A few weeks ago 5&33 invited me over to do a film-food workshop at the lovely Art'Otel in Amsterdam! As I was caught up by the flu the weekend of the food-film festival I was so happy this event was organized a few days later when I was again fresh & back on track yeah! :D

I come here every once in a while to catch up with a friend after work while enjoying their lovely tea, I highly recommend the fresh verveinne-lavender tea..MMmmm!

The workshop was so super cool, I got to cook together with Mattia, the head chef from 5&33. We had so much fun in the kitchen, I mean.. imagine.. put together a passionate Italian chef next to an Asian kitchen-goddess lmao..just had to say that haha.. 2 different backgrounds but sharing the same passion.. GOOD FOOD!
I absolutely loved it just to look at him rolling his kitchen.. a bit of this and a bit of that... et voila! Also we discussed our different visions on oils..(with respect tho) I'm a true coconut and rice oil fan..and he swears on olive oil... I admit.. of course olive oil is good and tasty.. but I only use olive only for cold dressings..

Oke here comes a true shocker... I haven't been eating pasta for quite a while because I've just never been a big pasta lover, BUT.. yes there is a but.. After the third course they served me and my lovely cousin H. (who I could bring along..thank you for that!) a plate of Spaghetti. At first I said.. oh... I think I'm gonna skip this round..but when I saw my cousins eye grew bigger after she took her first bite and pointing to my plate while nodding her head up and down.. I thought... Who the F#ck am I kidding.. YES.. (don't give me that look).. I ATE it.. uhuh.. THE WHOLE DAMN PLATE..and I loved every bit of it lol :D Seriously.. it was so beautifully prepped.. It wasn't just because I haven't eaten pasta for such a long time, but seriously..Mattia sure knows how to work a plate of spaghetti :| this dish really blew me away, it was So SO tasty! This dish just took me by surprise.. and I loved every bite of it!

I loved the fact that the whole menu was Film inspired and that they really sticked to the Traditional way of Italian cooking. Almost all the kitchen staff from 5&33 is Italian, so for REAL Italian food I would highly recommend you to come and eat here!
Mattia and the crew.. thank you for the peek in your kitchen and the amazing delicous lunch (it felt like a neverending freakin Italian buffet.. lol.. I ate so much urgh)

xoxo
The Cookteaser

As the name already gives it away..This restaurant is in what it used to be an Old School building..! My lovely foody in crime Y. and I were having a girls night out a few weeks ago starting at 'Oldschool Restaurant'. Lately I've been going out a lot for good food just outside of the centre of Amsterdam. I'm not sure what it is..but I really have the feeling that most restaurants located outside the canals are just way better in serving really good & tasty food with GREAT service! (yes.. true story.. I repeat GREAT SERVICE.. it really exists in Amsterdam lol)
When we entered the building we both didn't know what to think.. for a second I thought.. let's just turn around. cause to be honest.. it doesn't look very appealing going back to school you know ;) ... but hold on..hold on..Lesson no 1. don't judge a book by its cover right?!?!  So...we walked up the stairs.. and we got spanked by a teacher.. LMAO nah kidding ;D but we walked up the stairs and TADAAAA we entered this major open space with lot's of sunlight falling in.. people were already sitting at tables.. and then this guy walked towards us with a huge smile on his face welcoming us and asking if we'd booked a table and I was happy to say we did!!

I love the fact they used a lot of the old school furniture, it gives you that '#TBT' feeling ;D. But now the most important.. what did I think of the food?! Well.. I was pleasantly surprised by all the fresh and mostly organic products they use.
Another thing I loved is their Sharing diner concept, as you guys know.. I love to serve my food the same way.. I mean.. what not better then order dishes together with your partner so you can taste more of what they have to offer.. so this way you never have to miss out on anything and stare at your friends plate thinking 'shit I wish I ordered that too'. ;D

I have to say.. the spinach with the poached egg was such a winner! That sauce.. Mmmmm... so f#cking tasty! :| I wanted to lick that whole plate.. but I forced myself not to.. I mean.. that would be weird right? But saying that is to give you an impression on how tasty I think that spinach dish was!!

I had a peek in their kitchen and started a small chat with the spontaneous head chef named 'Jerrey Gontscharoff', a chef full with positive energy and is super psyched himself to work in this new hidden gem of Amsterdam!
Oldschool restaurant is the first restaurant in Amsterdam with their own 'chickenfarm' (so fresh delicious eggs every day..!!) and 'rooftof-fresh-herb terrace'! Like seriously..what's not to like about this place.. ?!

