With the growing concern and interest in environmental concerns and the impact of large-scale agricultural food production, you may be interested in viewing the documentary Food Inc. There will be a free screening of it Sunday, 7 March, at 20:30, at the ACU in Utrecht, located at Voorstraat 71.

As the ACU does every Sunday (and Tuesday through Thursday), their café will be serving vegetarian food for a minimal cost. The café is open from 18:00-20:30.

Back when I first moved to Leiden, I used to frequent Fratelli, a small, charming little Italian restaurant on the Lange Mare. Their pizza was great and it was close by - what more can you ask for? Well, for more than a year now, Fratelli has been closed for renovations. Sometimes I would walk by and think "What are they doing in there??" and last week I finally found out.

Fratelli has been completely refurbished, and is now a modern, inviting restaurant. Its dark wooden chairs have been replaced with sleek leather armchairs. The décor is fabulous and they've added a bar that just asks to be frequented. They even have a quieter seating area tucked behind the brand new wardrobe.

The food has also been upgraded - it's still Italian but of much higher quality. They are now open from 11.30 for lunch and serve a lunch menu until 4pm. The dinner menu is wonderful - salads and pastas, and very delicious pizzas.

I haven't figured out why Fratelli hasn't raised its prices, but hurry in and visit before they do. Fratelli is located at Lange Mare 112 and is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.30.

After many years living in Amsterdam, I finally visited Caffe Esprit the other day with a friend. Located in the heart of the Spui and right off the Kalverstraat, Caffe Esprit is the perfect place to enjoy a coffee or tea with your shopping companions (I sipped on Rooibos tea). The lunch options also looked delicious, though - the website boasts of delicious club sandwiches, pasta and salads, and also urges you to leave room for homemade carrot cake and cheesecake.

Get there early - almost every time I've peered inside in the afternoons it's packed. It's also possible to hold a private event - in fact, when I walked by later in the day last Saturday, I noticed the whole café was reserved for a private party starting at 5:30pm.

Caffe Esprit is located at Spui 10. They are open on Sunday - Wednesday and Friday from 10am to 6pm, Thursdays from 10am to 8pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 7pm.

If you happen to be an organic food junkie, well, you're in luck. The trend toward healthy eating is taking over the Netherlands, and more and more supermarkets offer organic food items and produce. Others specialize in everything organic - down to their name.

Take for example EkoPlaza, which boasts locations in the Hague, Bussum, and Veenendaal. I've only visited the Hague location (in fact I've never heard of the other two cities) and I can definitely recommend stopping by.

Located on the Grote Markstraat (115) quite near to the Central Station, the Hague's EkoPlaza is large and cheerfully lit. It contains everything you'd expect from a supermarket, and everything's organic. They have a produce section, fresh breads and pastries, cheese, canned and boxed goods and even a section with some clothing items and household cleaners.

I have to warn you - the bill will run considerably higher than at a normal supermarket. But sometimes organic is just the way to go.

Image taken from the EkoPlaza website.

Who doesn't love brunch. It's a chance to relax and enjoy a tasty meal while the sun (hopefully) shines. This Sunday, February 7, and every first Sunday of the month, is the Kok In Een Zok Brunch Café, where a variety of organic, vegetarian (with vegan options) foods are on offer. There are fruit, salads, sandwiches, waffles and more.

The cost of the meal is €12.50 per person, including drinks, and the opening hours are from 12-15:00. This monthly event is held at Stowis on Boothstraat 8, in Utrecht.

I don't usually complain about NL-related experiences on Trippist. Well, occasionally - but I do think this is the first time I've written a negative review about a restaurant.

Actually, it's more of a negative non-review, since we never even got to try the food. Here's the story: After rave reviews from an expat friend who lives in the Hague, we decided to take a special trip to Baklust, a cozy, cutely decorated little place that offers ecological vegetarian fare. That combination being rare in Leiden, I was excited to find a moderately close place to get my health kick on.

We arrived, and the place was as nice as it looked on the web. There were a few tables occupied, so we made ourselves at home and perused the delicious sounding menu.

Ten minutes passed, and the waiter with the long blondish dreads seemed unaware of our presence, though we had made eye contact several times. I finally went up and asked if we should order at the counter. He said no; he'd be right over.

Other customers came and went. A woman entered, ordered food for takeaway, received her order and left again. Customers approached the counter to pay, and packed up to head into the rain. Soon, the place was almost deserted. And we still hadn't been asked for our order.

We gave the guy almost half an hour, and gave up. We left hungry and very disappointed. Sorry, Baklust. That's the last chance you'll get from this expat.

This is both a last-minute posting and a general reference. Utrecht has seen the first Stamppot To Go restaurant open on Nobelstraat. That lovely Dutch dish of mashed potatoes mixed with a variety of vegetables is now available in a fast-food format (along with soups and fruit juices). I've been looking forward to trying the restaurant ever since I first saw the sign go up.

If you're in the Utrecht city center today, head over to the Domplein right away and get a taste of the shop's wares. They've got a special set-up for today only as part of this month's Cultural Sunday. They're there until 5 p.m. today (apologies for being so late).

If you don't make it there, stop by their shop at Nobelstraat 143. Their hours are 4-9 p.m. most days, or check the website for more information.

Leiden has lots of great options for dining out, but unfortunately until now has been pretty limited when it comes to Indian food. Luckily, a new option opened recently. It's called Everest Tandoori Restaurant, and I tried it out a couple weeks ago with some friends.

The food is good - not the best ever, but definitely worth trying. Beware - many of the dishes are very spicy! But be sure to try the Nan bread - absolutely delicious.

Everest Tandoori Restaurant is located in the center of Leiden, on Noordeinde 15. It's open seven days a week from 17.00 until 22.30. Check out their website for a full description of menu options.

The Netherlands is famous for many delicacies, one of which is cheese. One of my favorite things to do at the supermarket or at the outdoor markets is to hunt for free cheese samples and enjoy the flavor. More than once I've been persuaded to buy the sample selection.

And of course there are shops specialized in just cheese. Recently, Cosmo Polite provided a list of fabulous cheese shops in Amsterdam, like the Reypenaer Tasting Room located on Singel 182, or the Kaaskamer located on the Runstraaat 7 in the Jordaan. Have a look - the photos on these websites may be enough to tempt you into heading to one of these famous shops.

After becoming a huge fan of Bagels & Beans in Leiden, I decided to try the Amsterdam variety on a recent trip. A friend and I picked the location inside the Scheltema, located on the Koningsplein with a great view of the hustle and bustle outside.

I was very pleased with the atmosphere. The café in a bookstore idea is not incredibly common in the Netherlands, and it's a really nice combination to browse for books and then relax for a bit with a delicious coffee.

Unfortunately, though, this coffee was terrible. I dream about the latte made by the baristas at Bagels & Beans, but this guy must have been having a bad day. The milk was barely frothed and the coffee was bitter. I couldn't even finish my cup.

Visit the Bagels & Beans in Amsterdam for the view, the atmosphere - but perhaps it's best to stick with a tea.