I know that in a year I need furniture and decorative elements. Last time in Amsterdam, just next to the lovely Apple Pie place, I found the store: de Weldaad. Yep, and I fell in love again. There was a myriad of curiosities, decorative items and furniture with real antique mixed with not-so real antique (or so is my guess). My kind of place - a place where I can wonder and get lost and a place from where I want to buy just about everything! A great place to browse and get inspiration, and hopefully, in the future, to shop!
Check out their online presence: www.weldaad.com
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Winkel: THE Apple pie
Yes yes yes! That's what I am talking about!
And now, from another angle:
Apple pie is the thing in Amsterdam. I did not know. I found out on my third visit...and now i am contemplating going back...for that apple pie.
In case you have not tried it yet, get up, and go to Winkel (Noordermarkt 43) in the Jordaan area, quickly becoming my favourite area in Amsterdam. The apple pie is lush and comes with an enormous scoop of whipped cream.
As you are next to the Noodremarkt, I recommend to check that out too! Photos to follow later....
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Antwerpen: Chez Fred
So I discovered a new city - Antwerpen. I had been reading about it for a while and people keep telling me to go there. So we went. A mere 2.5h drive from Luxembourg, it is a perfect weekend getaway destination.
We stayed in a wonderful hotel (more about that in another post) and they recommended great places to eat. For Sunday lunch/ brunch we ended up going to Chez Fred. It felt a little bit ironic, driving to Amsterdam, to go to a French restaurant, but it looked wonderful and had nice french old music as the background, and we stayed.
Oh, were we glad we stayed! We saw two women by the window having the most delicious looking breakfast. That's exactly what we wanted after a night out! So I asked,"what are they having".Our waiter guy answered: "breakfast". It could have been snobby but, no, he was just honest, and it was what he said... breakfast. We have not found many places in Luxembourg where to get breakfast on a Sunday at 12 so we wanted that, breakfast.
And this is what it was.
We started off with fresh orange juice.
Then we got the breakfast platter + an egg (not seen in the photo)
A glass of cherry beer:
After which they brought a basket of croissants and jam. They were sooo fresh and warm that I completely forgot about taking a photo. And then, of course, coffee:
For the admirers of women in lingerie, this place is a special treat as there were huge photo prints by Marc Lagrange. If you do not know him, google him! I'd like to say that a style close to Helmut Newton....
A place to remember, and to return!
Chez Fred
Kloosterstraat 83
Antwerpen
We stayed in a wonderful hotel (more about that in another post) and they recommended great places to eat. For Sunday lunch/ brunch we ended up going to Chez Fred. It felt a little bit ironic, driving to Amsterdam, to go to a French restaurant, but it looked wonderful and had nice french old music as the background, and we stayed.
Oh, were we glad we stayed! We saw two women by the window having the most delicious looking breakfast. That's exactly what we wanted after a night out! So I asked,"what are they having".Our waiter guy answered: "breakfast". It could have been snobby but, no, he was just honest, and it was what he said... breakfast. We have not found many places in Luxembourg where to get breakfast on a Sunday at 12 so we wanted that, breakfast.
And this is what it was.
We started off with fresh orange juice.
Then we got the breakfast platter + an egg (not seen in the photo)
A glass of cherry beer:
After which they brought a basket of croissants and jam. They were sooo fresh and warm that I completely forgot about taking a photo. And then, of course, coffee:
For the admirers of women in lingerie, this place is a special treat as there were huge photo prints by Marc Lagrange. If you do not know him, google him! I'd like to say that a style close to Helmut Newton....
A place to remember, and to return!
Chez Fred
Kloosterstraat 83
Antwerpen
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Shop: Restored
The estonian speakers who read my other blog will not be surprised when I say: I love Amsterdam! I do indeed! It is because of Amsterdam that I am writing a business plan and looking hopefully into the future, albeit moving slowly, but still hopefully.
In Amsterdam there are also some of my favorite new shops, one of them being RESTORED. They have a nice online presence too at http://restored.nl/. It is a beautiful little space on Haarlemmerdijk and you can get completely lost in just a few sqm. For me it has been a great find and a place I return to every time I am in Amsterdam.
