| Amsterdam is a culinary United Nations of cuisines | | | | Recline on their atmospheric canalside terrace and |
| boasting a huge collection of fine restaurants. A | | | | try traditional stamppot, a hearty mix of veggie, |
| budget-friendly way to try them is during this | | | | mash and smoked sausage or pork. |
| month's Restaurant Week (23-29 August), when | | | | 6. Rice Table |
| you can indulge in a 3-course meal at participating | | | | After hopping on cheap flights to Amsterdam and |
| top restaurants for 25. But some of the best | | | | sightseeing around town, you'll work up an |
| treats are simple affairs, like sampling artisanal | | | | appetite worthy of Rijsttaffel (Rice Table). |
| cheeses or sipping beer at a cosy brown cafe. So | | | | Originating in the Dutch plantations of Indonesia, |
| snap up one of the cheap flights to Amsterdam | | | | Rijsttaffel is a massive spread of anywhere from |
| currently available and find out what all the fuss is | | | | ten to 30 tiny plates of Indonesian dishes. It's all |
| about. Below, we've listed the best venues and | | | | served with rice and is a quintessential part of |
| ways to embrace Amsterdam like a true food | | | | Amsterdam's food scene. One of the best places |
| and drink connoisseur: | | | | to try an upmarket version of this feast is at |
| 1. Give Me More Gouda, Please | | | | Long Pura in the Jordaan, another venue |
| Those cheap flights to Amsterdam set you in the | | | | participating in Restaurant Week. |
| middle of Gouda and Edam country. Head to the | | | | 7. Flat as a Pancake |
| Negen Straatjes to pick up (and sample!) slices | | | | Squeeze onto a blue-tiled table at Pancakes! |
| while staring at colossal, colourful wheels at the | | | | where you'll find savoury and sweet versions of |
| De Kasskamer, the best cheese shop in town. | | | | the Dutch staple. Go traditional (mushroom or |
| But for an educational dose, take a one-hour | | | | homemade strawberry jam) or more |
| cheese-tasting workshop at Reypenaer Tasting | | | | experimental (bacon, banana and chili pepper or |
| Room, where you can taste it all with sips of | | | | endive, cheese and ham). |
| wine. | | | | 8. Chic Dining in an Industrial Monument |
| 2. A Sip of Dutch Gin | | | | Panama is a rare breed - part glamorous |
| Sample Dutch jenever gin at Proeflokaal Wijnand | | | | restaurant, part chic bar and club - all housed in a |
| Fockinck, a distillery and tasting house set in a | | | | former harbour building in the Eastern Docklands. |
| 17th-century city centre building. Sip malt and | | | | Dine on stylish international fare like stuffed saddle |
| fruit-flavoured jenever in the wood-panelled | | | | of lamb or oyster and sea bass risotto under high |
| tasting room lined with antique bottles. You can | | | | industrial ceilings and modern light fittings. Panama |
| also try less-potent concoctions like 'Bride's Tears', | | | | is also taking part in Restaurant Week. |
| a spiced wine traditionally served prior to a | | | | 9. Hot off the Press: Stroopwafels |
| wedding. | | | | It's simple decadence: A waffle biscuit, hot and |
| 3. Beer & Bitterballen | | | | freshly pressed, slathered in a layer of |
| An evening out in Amsterdam is often a relaxed | | | | caramel-like syrup. It's topped by a second waffle, |
| affair of grabbing a beer at a brown cafe | | | | forming a round Stroopwafel. They're easy to find |
| (Amsterdam's version of the local pub). And | | | | - just follow the delicate aroma of crispy, sweet |
| bitterballen are the quintessential bar snacks - | | | | goodness as it wafts its way through markets |
| potato and minced beef ragout breaded and fried, | | | | like the multicultural Albert Cuypmarkt in De Pijp |
| served with spicy mustard. But for bigger | | | | or the trendy Noordermarkt in the Jordaan, or |
| appetites try their larger cousins, Kroketten | | | | pick one up at Lanskroon bakery in the city |
| (croquettes) - these oblong nuggets are often | | | | centre. |
| served on bread and eaten like an open sandwich. | | | | 10. A Slice of Pie |
| 4. Food & Mattresses | | | | Appeltart, that is. Dutch Apple Pie is cakey, dense |
| It doesn't get more comfortable than dining on a | | | | and full of the soft, moist fruit. It's served at a |
| bed. At the swanky Supperclub you recline on | | | | slew of cafes around town, but the best version |
| mattresses and long sofas while dining on | | | | is at Winkel, a cafe-restaurant in the Jordaan. |
| sophisticated international fare - expect anything | | | | They dish up thick wedges of the tasty treat - |
| from seared tuna to filet mignon. Lay back and | | | | be sure to order it the way the locals do, with a |
| savour it all in the trendy all-white setting while | | | | plump dollop of whipped cream. |
| listening to DJ-spun beats. The prices are more | | | | From feasting on dozens of diminutive Indonesian |
| laidback during Restaurant Week too, when | | | | tastes to discovering your favourite flavour of |
| Supperclub offer special discounted menus. | | | | Dutch gin, this capital satisfies all palettes. Book |
| 5. Dutch Home Cooking | | | | cheap flights to Amsterdam to enjoy the flavours |
| For a taste of what the Dutch cook at home, | | | | of Amsterdam and take advantage of the best |
| head to Moeders, the Dutch word for 'mothers'. | | | | culinary deal of the summer. |