Amsterdam Curated: City and Food

I have never been to Greece, so I cannot speak to what authentic Greek cuisine looks like. However, I have fond memories of the food. When I was 18, I visited Belgium and my friend treated me to Gyros and Pitta at a Greek restaurant. Since then, whenever I think about Greek food, the good memory resurfaces. After arriving in the Netherlands, I always wanted to try Greek cuisine. Maybe it was due to its proximity to Belgium. One day, I made up my mind and looked for a Greek restaurant. A few options in the city popped up, one of which was Romio's. However, I found out that they were always super busy and did not take any reservations. So, I went there at 2 PM to avoid the crowd. Unfortunately, my strategy didn't work out well. Even at 2 PM, the restaurant was completely full, and I couldn't get a table. Then, a kind lady told me that she could give me a table after around 20 to 25 minutes. So, I told them that I would be back and left for My little pa...

Sometimes you don't plan on having a fancy meal, but it just happens randomly, and that's what happened on this day. I had planned on having some authentic but quick Chinese or Japanese food, but instead, we decided to go to ARCA, located around the Amsterdam Centraal station area. Nestled in the vicinity of Amsterdam Centraal station, Arca opened its doors in November 2021. Sadly, due to pandemic-related closures, it remained under the radar for a few months. But once the city began reopening, Henrique himself visited Amsterdam and it opened its doors once again. The restaurant, which forms a part of Art'otel Amsterdam, a Radisson property, was easy to miss. It would be easier to look for the hotel instead of this restaurant if you go by Uber or taxi, as nobody would know about the restaurant well, and the Google map doesn't offer the best information on where to arrive. As I stepped in, I was greeted with a spacious and aesthetically-pleasing a...

Ever since I was nineteen, I have been visiting Bangkok yearly for vacation. I can't deny that its diverse and delicious cuisine is one of the biggest reasons why. However, one of my complaints about the Bangkok food scene was that price and interior did not always impact the satisfaction I got from the food. Although I also enjoyed dining at Michelin-starred restaurants such as  Nahm ,  Gaggan ,  Le Normandie  and  Paste , my biggest delight always came from small eateries like  Polo Fried Chicken  near the US embassy or  Wat Dong Mun Lek  in Chonburi. Before arriving in Amsterdam, I had heard about a small Thai snack bar near the Red Light District. Apart from a few places in Sham Shui Po or Sheung Wan in Hong Kong, I couldn't recall any other eatery deserving of the "hole-in-the-wall" title more than this place. Despite the crowd and the line, I managed to easily find a seat at the wall-side sitting bar ...

If you have ever experienced the endless queue for the famous brunch spot of San Francisco -  Mama's On Washington Square , in the morning, two things are likely to stick in your memory. First, the Chinese Americans practicing Tai Chi in nearby Washington Square, and second, probably Liguria Bakery , another San Franciscan institution opened in 1911 that specializes in selling focaccia, located just across the street. As the name suggests, Focaccia, the fluffy Italian flatbread, originated from Liguria, in the north-west of the country. If you are interested in travelling, you must have heard of Cinque Terre, or even Genoa (Genova), the hometown of Christopher Columbus. Opened in 2021, Focacceria is run by a couple from Liguria, as expected. the authenticity of its Focaccia was already widely recognized among Italian expat communities. Focacceria is interesting not only for its Focaccia but also as a place. Its bright yellow exterior catches your at...