Graves Restaurant ****

On a Friday night I rang around a few places and didn't find any luck until Graves. I had heard about Graves through a colleague, who had fond memories of the Lobster Bisque. I was worried from the website that Graves would be a little too formal for a Friday night dinner with J, his friend E and their friend from Barcelona who we will call Turtle. Instead tucked away on Gravenstraat (just behind the Nieuwekerk) you will find an inviting cafe with it's dark wood interior, dim lighting and a unique,  wonderful oval balcony.

Although Graves has an A La Carte menu we all opted for the 4 courses for E40 with the wine arrangement whereby you get to try a different wine chosen by the sommelier with each course.

The service is great. With a smiley, knowledgeble waitress and a true guru of wine in the sommelier.

On arrival we were immediately given an aperitif of sparkling wine from the Languedoc accompanied by a cold cucumber, dill and salmon soup to cleanse the tasting palette.

Then onto the first course of scallops with sesame seeds. The scallops were really small, albeit yummy and were devoured quickly. Then it was onto the lobster bisque. It really was deliciously light but sadly not enough of it. The 'main' I use that word lightly as there was nothing 'main' about it as it was more like a starter of rack of lamb with lentils. Again it tasted amazing, but just not enough of it.

Dessert was 3 small dishes of creme caramel, amaretto cream with biscuit plus one other. A great ending to a lovely meal.

With the large glasses of wine, we were having some of the funniest conversations but I was to discover the next day that maybe I should of taken the 6 course menu.

On this Friday night the restaurant was half full, bearing in mind it is holiday time in Amsterdam so the locals are away but you would expect it to busier with visitors. It felt a shame that the restaurant was half empty it definitely deserves more custom but my only criticism was the size of the portions. On the other hand the food tasted great, not too complicated but still unusually seasoned or dressed. A recommend, although I think the restaurant is now closed over the Summer holidays.


http://www.cafegraves.nl/

De Ysbreeker-**

I had recently heard that the historical cafe De Ysbrekker had had a bit of a makeover so on a Saturday bike ride down the Amstel we decided to stop by for brunch (it was the night after Graves' small portions) so we were quite hungry.

I can't really review the food as we all went for the Croque Madame, which I have to say was good. The service was a little sloppy as in not very sharp which you would expect for the look of the restaurant. But hey,  I was here to check out the interior which has been designed by the same architects as the Stadsschowburg. The original facade and arch windows remain the same, but inside the walls have been knocked through to create various areas such as the patio type area with the various skylights to the lounge with pool table, fire place and comfy sofas, to the refectory type reading tables, perfect for reading the Sunday papers.They even have their own paper!

Using a mix of modern design, industrial lighting and  art deco glass designs depicting the work of the ice breakers on the Amstel river everything seemed to really feel like a place I could waste all day in. I was impressed, the interior is very contemporary but I feel that it won't date quickly. There is also free Wifi which is always a bonus.

http://www.deysbreeker.nl/en/

Further to above I went to eat with a group of girlfriends on a Tuesday night. It was a warm July evening and we had to wait in line to sit outside with no real attention from the waiters. Just a tip to them, maybe take our names so that you can let us know when their is a table free and we can take a seat at the bar. The food was ok, I went for a burger and it was just fine ( I am on a mission to find the best burger in town- to date it's at Lust http://www.lustamsterdam.nl/)

Although very Amsterdam service, sitting on the terrace on a warm evening, looking over the Amstel, with great company and wine makes up for everything. It's one of the best terraces in Amsterdam.

Dauphine's- fantastic fish-****

Another first for me in Amsterdam, and what a delightful restaurant this is. Dauphine's is situated at the back of the Amstel station. It was a friend's local and had no high expectations of a restaurant 'at the back of Amstel station'. J and I cycled in the heat up the Amstel and then left under the bridge to Dauphine's that was buzzing on a hot Summer night to meet Spanish 'D', Belgian 'E' and their 2 month baby 'B'.

We were a tad early and wanted to sit outside, we were immediately greeted and told there would be around a 20-30 minute wait. No problem we could grab a drink at the air conditioned bar. The interior is huge for Amsterdam, the restaurant located in what used to be a Renault garage. It's pretty impressive seating around 240 covers, perfect for events and parties.

