I met an old friend for dinner a few nights ago at the restaurant Marrakech, serving authentic Moroccan food. We arrived at 7pm to find an empty restaurant, but were delighted with the cozy decorations.

The house wine was decent and served in a massive glass, and they provided us with a large pitcher of tap water without charge. After perusing a slightly confusing menu in Dutch, English, and German, I had the chicken couscous, a huge meal that I didn’t come close to finishing, but very tasty!

The prices aren’t bad and if you’re looking for a quiet Sunday dinner, this is the place. It’s located close to Dam Square at the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 134.

I feel like I don't give enough love to the Frisians and Friesland on the blog? It is possible that you've not yet been to the Netherlands and perhaps you haven't heard the name Friesland before. For info about that region, a good place to start is ye olde wikipedia entry.

Today I randomly stumbled upon the site: friesland-products.nl . A mostly unremarkable website, but I was interested in what good products that region way up north produces.

The list seems to include:

-Several kinds of Cheese -Frisian Beer Jenever, a pure grain alcohol -Frisian Cake Snacks (??!)

I realize these items may not sway you, as beer, cheese, alcohol, and cake are not quite for everyone. Still, that is what the site is advertising. At this point I can only vouch for the cheese. Update when I've tried any of the other 3.

It had been more than two years since I last stepped foot in the squat boat restaurant known as the Einde van de Wereld. The what? Yup, most people haven't heard of it, or rather, many people don't believe it exists or just plain don't get the ecclectic atmosphere.

But indeed despite the time that has passed, the boat is still firmly entrenched in its parking space, right where Javaeiland meets KNSM eiland. Right where one can sit on the deck to enjoy a vegetarian meal and watch the sun set over central station and the Ij. Or maybe sitting below deck with the majority of the community, amongst the chatter and the live music, is more your thing.

Happy to be back, I stepped right up to the counter and ordered my warm meal, paying the lady 6 euros and stepping to the side to order my drink from the drink man. After enjoying the music and the meal with a friend, I returned to that counter for some mangos and ice cream... an excellent topper for a delicious and healthy meal.

If you can find it, and you're curious enough, the End of the World is right there waiting. Careful what day it is, as the End of the World only serves dinner on Wednesday and Friday starting at 6pm. And once all the food is gone, it is done. Which is a translation of the Dutch phrase "op is op."

Address: Javakade 4, Amsterdam

There are times when you find a cool street, be it in Amsterdam or any charming city, and at first you see all the great places for food, drink, etc.. and you keep walking, enjoying the scenery. At some point you walk so far that the cool places come to an end and you think... "oh thats it.. better turn back and choose one of those."

You might get that feeling walking along the Overtoom, the broad street that runs along Vondelpark heading towards the deep west of Amsterdam. At some point you think that all the good places must be behind you and you may as well turn around... but if you turned to soon, you'd miss Frenzi Cucina.

Yes it is Italian. Yes it is catering. And Yes, it is delicious. What's more unlike most catering places where you might have to carry out or sit right in front of the deli counter, Frenzi has a cozy back room where I like to sit, sip nice wine from Naples, eat soup, and enjoy a warm appetizer involving cheese or tomatoes. And when I don't want the privacy of the back room, there's a home-feeling dinner table right across from the stylish open kitchen.

Frenzi is some of the best Italian food and drink in Amsterdam, and it isn't all that well known... yet. Maybe because some people get this far down the Overtoom and turn back.... their mistake.

Open every day 12pm to 9:30pm. Overtoom 459, take Tram 1 direction to Osdorp and get out at Overtoomse Sluis.

Trippist reader Michelle asked in the comments about vegetarian restaurants and day trips from Amsterdam. Actually lot's of people have been emailing me with similar questions.

Naturally here on trippist, we've been writing for quite a while on all kinds of places you can go. You can use the search option or click on the different categories at any time to read those posts. Still, if you're new here, today I'll give you a quick list of vegetarian restaurants and day trips that we've covered on trippist.

Vegetarian Restaurants:

Foodism
Renzo's
Vrije Fork
Golden Temple
OT301 (peper)

Day Trips from Amsterdam:

Arnhem
Leiden
The Beach via Fast Ferry
Antwerp, Belgium
The Hague

Looking for a change from herring with pickles and onions? Sick and tired of pancakes and stroopwafels?

