John Butler-Gould

Approximately halfway along Leliegracht, between Keizersgracht and Herengracht canals, is De Luwte (the shelter), a charming French restaurant, with Parisian decor and a warm and inviting ambience.

This brasserie has two adjoining dining areas, a well stocked bar, and a spacious outside terrace overlooking the canal, with its recently built waterside gardens, specially created to encourage butterflies and as an inner city wildlife haven.

Stepping inside, you encounter a splendid fireplace, illuminated by dozens of candles in its hearth. Olive trees are scattered throughout, creating delightful al fresco fine dining surroundings, especially when the weather outside does not allow. It's a great place to unwind while watching the procession of boats sailing past the entrance

The staff are friendly and attentive, without being obtrusive. Start your dining experience with one of the house coctails or mocktails, with enchanting names such as Pornstar Martini, Tonight's Full Moon, Kiss Me at Midnight and Mint to Be. I can't recall the exact name of my favourite; it's Dirty something - a delicious combination of dark rum, ginger beer, lime, and figs.

The wine list features a superb selection of curated wines from the vineyards of Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, and the USA, available by glass or bottle. Lovers of bubbles can choose from the offerings of Moët & Chandon and Veuve Cliquot.

There's a mouth-watering selection of entrées typically featuring the likes of fresh oysters, steak and tuna tartaar, burrata, beetroot and goats cheese salad, carpaccio, aubergine salad Middle Eastern style and seared scallops.

The main menu is seasonal and comes in meat, fish and vegetarian variations, each limited to a maximum of four or five dishes, enabling the chef and kitchen brigade to prepare their culinary delights to perfection, accompanied by side dishes of choice. This is fine dining at its best.

Desserts include Pornstar Martini Cheesecake, classic homemade tiramisu, and the oh so delectable Baked Alaska, flambéed at the table, with Grand Marnier

Pricing is affordable, with De Luwte offering immaculate service and sensational cuisine in unique surroundings. Once you've tried this brasserie, you'll keep wanting to come back. Reservations are highly recommended.

Located on Prinsengracht, Amigo Grill Restaurant,  has great views of the city's most famous landmark, Westerkerk and its 85 meter  (almost 279 feet) high tower, which was completed in 1638.

This Argentinian-themed eatery has colourful murals of gaucho cowboys and a large cow staring down from the ceiling.  It has comfortable seating, together with a delightful outside terrace.

Catering predominantly to tourists,  the restaurant shares its kitchen with Amigo restaurant, a few doors down,  just around the corner, on Rozengracht.

In general, the restaurant attracts good reviews for its meat dishes, but a recent lunchtime visit proved to be a great disappointment.  Having reserved for four persons, three decided to begin with onion soup, which arrived as a tasteless watery clear broth, most likely made from a powder substance, bearing no resemblance to its namesake. Each person took a spoonful and declined to finish the remainder. The calamari was edible, but nothing to write home about.

My main pasta course arrived fifteen minutes before the dishes ordered by the remainder of the group.  Having waited until the rest were served, it became  unappetisingly cold. All dishes suffered from a serious lack of seasoning, and none were returned fully consumed.

The apple pie cheesecake, ordered out of curiosity, contained no cheesecake whatsoever; We were totally mystified why it was named as such.

The solitary waitress had done her best to be accommodating  throughout, in what was clearly an awkward situation. We were offered a glass of liqueur with the bill. Unsure if this was restaurant policy, or her attempt to appease, but it was a nice gesture.

Would we return any time soon? Highly unlikely.

Located in a former bank on Nieuwe Doelenstraat, between two of Amsterdam's most prestigious hotels - Hotel Doelen and Hotel de L'Europe, Café de Jaren is one of the city's largest cafés. It is a favourite haunt of students from the University of Amsterdam, business people, tourists, and the local community.

With high ceilings and spacious seating areas, the cafe is a hive of activity. It offers all day dinning with separate menus for breakfast, lunch, afternoon high tea and evenings, with a wide variety of Dutch and international cuisine.

The well stocked bar has an abundance of local and international liqueurs and spirits, together with a great selection of beers, including their own 'homebrew,' "Butcher's Tears," - a refreshing, dry, full, spicy, fruity and hoppy blond beer, inspired by the 18th century Amsterdam beers. Also recommended are their superb seasonal brews.

At the rear of this two floor cafe are a magnificent balcony and what is undoubtedly one of the city's finest waterside terraces, offering unrivalled views of Kloveniersburgwal canal and the Amstel river.

Payment at Café de Jaren is by card only. Prices are surprisingly reasonable.

Just a short walk from Munt tower is five star Hotel L' Europe, renowned for its superb accommodation and fine dining.

Established 125 years ago, the hotel has welcomed many famous personalities and well-heeled travellers, including the Rolling Stones, during their 2023 European tour.

The hotel's kitchen is located below water level, a major attraction for the many passing tourist boats on the Amstel river, often pausing to enable passengers to take photos. On the floor above is Brasserie Marie, named after the wife of Gérard Heineken.

Weather permitting, the restaurant has its own riverside terrace for al fresco dining, both places offering stunning views of the Amstel.

The Brasserie specialises in French cuisine. The ambience is cozy chic, with subdued lighting. Incredibly, the menu is printed in a font the size of the text on the back of a vitamin jar. There were three of us dining and due to dim lights and minute text size, none of us were able to read the menu. Having explained our predicament to a friendly and obliging waiter, he went off in search of a magnifier or table light, and returned, some time later, with the latter, which immediately resolved the problem.

We decided to forgoe the hors d'oeuvres selection of Irish oysters, imperial caviar, fougasse - a speciality sour dough bread from Provence, sea urchins, and Iberico sausage. Mains consists of cod, pidgeon, gnocchis and côte de boeuf. We elected to share the latter, accompanied with French fries and barbecued gem lettuce. The food was mouth-wateringly superb. Considering what's on offer, pricing is reasonable.

Despite its relatively small size, the Himalayan Supermarket on Admiraal de Ruijterweg offers an astonishing assortment of very competively priced produce from India and Nepal.
Open daily from 9am till 10pm, this is a gourmets paradise with many offerings not generally available elsewhere such as the so-called Bombay Duck, a dried fish which is prepared by frying until crispy and served as an accompaniment to curries. Although featured on the menu of virtually every self respecting Indian restaurant in the UK, I have yet to encounter the same being offered in the Netherlands.
The store has a fantastic selection of spices and condiments, ready-made meals, fresh herbs and vegetables, including delectable ladies fingers, better known to some as okra.
There is an abundance of delicious sweets to choose from. The store even has its own Halal butchery specialising in goat and chicken.
From the moment you enter the premises, you are made to feel welcome, with staff going out of their way to be of assistance.
Truly, a delightful shopping experience.