The highlight of this wonderful evening was most definitely the main course... The Fish we had was SOOOOOO GOOODDD!! Everything was just perfect on this plate. Y. and I shared this plate together and it was a lot.. and with that, I mean.. A LOT! Holy crap!! Even though this dish could easily pass for 3 people we finished it all cause it was SO DAMN TASTY! The fish was super fresh and tender.. and the grilled potato and veggies on the side... MMMMmmm.. just perfect.

I could go on and on about how much I love this new place, but really, check their website HERE yourself and book a table for lunch or diner! I highly recommend this place.. at least I know I'm coming back here for sure, so maybe we'll cross each others paths there!

xoxo
The Cookteaser

Doctor Doctor.. cure me please from being thirsty and in great need for some healthy vitamin shots! This, my sexy followers...is one of my new favourite hotspots in down town Amsterdam!! I love the name, love the service and last but sure not least.. I fucking LOVE the SMOOTHIES! Good god.. they're just so damn tasty so I had to share this with you guys!!
Now you're probably wondering what makes this juicebar so special!? Well..They use Organic veggies en fruits as much as possible.. and I know that all the other juicebars in Amsterdam just use regular fruits & greens..You'll really taste the difference..AND you're getting the real deal guys.. REAL VITAMINS!

This shop is also stacked with loads of beautiful organic products and a wide range of Superfoods. Ask the staff anything you want to know and they'll give you loads and loads of information..A month ago or so I started a small chat with the guy who runs this place and he just get's it.. S E R V I C E.. yes I know I know.. for some Amsterdam people a very unfamiliar word..they're like..'omg..what does it mean?!' LMFAO .. well honey.. it means.. that people love their job and put their love and energy into what their selling while doing it with some flair and grace..
Yes.. I know.. WEIRDDD.. and very uncommon so THANK you Dr. Blend for running your business with so much flair & care!

Although I'm all psyched about this new shop in Amsterdam there's just one thing. Dr. Blend.. if you read this.. these straws.. are not hard and thick enough.. (this kinda sounds awkward...) But I'm really serious though! Cause they would 'bend over' while drinking..(oke this is just getting weirder and weirder..)
I think this is my que to stop blogging.
Maybe we'll meet each other at Dr. Blend and for now.. you guys have a great evening!
xoxo
The Cookteaser

After a few months of renovating  Bo Cinq they recently opened his doors again! Thank god they still serve the beautiful Marrocan-French cuisine! I absolutely love that combo! One of the things they did change is changing the concept into ‘Sharing diner’, I’m really noticing that more and more restaurants work with this way of serving food and I think its great as in Asia it’s very normal to serve the dishes in the middle of the table so eveyone can enjoy a bit of every dish! Love it! Sharing is caring !! (unless it’s my favourite dish than; ‘don’t you dare coming near my plate biatchhhhh lol)

Lucky me I was invited to come and enjoy a great evening at Bo Cinq last week, I was accompanied with my good friend Y. and we enjoyed a night with the most delicious cocktails, food and high quality service! They changed the whole place and I totally understand why they did this, I mean the restaurant is now in the area where the lounge used to be. With an eclectic interior, from beautiful black and white abstract art on the walls to a wall filled with green plants combined with industrial elements here and there. Different but Cool!

The dishes I would recommand:

 Tortellini filled with duck liver and truffle with fried duck liver and a plum sauce

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Mini fish tagine 
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Grilled scallops with little gems, white chocolate and lemongrass-sauce

I hear you smokers think OMFG what if they got rid of the smoking area?!!? What if..?!?! WHAT IF  (dramatic facial expression)?!?! Well calm down you heavy breathers.. it’s still there and they made that room even prettier with nice big couches combined with beautiful design. Even when you’re a non-smoker you’ll probably feel tempted to light a cigarette just because you want to sit there and enjoy that lovely space! What I love about Bo Cinq is that you don't have to think about where to go next after dinner, you just walk over to the lounge or have your drink at the  LONGEST BAR of AMSTERDAM!! it's at least 25 meter !! Holy SMACK!! Good change we'll probably run into each other here soon! ;)
xoxo
The Cookteaser

Bo Cinq
Prinsengracht 494,  Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 622 0682