If I was to put together a restaurant menu, Dauphine's selection would probably be exactly what I'd choose, from the Fruits de mer, to classic French bistro food, oysters, shellfish including soft-shell crab (I loved this!, fresh fish to their huge hamburger. The service is swift, and the food absolutely suprisingly well presented and tasted great. We felt like we were on holiday, but no we were just 15 minutes cycle outside Amsterdam. Maybe it's 20 minutes, but I urge you to try Dauphine's. I'll be sure to be heading back in the not so distant future.

http://www.caferestaurantdauphine.nl/en/

 

Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant- Padstow, Cornwall...Amazing.*****

J and I were were on a weekend visit to Cornwall to see my mother's family and my gran.  I was born in Cornwall and wanted to show the glorious countryside and dramatic sandy coves to J. The culinary highlight of the weekend was Sunday lunch at Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant down in Padstow. Padstow is where my mum and dad met some 40 years ago and where 37 years ago Catherine Grace Reynolds was born. How Padstow has changed since then. It's a pretty little fishing town, but weekends and Summer brings hoards of tourists, Padstow is often referred to as Padstein due to Rick Stein's hotel, cafe, fish and chip shop, Deli and restaurant.

I was determined to book the Seafood Restaurant to treat my parents, Rick Stein is one of my cookery gods. I had been told to make a reservation to sit in the restaurant at least a month beforehand and were told that there was a table left at 12.30. It is possible to show up, but you will be sitting at the bar. It was a dreary day outside, but on arrival at the Seafood restaurant we were happily greeted at the door, coats whisked away to hang to dry and taken to our table.

The menu is just well you guessed it -a range of seafood mainly from the Cornish coast. I decided on Crisp Smoked Mackerel and Green Mango Salad, J had the Sashimi of Hand Dived Scallop, Salmon, Sea Bass and Kingfish,  Mum and Dad opted for the lunch menu at 35 pounds, which is a bargain, but with a limited selection. Mum had a huge bowl of Fish and Shellfish Soup with Rouille and Parmesan, I actually forgot what dad had as I was so loving my starter. Mackerel is something I would rarely eat but this was a surprise dish of the day. All was helped down with a bottle or two of the Rick Stein Chardonnay.

Then on to the main course. As we were all treating ourselves J opted for the messy Singapore Spiky King Crab, mum the bream and dad the sole. I opted for a Padstow lobster which I have to say is almost the best lobster I have ever eaten- only superseded by a freshly caught lobster in a little taverna near Oia in Santorini. J's crab remains one of the messiest dishes I have ever witnessed him devouring. All around us you could see people enjoying their food with the happy, bustling atmosphere. Our waitress was really efficient- boarding on the almost militant, but she definitely warmed to us as lunch service went on.

Mum and dad still had room for dessert of Tarte Tatin. I think we spent a good couple of hours at Rick Stein's. It was a perfect meal, that was topped off by a stroll down to the beach to look at the amazing Atlantic- right where our meal had most likely been caught from. Absolutely fantastic, an absolute recommend.


Go on treat yourself. Flights to Exeter from Amsterdam daily.

http://www.rickstein.com/the-seafood-restaurant.html

Le Rendezvous, Cannes***

I'll keep this one brief. All I can say about this restaurant with it's shabby interior and somewhat tipsy service is that the Fruit de Mer is unbelievable. We were totally surprised by the amount of fresh and tasty morsels of crustaceans lay on an ornate platter decorated as a ship. We ploughed through lobster, crab, mussels, periwinkles, sea snails and oysters. At the time I thought I wished there was somewhere in Amsterdam that served up such wonderful shellfish - I only just found a place- Dauphine's- reviewed very soon.

http://www.restaurant-fruits-de-mer-cannes.com/

Eden Roc, Hotel du Cap***

Ok I am spoilt. On my frequent flyer points I headed to Cannes for a long weekend to join J, as it was part of the advertising week. Rather spontaneously one morning I was asked whether I would like to go to lunch at Eden Roc.

I'm a foodie and should of really known of Eden Roc and it's location on the grounds of the famous Hotel du Cap. I really didn't know until we our cab took us into the meandering drive way with a sign left 'Hotel du Cap' and sign right 'Eden Roc'. Hotel du Cap is said to be a hotel for celebrities on the Riviera from around the world. If you check out their website you will see an A-Z to the most influential icons from the past century.

