The shop that has it all: Friday Next

Once in a while you find that rare thing: a shop that has it all. Friday Next in the centre of Amsterdam, near the Leidseplein, offers everything from clothes and bags to furniture, art, jewelry, even bicycles, and also houses a great café inside the shop.

The taste in goods is amazing: the designs are functional, clear, yet at the same time homy and comfortable. Sitting down in the café is like sitting down in someone's living room. And there's so much to see, it's hard to keep your seat.

Wannahaves and great café

There was an ingenious bookcase I want to have, an amazing filigrain ring and matching pair of earrings, gorgeous necklaces, there were wonderful plates depicting parts of old maps of Amsterdam and lots and lots of other things I'd love to own.

The people who work at Friday Next are all very friendly and helpful, from the girl in the café to the girl at the cashregister. I had a passable latte and the most luscious, aromatic, fluffy apple and cinamon muffin and a pecan and maple slice. The slice was more of a wedge, really, covered in a thin layer of good chocolate and it was rich and nutty and sweet.

Prices are a bit steep (E2,50 for a latte), but still this is a place I'll come back to. If only to check out all the finds when the new collections are out. Any place with taste this good, with so much to offer for all your senses deserves a place in Amsterdam!

Friday Next
Overtoom 31
1054 HB Amsterdam
http://www.fridaynext.com/

Best burger in Amsterdam: Nassau at the Wittenkade

 















One of the best places to have a great burger and a nice evening out in Amsterdam is Nassau at the Wittenkade in the Westerpark neighbourhood. Nassau calls itself a café-slash-restaurant ('eetcafé') and this describes exactly what it is. It's a café, where you can meet with friends or business acqaintances and have a drink. In the evening you can also have a bite to eat.

The staff is friendly and relaxed and the interior design is comfortably hip, livingroom style. There's lots of wood and beige leather seating. Opposite the peninsular bar is a small fake fireplace and check out the funky lighting in the ceiling. The art on the walls is changed regularly.

The fare is homey and down-to-earth, but with a classy twist. Like the burgers, which are made from wagyu beef. This breed of Japanese bovines is renowned for its flavour, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled meat.

And -oh my!- this makes for excellent burgers. They are moist and tender and chockfull of flavour. A bun covered in sesameseeds, pickles, fried onions and beets accompanies my burger. It comes with crisp golden fries and a mayonaise that, according to the menu, is flavoured with wasabi (but in reality does not burn at all).

Ok, so the New York cheesecake we ordered for desert is awful (the cheesecake I make myself is about 12 times better, I swear), but I will (I am one hundred percent sure of this) come back for that incredible wagyu burger!

Nassau
De Wittenkade 105 A
1052 AG Amsterdam
no website, but the telephonenumber is:  +31 (0)20 6843562

Out of commission

After last week's post about where to live in Amsterdam, I was thinking I'd continue along this train of thought and list some of the gorgeous shops where I'd spend all my money on furniture and lamps and decorations for our house.

I haven't been able to though, because I'm out of commission. I won't go into the details, but my stomach has been having a tough time the last few days. I'm thinking it's probably a virus of some kind.

I'll be back soon with those shops. And I will also owe you the address of the place with the very best burgers in town (I was going to go today, but had to cancel). Will post photos and details after me and my friend Matt reschedule.

The crisis paradox

Truly, how hard can it be, finding a creative, challenging, fulfilling job in the city of Amsterdam? This is the creative capitol of the Netherlands, it shouldn't be so hard...

But it is. And eventhough I was not looking before the crisis hit, and so I cannot tell the difference between how easy it was then and how hard it is now, it does seem like the current crisis is not helping.

What I'm not doing however, is helping the crisis. I refuse to let the mere idea of a recession make me not spend any money. I know it is a human reaction, to save your money instead of spending it, a way to try and be safe, but it achieves the opposite of what people want. It is a sure fire way to keep the crisis going. I refuse.

And so the paradox is this: my way to help stop the crisis, and thereby hopefully increasing my chances of ever finding a job, is to simply not play. I will keep spending my money like there is no crisis, until I have none. We'll see who has the longer breath!