Yihaa!! A new club in town: 'Club ABE'! I was quite excited when I got the invite cause lately I really felt that Amsterdam is lacking in nice bars/clubs where you can enjoy delicious cocktails while showing of your fabulous dancemoves! Welll lucky me..cause here comes 'Club Abe', a bar, lounge & club all in one! LOVE IT!
I love surprises and sure club ABE knows how to surprise their guests last Thursday! I mean who would have guessed that a club,  gorgeous as this could be found  in the Amstelstreet  nr. 32 (on the left side of club Air)?! I felt very welcome at the opening, hot looking guys we're even escorting me while walking up and down the stairs, they sure know how to treat a lady :D! Beside the great service they we're all beautifully dressed and all smiles the entire night!!..(that's like a freaking miracle has happenend in terms of service in Amsterdam) lol

1,2, omg 3 smiles ! lol

Whoever can relate to the life quote of Club ABE should come! minor detail: ABE club & lounge welcomes mature and like-minded people as from 27+! (Love this!)

 'The Key To Immortality Is First Living A Life Worth Remembering'

Club ABE:
Amstelstraat 30
Opening hours Thursdays from 9:00 pm – 3:00 am
Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 – 5:00 am
Sundays from 6:00 pm – 1:00 am

My lovely friend J. is back in town for just a couple of days so we decided to do our 'catching-up' at this place called 'Nyonya'. I used to come here at least once a week, but then 2 years ago I felt like the quality of the food had dropped and I stopped going here. If it wasn't for my dearest mom to mention 'Nyonya' a couple of weeks ago when I was clueless of where to have diner (yes.. even I can be clueless for diner sometimes..). So thanks mom.. Otherwise I would have missed out some Super Delish Food! Cause seriously... I guess you can call me a true addict again ;)! Nyonya is a Malaysian restaurant and I really wonder how come there aren't more Malaysian restaurants in town, I mean.. really every single person I took to Nyonya is now an Malaysian food ADDICT! True story.. :|

My favourite dishes I always order are:

The Nyonya Soup as a starter (if you don't like spicy food order the 'Laksa soup')
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Lady Fingers, Okra prepared with the most delishes spices and seasoning..

Kang Kong, a asian vegetable prepared super super tasty...  (I often order this with squid..Mmmmm so tasty)

(*expect the prices to vary from 10 to 17 euro per main dish)

Tip: As it's always fully packed either come here early to be sure to be seated or make reservations beforehand and make sure you bring cash as they don't accept cards.. (Nyonya, if you read this.. please get a pin-machine..like seriously..it's 2013 we live in lol)

Nyonya
Kloveniersburgwal 38, Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 422 2447

Last Thursday I was invited to come to the official opening of a new restaurant named 'Chow'. Don't you just love the name?!  They call it a Pan-Asian cuisine, I love it when new restaurants pop up, specially when it's Asian food!
The interior of Chow is very NON Asian.. which I really like.. I mean.. who decided anyways that when you serve Asian food the interior has to be Asian too?!? Talking about the interior.. Chow is filled with beautiful art on the walls and even a stunning art piece placed in the middle of the restaurant! It's the creative mind of Casper Reinders who turned an old darkish tapas restaurant into a beautiful bright new gem where you can enjoy great food!

As you can see the food is presented with much care and an eye for beauty, I enjoyed every bit of it! MMMmmmm...

The waiters were super friendly and I really felt spoiled for the night! Love it! :D

I found this the most Delish dish! The 'Wagyu beef with Soya Orange'! What a great combo and that for someone who doesn't even like to eat meat that much!! This piece of meat was just SOOO SUPER TENDER....ohh.. I'm drewling.. lol

Oh My God!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when they came with this sweet treat! As you probably know.. dried mango is one of my favourite snacks! Chow dipped them in chocolate?! OMG I LOVE IT! Chow really knows how to tease me!
Definitely coming back here. Thank you for the invite and keep up the good work, Ciao Chow :D

News-Flash..! So last Saturday I had lunch with two of my lovely friends Y. and D.  and we went to 'Buffet van Odette' and I couldn't believe my eyes... they had one of my favourite drinks on the menu:
The DIRTY CHAI! Holy crap.. love it! The Dirty Chai is originally from Starbucks and people always stare at me whenever I order it somewhere else like..wtf is a dirty chai..?! So my opinion: Good things are happening at Buffet van Odette!

