, what a long break from blogging! Sorry for the silence, friends. My days have been chock-full of showing my parents around Amsterdam and beyond, eating a lot of treats, and walking. It’s not over (on Friday we leave for Belgium!), but before you all abandoned me for other corners of the internet, I wanted to check in.

A few things we’ve done: taken the classic canal boat tour, tried copious samples of cheese, snacked on chocolate, stroopwafels, pastries, olives, bread and more cheese, visited the cute town of Edam, tried to feed intimidating swans at Keukenhof, and popped by Haarlem and Leiden. Whew, no wonder my feet are so tired.

It’s always fun to show off your favorite places! We’ve been having a fall-asleep-exhausted-by-night sort of fun time. I’ll soon be posting all about the new places I’ve been (Flower Auction! Volendam! Keukenhof Gardens!), but for now you’ll have to excuse a bit more silence while I go snack on some more goodies. It’s what we do. Clearly.

Albert Heijn Minis

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, Netherlands

The biggest and most famous grocery store chain in the Netherlands is Albert Heijn, the “Ah-ha (AH)”, found on almost every street corner. Our local one is just down the street and is always busy. The chain was founded in 1887, and you can even go visit the museum in Zaanse Schans (yes, a grocery store museum.)
I’m mentioning this because the store’s 125th anniversary is this year, and in honor they’ve rolled out a new campaign.Not always understanding Dutch or following the local news leaves me clueless to events at times, like when I suddenly started receiving little toys with my groceries, for every €15 I spent. I opened up the package to find a tiny box of macaroni, just like the real one on the shelves. In keeping with the Dutch habit to diminutize everything, they’re Albert Heijn minis, itty bitty groceries. You can collect all 51!

This cracks me up. What cracks me up even more is that it’s a big deal–a seriously big deal. The Dutch version of Craigslist is flooded with requests for trading, or the entire set for sale at a steep price. My au pair friend threw some away (because really, what do you do with mini-groceries? The Dutch are usually so practical!), to the risk of her health when it was found out. Families are on missions to collect all 51 mini-groceries, from the Fanta can to the loaf of bread to the jar of Nutella.

I finally gave in when I saw the mini store you can get:

Ok, well, that’s pretty cute. Add a kid behind that window, and 51 little groceries to offer, and I’m sold. Darn you, Albert Heijn.

Here’s my collection: nutella, a cookbook for “12 Months of Delicious Eating,” a type of breakfast bread, beschuit, vissticks, detergent, crackers and macaroni.

In other news, my parents arrive tomorrow morning! I’m so excited, even if I’ve spent all day cleaning. There’s nothing like your mom visiting to make you realize how dirty your apartment is. They arrive bright and early tomorrow for more than a week of fun around Amsterdam. We’re even going to Belgium! So forgive me if my posts are a big slow for the next week, but I’ll be back soon with news of Antwerp and Ghent.

Until then, enjoy this commercial for the roll-out of the campaign (in Dutch).

Borrels and Bitterballen

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, beer, Netherlands

It’s about time I talk about some very Dutch things: borrels and bitterballen. On Friday night, after a long dull week Jesse and I went out on a little date night to enjoy both things.

A borrel is basically a semi-organized event, with drinks and food, often with colleagues or friends. Jesse’s department at the university has borrels every few months. Normally it’s held at a brown bar–any small, old Dutch pub. Add some drinks, some snacks, and good conversation with interesting people, and it makes for a wholly gezellig evening. Check out Stuff Dutch People Like for a humorous description of a borrel.

Our borrel on Friday night wasn’t true to the definition since it was just the two of us. We also chose a bright, modern cafe instead of a dark old bar, to better enjoy the sun. But it didn’t matter: the real reason I wanted to go out was for borrelhapjes, fried goodness best accompanied by a few drinks.

Below is the sampler platter. Kastengels, the long skinny ones, are basically cheese wrapped in a won-ton wrapper and fried. Dipped in sweet chili sauce, they are delicious. Krokets and Bitterballen are eerily similar: both are filled with a type of meat ragout, then fried and served with mustard. Normally kroketten are bigger, and they’re often smeared on a piece of bread for a simple lunch.

The bitterballen are by far my favorite, though the kastengels are a close second. They disappear so quickly! You can find these treats at any bar or restaurant in the city, or you can buy them frozen and make them yourself. The day when I can’t pop into any pub for my bitterballen fix is the day I’ll have to try to make them myself.

After stuffing ourselves with the entire platter, we wobbled home on our bikes, stopping to admire the evening light.

The light on the canals, this city, bitterballen, a gezellig evening with that handsome man… I’m a lucky woman.