Posts filed under 'Night Out'
In one of Amsterdam’s hottest neighbourhoods, de Pijp, you can find Bazar, a restaurant serving Arabic dishes in a middle Eastern atmosphere. I really like Bazar, mostly for it’s relaxed atmosphere. No dressing up, no big prices, nothing fancy but on the other hand super relaxed and kid-friendly. Mini picnic tables are put next to the grown-up’s table so the little ones can eat in style. Highchairs are available, colouring plates and crayons free to use and a little corner with television is present. A kid’s menu is available and the ice-cream is a favourite! Great to meet up with friends with kids, the staff really doesn’t mind the little ones running around. They even like to play ball!
xxx Esther
Bazar Amsterdam
Albert Cuypstraat 182
1073 BL Amsterdam
Telephone 020-675 05 44
*Map*
Open seven days a week, check website for exact hours.
Esther in Amsterdam
September 19th, 2009
If you happen to be in Amsterdam and have a few hours to spare for some coffee and shopping, Utrechtsestraat is a good place to go.
The Koffiesalon, a lovely coffee-shop (in the true meaning of the word), has good seating, great espresso, yummy cakes and sandwiches and you can help yourself to as much water as you like. I brought my daughter here for some mummy and daughter time before and we both greatly enjoyed it. It’s also a good place to meet friends or even have an informal meeting (there’s free wireless).
Not far up the road, at number 74, you’ll find one of my favourite shops in Amsterdam, Jan. The shop owner, Janna, who obviously has great taste, has gathered a fantastic selection of products. Lamps, cushions, dinnerware and cutlery are amongst the stock, but the shop also features fashion accessories such as bags, belts, jewelery and watches, and some lovely toys and kiddie books. If you need a present or want to treat your own family (= yourself), don’t miss it.
Next door you’ll find Bellerose (they have good kids’ clothes). Funky ladies fashion can be found at Jan Lensen, beautiful French and Italian ceramics at Kom, great interior pieces at Mobilia, and there are many, many more great shops and restaurants. Maybe you’ll need more than a few hours!
xxx Esther
Utrechtsestraat
Amsterdam
*map*
Esther in Amsterdam
May 20th, 2009
Once a year, a magical event hits the city of Amsterdam… De Parade!
Although ‘De Parade’ does translate into ‘The Parade’, it is nothing like a parade – it is in fact a theater festival, disguised in an old-fashioned looking fair ground!
‘De Parade’ offers a mix of art, theater, film, magic, comedy and music, together with a good supply of food and drinks. The atmosphere is arty, bohemian, easygoing and trendy – every single hip person in Amsterdam seemed to be at the opening night last Friday! It’s a great place for people-watching and having drinks by itself, but the shows are really worth paying a visit. The theater makers now have an outlet for ideas that are hard to find an audience for the rest of the year, so you can see some really special performances here!
One ‘idea’ I saw and thought to be supercool, was a silent disco. About fifty people in an open air disco, all wearing headphones and dancing the stars of the sky, and occasionally all singing along with the lyrics. Such fun! I will definitely go next time!
Every afternoon, beginning at 3pm, there is a special children’s program, with theater, dance, film and workshops. It’s aimed at kids aged 4 to 12, but it’s really a great place to bring younger children too – there is so much to see and experience! There are also some carnival rides that children will love!
Don’t worry about cooking dinner – next to a variety of bars and terraces (all special and cool), you will also find a huge choice of cuisines on the festival terrain: Portuguese, Algerian, Surinamese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Cajun, soul food, French, pizza, to name a couple… All serving small portions, so great for kids (and for us, as we can try out many)!
Now, let’s hope for some good festival weather the next few weeks!
xxx Esther
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De Parade takes place in summer in the Martin Luther Kingpark (about 4 kilometers south of the city centre).
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Esther in Amsterdam
August 2nd, 2008
Last week we finally had a nice and warm, summery day in the Netherlands, so a girlfriend and I took our children to one of the hip & cool city beaches here in Amsterdam: Strand Zuid (South Beach).
Behind the (big & ugly) congress centre, ‘Amsterdam Rai’, and on the border of the Beatrix Park pond, a lovely treasure is hidden: a beach in the middle of Amsterdam!
There are 2,000 square meters of sand, chill-out areas, bars & terraces with good food, sun-loungers, a beach volleyball field and showers. It’s great to bring your children here on a warm summer day; they can enjoy themselves in the sand and play with all the other kids, while you can relax a bit with a rosé and pretend to be in the Mediterranean…
It’s also not a bad place to come without children – for a stylish dinner on a nice summer evening… It’s open until midnight on weekends.
xxx Esther
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STRANDZUID
Between Amsterdam RAI and Beatrixpark
Europaplein 22
1078 GZ AMSTERDAM
*Map*
Open daily 10.00-23.00, in weekends untill midnight
Only in summer!
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Esther in Amsterdam
July 28th, 2008
Every now and then, when I really don’t feel like cooking and it is still early in the evening, we take the kids to Issa, a little Japanese restaurant around the corner from us here in Amsterdam. This restaurant is particularly popular in our family because not only do we all love Japanese food (even the baby does), it also has a tiny private area in the back with traditional Japanese low tables. Such fun! My daughter loves taking her shoes off and sits at the table as if she is twelve years old instead of three; the baby likes playing the ‘climb onto the table’-game until we finally get enough of it and strap him into his Phil&Teds Me Too chair.
Last night at Issa we tried a new dish: Okonomiyaki, or Japanese Pancake. A true discovery! Initially, the dish almost looked alive — it’s presented on a hot plate and because of the heat, the bonito flakes on top were moving around like wiggly worms! Intriguing! The taste of it was wonderful, and the kids loved it!
We chose the variety with sliced pork belly, but it also comes with seafood, which we are definitely going to try next time as this dish proved to be an instant hit. I will also maybe try to make it myself sometime. This seems like a good recipe…
xxx Esther
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Issa
Stadionkade 249
1076 NX Amsterdam
+31 (0) 20 6628224
*Map*
Closed on Mondays
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Esther in Amsterdam
July 8th, 2008