I think I even prefer their Dirty Chai more then the one at Starbucks.. why?..Cause this one is less sweet. MMMmm..I used to come here often but somehow I totally forgot about this place. Now I know they have the Dirty Chai I will definitely come back here soon! Maybe we'll see each other there ;)
xoxo
The Cookteaser
p.s. don't forget to replace the regular milk with Soy milk ;)
Address:
Buffet van Odette
Prinsengracht 598, Amsterdam

Me and my friend S. decided to do some shots after a hard day of work! But hey..not just any shots stupid, but healthy wheat grass shots! It's been years ago that I've been drinking these green shots, and that reminded me I really have to drink these more often. Some find the taste really disgusting but I really like the taste..I even find it a bit lemony (call me crazy but I do!), I could seriously drink a whole glass of it!

 As I'm going to Indonesia and Singapore soon I thought I'd do myself a favour by prepping myself drinking these super delish Coconuts! MMMmm I'm feeling exotic already ;) I always wonder how come the organic 100% coconut water at the organic supermarket can be stored outside the freezer for so long without added chemicals.. So by drinking these little fellas I'm really sure that this is pure nature I'm drinking, No package, No sugars, No chemicals, just Plain fresh coconut water straight out of the nut! MMMMmm.. so tasty!

You are now probably wondering where I had all these delicious drinks!? Well I was at the 'Alchemist Garden', a raw food restaurant and juicebar at the Overtoom. They've been here over 4 years but they've been changing the place bit by bit lately (good things are happening).

I love to go here when it's warm and sunny, they have a nice terrace but strange enough I have NEVER eaten here...BUT S. was feeling hungry and ordered the club sandwich, it's with raw bread and a good combination of healthy veggies, I took a bite out of her 'sandwich' and the part I liked best is the dressing on the sandwich! MMMMmm.. I couldn't place it what it was! but I liked it a lot!

Sure I have a love for nature..but the 'Alchemist Garden' took this to a whole new level..with that I mean their lavatory is a bit over the top.. they have real spiderwebs and spiders..and this wasn't just decoration..urgh..Whenever I'm in a restaurant I find it very important that the lavatories are in the same condition as the rest of the restaurant..So if you're reading this mr. Alchemist.. please mind the toilet..give it a bit more attention and it's all good :D

Tip: Before you start drinking the juice of the coconut I always scoop out the flesh, this way the coconut water will be much more flavourful, trust me.. you'll taste the difference!
Minor detail, as good as the coconut water is for you, don't forget that the white flesh (actually the best part) is very high in calories, and this..I unfortunately didn't found out about it reading it on the net..( I f#cking wish :|)
xoxo
The Cookteaser

Alchemist Garden
Overtoom 409 in Amsterdam

It took a while but here is one of the highlights of my trip to Antwerp/Belgium. What you probably don't know is that as a child I grew up in Belgium so I'm quite familiar with the city. But I always went there with my mom, so it felt totally different for me to go there with friends in a positive way.
I had lunch at a place called 'Lombardia', my friend C. recommended the place, I quote : You f#cking  go to there..you'll love it!!. and off I went... First impression, from the outside you wouldn't find it the most appealing place step in as it's kinda scruffy looking, but let me tell you..the food is f#cking A-MAZING!!

The interior is just so 'different' and very chaotic BUT therefore very much their own signature and I really think that's the charm of Lombardia.. and I mean.. in the end.. you want to get rid of your hunger in a good way.. and I really think this is the place to be! Their speciality is the 'Ginger Love' drink, it's an all natural Ginger-Lemon tea which will give you all the energy you're looking for (to do some more shopping..). They're super famous because of this drink! We also had some delicious juices but I totally forgot to make pictures of them, but when you order a juice they evemn ask you if you like some maca powder or spirulina in it! MMMMMMmmm so good!

I'm guessing you're curious what I chose from the HUGE menu they have?! Well I had the magic mushroom salad and both my friends had the vegan burger.  Believe me..everything was so damn tasty! they even served some glutenfree chips with a spicy ricemilke based dip! Mmmm love it! What I think what makes this place unique is that they only work with organic products and the whole menu is divided in categories like 'Vegan', 'Glutenfree', 'Lactosefree' and 'Healthy food. The portions are HUGE, when I saw my plate coming I thought.. I'm never gonna finish it..but hey.. when it's good..it's good..so I finished it all!

I had a nice chat with the owner Alain, and he told me his mother started Lombardia but she left our beautiful planet years ago and he decided to take over the place.. Thanks for keeping up the good work Alain, this place is enough reason for me to travel to Antwerp. I seriously could eat here mornings, afternoons and evenings! I'm NOT kidding! So if you're ever in Antwerp this is a MUST-GO to for sure!
Lombardia
address: Lombardenvest 78
Antwerp - Belgium