4 fun new restaurants in Amsterdam

We wanted a weekend away. Would it be – again – Antwerp? Or Maastricht? Maybe Marrakech? All options were checked off. One done too often, the other too far away. There was always a catch. Why not just Amsterdam? As a tourist. So in a hotel. One from my top 3 please. It became a beautiful room in the Pulitzer, one of the most beautiful hotels in the city with definitely the coolest decor, a great bar AND Santal 33 from Le Labo as house soap. That's sorted. Now just to decide where we are going to eat. To prepare well, I knocked on the neighbors' door. FavorFlav. This is where I need to go, they said. And you too.

1. Bougainville

If you want to ‘really’ dine. Fine dining as our culinary colleagues call it. In other words: not cheap, but beautifully decorated with a view over the city and a culinary experience.

2. 212

High-end dining without unnecessary etiquette. Sounds like something for me, because did I already mention that I'm not really on team star restaurants? Just read why I prefer not to eat in a star restaurant . Unless it's The Jane, anything by Sergio Herman or Rijks...

3. Entrepot

Have you ever eaten at Rijsel? Or at Worst & BAK? Both nice restaurants with good food without too much fuss about wildly slept beds and overcooked chicken thighs, doused with a sizzling sensation of a fleuron. I'm making it up as I go, but you get what I mean. This chef has a new restaurant: Entrepot (because Entrepotdok), and is located in an atelier-like space. According to their own site, they have a ‘quirky’ menu, which I find a bit of a cringe word, but the menu changes daily (they look at catch and find) and they usually cook over an open fire. Sounds all lovely to me.

4. Xampanyeria Centra

Nice on the Lange Niezel, red light district, so if you want to play tourist, you do it here. Xampanyeria is trendy dining, a battery of open cavas and lots of original tapas. Crispy artichoke, roasted shallot, paella bitterball or would you rather have the chorizo hotdog? You have it here and you will definitely have a wonderfully cozy evening.

I don't know which one it will be yet, but maybe I'll see you. Cheers and enjoy!