They have a wonderful selection of 'things they like' from clothes to interior design to books and magazines and it is there that I discovered one of my new favorite magazines: Anthology (http://anthologymag.com/blog3/issues/). I just wish they would sell this also in a place that would be more accessible to me. You lucky people of US and UK. I am jealous! I cannot be travelling to Amsterdam just to buy the next issue...can I?
In Amsterdam there are also some of my favorite new shops, one of them being RESTORED. They have a nice online presence too at http://restored.nl/. It is a beautiful little space on Haarlemmerdijk and you can get completely lost in just a few sqm. For me it has been a great find and a place I return to every time I am in Amsterdam.
They have a wonderful selection of 'things they like' from clothes to interior design to books and magazines and it is there that I discovered one of my new favorite magazines: Anthology (http://anthologymag.com/blog3/issues/). I just wish they would sell this also in a place that would be more accessible to me. You lucky people of US and UK. I am jealous! I cannot be travelling to Amsterdam just to buy the next issue...can I?
Friday, February 3, 2012
Skiing dinner - la Ferme
I am trying to make it a habit to write about places that I like quickly after I visit them. Hence another post about our recent ski holiday.
We chose to live in an apartment as it is most comfortable with a small baby who has severe food allergies. Full access to fully equipped kitchen was what we wanted and had. Therefore we also opted to prepare most of our dinners ourselves. The last night, however, our friends invited us out to dine in a restaurant - la Ferme (Centre Commercial, Plagne Bellecote, tel: +33 (0)4 79 09 29 32)
It is a recommendation with reservations...
The place looked lovely. Very authentic old French ski restort type. And here comes the caveat...it was underground in a shopping mall...so really, it was not authentic at all. And I could not see any windows that looked outside but I think they were all fake windows/mirrors. Nonetheless, it was cosy and with good company you quickly forgot that you were indeed in a shopping mall.
We were a group of 10 people so we ordered different things and got quite a good overview of the menu. None of us were disappointed with the food. Quite the opposite. We were close to licking our plates in the end and the foor was plentiful to start with.
Our group had: mushroom risotto (for the vegetarian among us), salad, shared cheese fondue with cold cuts, raclette and ...hmmm... cannot remember more.
Me and P had the raclette and it was delicious. A raclette is a dish that consist of melting a big round chunk of cheese with a special device and then scraping it off and eating with boiled potatoes and salad and cold cuts. The name comes from the french verb racler which means, to scrape.
As the cheese melts you take a knife and scrape the melted cheese off and eat and wait for more cheese to melt. In addition to being very good this dish is a great crowd pleaser as it is cool. A specialty in Switzerland and Savoy region of France, I recommend trying this if you are in the area.
Back to la Ferme and here is a photo of the table. You can see the fondue pot, cold cuts, salads and overall feel of the place. No white tablecloths...
The waiters were again surprisingly accommodating with all our requests and wishes and we were pleased.
We finished off the dinner with a round of génépi.
And we were very happy customers:
Another thing that was unique to the Plagne area was that they considered that people might wish to go to another village int he evenings and the lift was kept running between Belle Plagne and Plagne Bellecote until 00.45 at night. This is why we had the chance to go to Plagne Bellecote at all...
Good thinking!
We chose to live in an apartment as it is most comfortable with a small baby who has severe food allergies. Full access to fully equipped kitchen was what we wanted and had. Therefore we also opted to prepare most of our dinners ourselves. The last night, however, our friends invited us out to dine in a restaurant - la Ferme (Centre Commercial, Plagne Bellecote, tel: +33 (0)4 79 09 29 32)
It is a recommendation with reservations...
The place looked lovely. Very authentic old French ski restort type. And here comes the caveat...it was underground in a shopping mall...so really, it was not authentic at all. And I could not see any windows that looked outside but I think they were all fake windows/mirrors. Nonetheless, it was cosy and with good company you quickly forgot that you were indeed in a shopping mall.
We were a group of 10 people so we ordered different things and got quite a good overview of the menu. None of us were disappointed with the food. Quite the opposite. We were close to licking our plates in the end and the foor was plentiful to start with.
