Mr Porter | Amsterdam

Let’s just begin with the quote they put on their website which is spot on: “About Mr Porter; A companion by day, a hunter by night. A gentleman, a merciless lover. A jetsetter and a local. It is this duality, this constant battle of extremes that is MR PORTER. Cosmopolitan yet familiar. Extravagant yet modest. MR PORTER fearlessly explores the borders between dinner and sinner.”
This restaurant on the 5th floor of the W Hotel is very cool. Trying to get even with all trendy hotel bars and restaurants in other metropolitan cities around the world. Amsterdam needs more of these so I am happy! The view from this restaurant is absolutely amazing, the food is great, the lounge looks stunning with the coolest sleek interior decor and is just breathtaking at sunset. The whole place turns an orangy yellow, it’s like setting foot in the Garden of Eden (in my imagination…). I will update the current photograph with the one that captures this as soon as I’ve been able to shoot it and you’ll see. Spuistraat 175, Amsterdam | +31208113399 | €€€| Tram; Dam (1, 2, 5, 13, 14, 17) | Website

The Pig Hotel | On the Beach, Studland

I can’t quiet remember how I ended up finding this place but finding it made me and my friend really happy. This English country house style hotel right on the beach in Studland is just perfect for a quick get away from busy London. It’s a rough 3 hour drive from west London.
Imagine a beautiful villa with 23 cozy rooms, a stunning view over sea, a beautifully kept garden where they keep bees and grow vegetables etc that they serve in their AMAZING restaurant that is located in their greenhouse and has this amazing light shining in. I loved the interior style; very UK countryside! Reminded me a bit of the Soho House Group. A lot of wood, comfortable armchairs and sofa’s and little corners to relax and drink tea (or something stronger than that), a beautiful cozy lounge with a big fireplace, boardgames up for grasp, a treatment caravan outside that has been transformed into this wood panelled cozy room etc. The staff is super friendly and really care about making your stay memorable. On top of all of this you can go on beautiful long walks in the area (for example in the fields with beautiful views of the Old Harry Rocks). Manor House, Manor Road, Studland, Dorset, BH19 3AU | +44 01929 450288 | £££ | Website

Bar Botanique | Amsterdam

Bar Botanique – Cafe Tropique, what a name! I was immediately attracted (not only by the name but also) by the look of the place which is well.. green. Filled with plants and a different approach to interior design than most other restaurant openings nowadays. The staff told me that the restaurant is referred to as the ‘living room’ of East Amsterdam which I can completely understand. The location.. the mix of different people.. it felt very fun and lively. The menu is simple, nothing fancy (or tropical), but easy going Mediterranean comfort food. Eerste van Swindenstraat 581, Amsterdam | Website | €€

The Palomar Restaurant | London

Yes! I managed to get a reservation by trying the waitlist and it worked. Currently this place is bloody popular and I now understand why the waitlist was the only option to get a table asap. Love this place. It’s small and cozy with blue leather boots, dark wooden tables, floors and panelled walls and mosaic details. There is a counter / bar where they do life cooking and the music is turned up. This makes you want to order an Espresso Martini after dinner instead of Fresh Mint Tea. The food they serve is modern day Jerusalem and is out of this world. We basically asked the nice guy serving us if he could recommend some dishes and followed all his advice without regret. Unfortunately we had so much of the delicious polenta that we really had no space left for dessert. Regrettably, because they looked great.  I just love this kitchen with their interesting combination of flavours and spices. My personal favorites were: Kubaneh, fattoush salad, beetroot carpaccio (see below), Polenta Jerusalem Style (with truffle OMG). Wish I could go back every week. 34 Rupert Street, London  | +4420 7439 8777 | Tube: Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square | £££ | Website

La Cabane du Pêcheur | Galéria – Corsica

After a beautiful drive from Calvi to Galeria we ended up in this cute unpretentious little place on the coast. Imagine; a nice piece of beach on the west coast of Corsica, a small harbor, cows all over the place strolling along your table (on the beach) and some colorful kayaks waiting to be taken on a trip. The food is served on plastic trays in cartons by three hilarious Corsican ladies that do not take any bullshit. Our tiny table was moved inside (while there was actually no place inside) with two other tables because it started pooring. We had a good laugh with other guests and amazing(!) food. We would definitely have come back for more were it not that we are going to the other side of the island tomorrow! Route de Bord de Mer, 20245 Galéria | +334 95 61 00 32 | Website | €€

