You would think that you would leave your mailbox during a round trip in Asia for what it is, but plop, I immediately got a response: “Great, I’m in, but from Laos, so the connection is sometimes a bit poor.” That’s my girl. So I virtually sat down with Anna Drijver and we talked about her favorite restaurant and favorite dessert.

‘I had a wonderful meal at Acme in Sydney, and in Tuscany you can hardly eat badly, but I’m going for Beulings, tucked away in Beulingstraat in good old Amsterdam. A lovely chef/sommelier couple prepares the most delicious dishes for you in a super relaxed and beautiful setting. Think: a nice felt wall but otherwise simple, with jars containing chef Bas's projects. My highlight was the beefsteak mushroom picked by Bas himself in the forest.’

‘René Redzepi, one of the chefs and owners of Noma, which was first in Denmark and is now temporarily relocated to Sydney. Just that. How does he view food? How does he taste? I would interrogate and observe him.’

‘As long as I have a nice view, I prefer a wall behind me rather than in front of me. An open kitchen is also great, just a little peeking at the cooks.’

‘A nice pasta and good salads. I love salads, I make them the most at home too. I’m very open-minded about pasta; I want to try all shapes, colors, and flavors. Vegetarian, that’s for sure, because I haven’t eaten meat for eighteen years. Fish, though. So vongole is also very welcome.’

‘By now I would say: ‘quite a bit, yes’. I know that I will like some wines, -hi Pouilly-Fumé!- and otherwise I prefer an oaky full white wine. I had the best wine ever at De Librije, I really wanted to marry it. A New Zealand Marlborough Chardonnay, with such a full woody flavor, wow. My uncle has had a vineyard in Brabant for a few years, Domaine De Brabantse Wal, and I also find it ridiculously fun to prune there for a day.’

‘Cheese! Well, anything but a sweet dessert. Very nice for my sugar intake, but I don’t like sweet desserts. Especially not anything with chocolate. What do you say? Yes, no, I am definitely a woman, but one who does not like chocolate things . There Benja is happily munching while I start on the espresso. But you can wake me up for cheese. Cheese is always good, any time of the day. Cheese is the only thing I miss abroad. I love cheese.’

‘Currently, I am traveling around Asia, but starting January 4, I will dive into Borgen, a play based on the TV series that lasts no less than 10 hours. I play journalist Katrine Fonsmark. With very delicious food for the audience by the way, conceived by the creator of Borgen and TV chef Adam Price. During the week and on weekends, I am filming with my Zwarte Tulp family for the second season, also very nice. It’s going to get busy, so I’m going to try to rest a bit here. And of course, eat well.’