My heart starts beating very fast when it comes to hospitality. I want to see every new place in the city. But I also become intensely happy from golden oldies.

It was Amsterdam Fashion Week last week and May-Britt and I could be found every evening at the Westergasterrein, where most of the shows were held. On Friday evening before the show of designer Janboelo, we dined at Café Restaurant Amsterdam. Well, dining, just a quick bite. I ordered tomato soup (I really never eat tomato soup), because this was on my detox destination menu. May-Britt had Parma ham with lentil salad which I was intensely jealous of, you understand.

When I walk into Restaurant Amsterdam, I feel at home. I think I was ten years old and asked the staff if I could help with anything. I was allowed to bring dirty plates to the dishwasher all evening. From that moment on, I counted the months until I could work there. And yes, at fourteen, I was setting all the tables (about 170) of the restaurant early in the morning. During lunch, I was runner and brought the food to the guests. At three o'clock, I clocked out because I wasn't allowed to work in the evening yet. Just after my 16th^the birthday, I served for the first time in the evening. There were times when I was in the restaurant more than at home. When all the guests were gone, we sometimes played hide and seek throughout the building. Sounds childish, but it was really exciting. One time the phone rang (around two in the morning) and we all jumped. My mother. Asking if I could come home immediately. Oops, that was of course very embarrassing and it was particularly bad timing because I had just found a nice hiding spot near a boy I had a huge crush on.

I once hosted Rafael van der Vaart (then still with Syl, but she wasn't there) at the restaurant. He had just launched his magazine ‘Rafael’ and came to celebrate it with us. Now I don't know Rafael at all, but I could imagine that he was mainly dining with Sylvie in fancy restaurants with small complicated mini bites where it was always a bit about seeing and being seen. Well, let me tell you, he ordered a tomato soup and a steak frites and I saw a terribly happy man. No one bothered him, his company and he with the house wine, and they were the last to leave.

Now that I work at amayzine.com, I really like to come as a guest and I do sometimes feel the urge to clear some plates but I hold back. Are you planning to eat here soon? Then definitely go for the lobster, burrata or vitello tonato. And for the main course, a steak frites. And if you order the sticky toffee for dessert, see if you can spot me. I would really love a bite.