Unfortunately, I didn't book my own hotel for my first trip to Amsterdam which was a super bummer because I ended up spending 2 weeks at a place called The Student Hotel. At first I mis-read it as a student hostel and almost passed out but it wasn't too far from it. Not to sound like a total snob but I feel that at this point in my life, I deserve to stay at places that are slightly nicer than a student hotel when I travel for work, but alas my company has a pretty low hotel cap rate.
I had just gotten back late from a weekend jaunt in Berlin and there was nothing really open in the hood. Since this was a place catered more to kids, there was no room service. I had to beg the restaurant to let me eat there since it was 10pm on a Sunday and they were very nice about it and let me order. I quickly made a decision on the veggie pizza (9 euros) to speed up my order. It said that their crust is made with sourdough so at least that was something interesting and different - and you know, it was! The crust was thin and tasty and the veggie toppings were eggplant, olives and chili - not my favorite but at that hour I didn't really care. There wasn't enough cheese to it which made it less of a good pizza experience for me. It was fairly big pizza and you could definitely share it with someone else if you wanted to.
In the end, the meal was fine for someone who was tired and just wanted something quick to eat. I would most definitely not rate this as a destination restaurant but if you're staying there, it's a fine on- site choice and because it's catered to students, the price is definitely very affordable. Although your best option is to take a 5 min walk and try to get a seat at Rijsel - the only good thing about staying at this hotel. Total bill: 12 euros
Photo Credit: The Fork
Cafe Dauphin Prins Bernhardplein 175 1097 BL 2.5 Forks
I'm sad to report that this was the worst meal of the trip. I know it's hard finding a place within budget for a large team of people (there were about 20+ of us) and I don't know Amsterdam very well, so I certainly feel bad shitty on my co-worker who suggested it, but the meal was just bad. Since it was a large party, we had a pre-fixe meal where you had to choose 1 of 3 entrees. I can't remember what they were but the fact that I chose to get a hamburger in Europe, should be pretty indicative of how desperate I was. I'll make this quick and say the burger was terrible and it's not because I'm being an American snob. It was clearly a pre-grilled burger, which in of itself, isn't bad but the bun was so dry and inedible it made the whole thing taste bad. The fries, which Amsterdam is known for, were like MacDonald fries, which are tasty but definitely nothing fancy. Sadly everyone else was also not super into their food. Again, even though I love food, I would hate to take on the responsibility to organize a large dinner with a tight budget so I'll give this place the benefit of the doubt that maybe if you just came on your own that it would be better?
Photo Credit: Yelp
Tokyo Ramen Takeichi Vijzelstraat 135, 1017 HJ 4 Forks
Apparently ramen is now making its rounds in Amsterdam and a few co-workers mentioned that this was the best one in town. It was only about a 5 min walk from the office and it was a nice break from the cafeteria food. The place is pretty small but it was easy to get a seat, even at lunch time.
Obviously the menu is all ramen here but what was most surprising is that all the ramen was chicken based - no pork on the menu at all. That made me a bit weary if this was truly a good Japanese place but I have seen a few chicken ramen dishes before and I guess it's technically healthier for you. They have all the same flavors of pork ramen: shoyu, shio, miso, and spicy. They also have 2 vegetarian versions which is nice. I got the recommend nouko shoyu chicken ramen with an egg (14.70 euros) and the chicken karage (4.80 euro) which is essentially fried chicken. The fried chicken dish came with 3 pieces, which was the perfect size for me. They were super juicy, dark meat pieces and served with a garlic mayo-like sauce. As for the chicken ramen, it was rich and creamy as advertised. The broth and noodles were both delicious and while I still prefer a pork broth, this was pretty darn good. It even felt a bit less saltier - so maybe it is good for me! It's definitely worth a try if you have time or are just craving something that isn't related to french fries. Total bill: 21 euros
Photo Credit: Yelp
No comments:
Post a Comment