Snaps + Rye | London

Again in my hood. BUT my hood is so good that you have to forgive me. This tiny little Danish place has the best Smørrebrød in London and when I am in town I get the one with salmon at least twice a week… It is freakin’ divine. They serve great Latte’s in stylish mugs and the place is also great for a quick lunch by yourself. In the evenings they have a weekly changing menu which is original and fresh. The interior is simple, clean and fresh and perhaps not a place to pick for a romantic night out. I really like all the people that work in this place. They are amazingly kind and interested and thus I am a happy, content, returning customer of Snaps and Rye. 93 Golborne Road, Notting Hill | +4420 8964 3004 | Tube: Ladbroke Grove / Westbourne Park | ££ | Website

Toscanini | Amsterdam

I have tried to make a reservation here a million times but they are always fully booked so I was so incredibly excited that I managed to get a table last night by just walking in! Probably already known well by lots of you but a absolute winner if you ask me!! Best Italian food and wine menu. Great atmosphere in the cozy Jordaan. Super nice, no nonsense staff. Open kitchen and really nice open interior that is made cozy with candles in the evenings. I would recommend this place for dinner with lovers, friends, business and parents! Lindengracht 75 | +3120 623 2813 | Website | €€€ | Tram 3 (Willemstraat)

Sexy Fish | London

A new trendy Asian seafood restaurant in Mayfair that I checked out last night. Love the name of this restaurant so I made my reservation 1 month ago already to save a spot for a Friday night. The place feels very glamorous and on all the walls are sexy fish to admire made by Damien Hirst, Frank Gehry and Michael Roberts. Apparently the bar holds one of the world’s biggest Japanese whisky collections that I did not try but other cocktails are quite spectacular as well (especially how they are presented!)
My date noted that place has quite a high ‘voetbalvrouwen gehalte‘ which I guess was quite true. Sorry for the none Dutch amongst you. However, if  you have something to celebrate and would like to celebrate in style, I guess this is a great place to go. The crispy duck salad is not as good as the one at Hakkasan but still very good and the Sesame Seed Sea Brass is to die for.  Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square W1J 6BR | Tube: Green Park | Website | open noon to 2am | ££££ | +442037642000

Breda | Amsterdam

Delicious food from the south of Holland (Breda!), great interior design, atmosphere and really good service. We are hooked! Elsje and I finally found a time to catch up together so we needed to find a good new spot for this. Very last minute we decided to try the new restaurant Breda as it was closeby (central Amsterdam) and the interior look and feel looked very tasteful. Apparently they are booked up for the next few weeks ahead but they had a last minute cancellation – lucky us. They let you choose between 3 types of menus: Basic, Extra and Full Monty, and don’t tell you much about the menu. The Basic already consists of 7 courses and oh my, they were so good. Our favourites: the cauliflower dish, steak with hummus and purple carrot and the rosemary ice cream with nuts and nougat for desert… Aaah! Can’t wait to go back! Singel 210 | Tram: Dam | Tel: +31 (0)20 622 52 33 | Website | €€€€

Rijks Restaurant | Amsterdam

If you are looking for a fine dining restaurant with the best food you can get in Amsterdam you should go here for sure. This place just completely blew my mind. A little bit stiff perhaps for my taste but on the other hand the place looks spacious, modern, clean and fresh and the service is attentive and nice. We had the tasting lunch menu which was absolutely fantastic. Fantastic is actually an understatement. It was SO good. SO GOOD… I just wanted to keep each bite in my mouth for as long as possible to completely take in all the amazing flavours. Perhaps I start to sound a little cuckoo now but I would just like to convince you! This is a great tip for anyone going to Amsterdam as a tourist. Go to the Rijksmuseum to absorb some great Old Master Paintings and review what you have seen in this restaurant and the day can no longer go wrong if you ask me. Museumstraat 2, 1077 XX Amsterdam, Netherlands | +31 20 674 7555 | Tram 2, 5, Rijksmuseum | €€€ | Website