For an upscale dining experience, visit Le Pecheur on Reguliersdwarsstraat 32 in the center. Fish is the centerpiece with up to twice daily deliveries from IJmuiden including plaice, sole, turbot, angler, mussels and oysters. The menu also presents smoked preparation of salmon, eel and tuna. Terrace dining makes the occasion more special. White wine is favoured due to the variety of food.

Le Pecheur is open weekdays for lunch and every day for dinner, but is closed on Sundays.
Bon appetit!

Some of your may remember my video tour of the Lloyd Hotel, available right there in the top right hand menu if you shuffle through the videos.

This week I decided it had been too long since I was last in the Lloyd Hotel Restaurant/Bar/Cultural Embassy, and as my mom is visiting, I figured it was a good time.

Middle of February is certain not the high season in Amsterdam, though I'm sure you enjoy the pun. So the Lloyd was pretty quiet... made me want to get a room and go to sleep in such a peaceful atmosphere. But dinner was the goal so we grabbed a table and perused the menu.

I chose a pasta dish of course, sticking with the vegetarian's reliable friend. Mom went for the Mackerel, sticking with our Portuguese fish culture. While the food itself was delicious, there's not too much in terms of filling up the plate. The cuisine is very designer, just as the hotel itself prides itself for being. This meant we had to order some delicious panacotta deserts. If you can explain what panacotta is, you get a cookie.. cause I can't - but I like it.

The delicious but not quite filling food gave us just enough energy to wander around the hotel and take in the super-interesting exhibition on the history of the Lloyd. An amazing history, of course.

All in all, it was nice and overdue, to be back at the Lloyd Hotel for some food, relaxation, and education. (not to mention free wifi!!)

On a night out in Amsterdam, I recently visited the Ethiopian restaurant Axum (Utrechtsesdwarsstraat 85). It was an incredibly quiet Tuesday night though I've heard rumors that it fills up fast on weekends. We ordered vegetarian dishes from the well-priced menu (around €12 for a main course) and were delighted with our choices. Mine can be seen below - eaten with the aid of the pancake, and no cutlery. Not as difficult as it sounds.

The menu and decor is authentic Ethiopian. We left satisfied and with promises to visit again.

Bagels & Beans inhabits many locations in the Netherlands, and Leiden is one of them. I'm a regular visit to the Haarlemmerstraat location, right in the middle of Leiden's biggest shopping street. A seat at the front of the restaurant is great for a solitary coffee and a look at the midday shoppers, and a seat at the back is better for intimate conversations with a group of friends. And the wireless is free, so bring your laptop.

A latte is usually my drink of choice but I recently tried a spicy organic Chai with a tad too much cinnamon. Still, a nice change. True to their name, the bagels are delicious, especially whole-wheat with Parma ham, rucola & pine nuts. Yum!

Somehow I find myself wandering the streets of the Hague very early in the morning, just as normal people are heading to work. On this particular day, I'm not heading to work.. I'm not really heading anywhere, but I'm hungry and I could use some decent wifi access.

The Netherlands only has 1 Starbuck's, but it is not without it's chain coffee depots. Among them, a place called "the coffee company" has a presence in all the major cities.

So there I am wandering the streets hungry and feeling internet withdrawn, when I spot one of these coffee companies. I head towards the entrance and examine the inside before I officially reach the door. It is barren, generic, and not appealing. I quickly do a u-turn and head back down the street.. convinced there are more fish in the sea.. hopefully some fish that have personality.

I had no idea how right I could be. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an orange awning with some outdoor seating under it. Inside I see a counter full of various baked goods and the walls are decorated with fun pictures and some clever t-shirts.. apparently for sale. Little did I know, I was about to walk into Dishy.

Dishy considers itself an expresso bar, according to the sign.. but they also do food and catering if you so require it. The lady behind the counter, in her charming way, told me there was plenty of wifi for me and poured me a cup of hot chocolate. Now people always use terms like "best ever" excessively. I don't want to be one of those people. But honestly, I can remember few cups of hot choco this good... this.. potent! I asked the nice lady why it was so good --- "we put chocolate bars in it.." she points to some assorted chocolate bars on the counter. I was surprised... this whole time the idea had not occurred to me.. good hot chocolate demands chocolate bars melted in your drink.

From then on I knew she and her café were brilliant. I ordered cake and watched other people drink their coffee and order their own cakes. All of them delicious, every last costumer.. satisfied.

I took my sweet time leaving Dishy... the truth is.. I didn't want to leave.

Noordeinde 21
2514 GB Den Haag
Opened everyday, morning til 5pm