On the Friday I visited there wasn't a celebrity sighting to be seen. Although there were many sightings of the older man with the younger woman and the older lady trying to remain young with the over zealous cosmetic nip and tuck. After what seemed like 10 minutes we waited for a table (after reserving early) after being passed from one waiter to the next to be seated. Only residents 'apparently' can take a seat overlooking the sea and the millionaires 'yachts' to me they are mini ocean liners, we weren't too fussed as we still had a view of the Mediterranean and Hotel du Cap's famous infinity pool. The views are amazing. The service is not what you would expect at all for the E40 price tag for starters. Really sporadic and to be honest I've had better Langoustines on the Med but we were in near Cannes where you will be paying E20 for a sunlounger. Try down the coast in Pals, and those babies would be E10 max, but hey it's an experience and the company was hilarious with an exec producer of an Aussie production co, 2 x creatives from Sydney who had just won a gold for a beer commercial and my French/ American rep from Paris.

Great fun and afterwards we had a little stroll round the regal grounds of the Hotel. It's definitely worth a visit to see how you could live, but I am quite happy living my life how I do.


Eden Roc
http://www.hotel-du-cap-eden-roc.com/uk/index.php
Cap Antibes
South of France

Vooges***

Vooges is one of my favourite, reliable, relaxed restaurants that I used to frequent monthly when I had a tiny little flat on the corner of Utrechtsestraat and Keizersgracht in 2006. My boyfriend's Mother and Aunt were in town so after a walk around the Grachtengordel we decided it would be good to go to Vooges for some relaxed, Dutch fayre. Vooges doesn't take bookings (well didn't used to) but on this particular night, the restaurant was half full, maybe as the back courtyard was open. We opted to sit in the lovely rounded window table looking over the quiet Utrechtsestraat. Utrechtsestraat is really quiet at the moment as there has been work on the bridge on the Singel, so the road is closed to traffic. During the Summer all the restaurants have been allowed to put their tables and chairs on the pavement and go all Alfresco. Nice! I digress let me get back to Vooges.


Vooges has been given something of a a renovation and is now all stripped down and minimal. I'm not a fan so much of the decor, but I am a big big fan of the food. The menu starts with a choice from lightly fried seafood to canneloni to fishcakes. We decided to all share a few starters of tempura prawns and the selection of fried seafood. All were a wonderful surprise- just light and fresh with a slightly spicy sauce. Accompanied by a bottle of Malbec and Argentina on the TV (it was the World Cup remember). Just perfect. For mains Aunt and Mum decided on the fish of the day- Dorade (Bream)- it looked amazing and from their umm's and aah's I think I can say without any hesitation, that their food hit top marks on taste too.  I went for the lamb, beautifully presented, the meat was tender, but the sauce was a little bland. J went for the chicken that was again seemed to get top marks from him.
 
It was a perfect evening, perfect company, perfect venue, perfect service and perfect food (and Argentina won!)


Vooges, I am sorry that I hadn't been for a while. I will be back again for sure.


http://www.vooges.nl/vooges_amsterdam/index.php

Vooges 

Utrechtsestraat 51 

1017 VJ Amsterdam

Telefoon 020 - 330 56 70

Cafe George**

Wow, this month has been a festival of football as well as food, so all has been a tad busy. As well as changes ahead on the work front. All will be revealed soon.

I have a few reviews to come from Amsterdam, to Cannes, to Cornwall then back to Amsterdam. First off is Cafe George. Cafe George is a bistro type restaurant just off the busy Liedesplein on the very quiet Leidsegracht 84. I often head there for lunch during the week and rarely notice how expensive the menu is for what you get e.g. terrible service and average food, until I put my review head on.

This particular lunchtime, I headed over on a beautiful June day with 2 American colleagues. We decided to sit in the cool of the inside of what was a very quiet restaurant (see picture empty). There were no smiles from the waitresses, just the typical 'we can only do one thing at a time as a Dutch waitress rather than multi-tasking and doing what you would expect from a waitress anywhere else in the world'. This is a big gripe of mine.

I went for a safe bet the Salade Nicoise with a side of 'french' fries, whilst Miss E asked for a steak - but apparently the meat was bad today (good sign) so they decided to take it off the menu (good idea) so went for the Nicoise too, Mr T went for a burger at 14 Euros- Yes that's 14 Euros for a burger! After 45 minutes wait, with all of 8 customers, our food arrived. All was ok. Nothing special. There's nothing more I can say about the service, because there was no service from putting the plate on the table, till me swiping my card through the PIN machine.

If Cafe George sped the kitchen up, upped the standard of food for the price and stopped employing stuck up waitresses, then I'm sure my opinion might change, but the next time my colleagues ask whether I'd like to go to Cafe George, I wish I had other lunch places in Amsterdam where you can get good food within the hour. I know I will be going back but will try and take off my review head next time.

http://www.cafegeorge.nl/