Our group had: mushroom risotto (for the vegetarian among us), salad, shared cheese fondue with cold cuts, raclette and ...hmmm... cannot remember more.
Me and P had the raclette and it was delicious. A raclette is a dish that consist of melting a big round chunk of cheese with a special device and then scraping it off and eating with boiled potatoes and salad and cold cuts. The name comes from the french verb racler which means, to scrape.
As the cheese melts you take a knife and scrape the melted cheese off and eat and wait for more cheese to melt. In addition to being very good this dish is a great crowd pleaser as it is cool. A specialty in Switzerland and Savoy region of France, I recommend trying this if you are in the area.
Back to la Ferme and here is a photo of the table. You can see the fondue pot, cold cuts, salads and overall feel of the place. No white tablecloths...
The waiters were again surprisingly accommodating with all our requests and wishes and we were pleased.
We finished off the dinner with a round of génépi.
And we were very happy customers:
Another thing that was unique to the Plagne area was that they considered that people might wish to go to another village int he evenings and the lift was kept running between Belle Plagne and Plagne Bellecote until 00.45 at night. This is why we had the chance to go to Plagne Bellecote at all...
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Skiing lunch - d'Altitude la Bergerie
We went skiing last week to France in Plagne area and enjoyed great food in more than one restaurants. However, one for me was exceptional. Not just the food, but the atmosphere, owners, waiters, the whole package. Basically, I completely fell in love with a nice little chalet restaurant d'Altitude la Bergerie. As it is on the slopes, you can only go there for lunch. The ski map of Plagne has one of the worst mappings for restaurants that i have ever seen on a ski map so I am now not even sure where it is exactly on the slopes but it was definitely towards the Plagne Centre area.
The restaurant is full. Every day, every lunch. Even the menu says: reservations are recommended. We happened to stop there way early for lunch and were fortunate enough to get a table. People coming in 15min later had to wait for a long time.
I am used to, quite frankly, bad service, coming from Luxembourg. I do not expect great service from the french either. Maybe it is that my expectations were low...but rather I venture to believe that the service there was excellent and very friendly. I am learning french and I try to speak it every chance I get. Usually this annoys the hell out of waiters but the girl there was kind and helpful and allowed me the luxury to order in my broken french. She was also quick to bring our order with...wait for it...A SMILE on her face. This is a big deal in France.
 |
| The menu |
The food itself was plenty and delicious. We chose local dishes and were not disappointed: plenty of cheese, meat and salad. Unfortunately i cannot remember what they were called.
 |
| Melted cheese with local ham |
 |
| Daily special - veal stew |
 |
| P next to the fireplace |
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Brunch in Paris - Coco&co
kokokokoooooooo
Real brunch in Paris? With pancakes and fruit bowls and eggs any way you want them? Try this little eatery in the 6th Arrondissement (Saint-Germain). We went there a while ago, in March 2010, and enjoyed it. Plus it gets high points for its interior decor from me!
However, this place comes with some warnings:
1. book ahead. My sources tell me it is still full full full
2. I hear they have raised their prices. Not sure how much
3. The service is truly french. I.e., speak french! and be prepared that your order might get mixed up and /or could take a while. We were there with good company and did not even notice the wait.
I have also read the tripadvisor comments and they are horrible. I think completely unfairly but I promise to go check it out again next time we are in Paris and post an update after that.
Real brunch in Paris? With pancakes and fruit bowls and eggs any way you want them? Try this little eatery in the 6th Arrondissement (Saint-Germain). We went there a while ago, in March 2010, and enjoyed it. Plus it gets high points for its interior decor from me!
However, this place comes with some warnings:
1. book ahead. My sources tell me it is still full full full
2. I hear they have raised their prices. Not sure how much
3. The service is truly french. I.e., speak french! and be prepared that your order might get mixed up and /or could take a while. We were there with good company and did not even notice the wait.
I have also read the tripadvisor comments and they are horrible. I think completely unfairly but I promise to go check it out again next time we are in Paris and post an update after that.
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