Eetcafé Van Beeren

Eetcafé Van Beeren epitomises Amsterdam’s low-key eetcafé culture for me. A cosy, brown-panelled bar on a quiet street behind Nieuwmarkt stocking the usual selection of beer and wine, it also doubles as a restaurant, serving food that's a cut above most eetcafés.

The menu at Eetcafé Van Beeren encompasses Dutch favourites and international classics: sauerkraut, steak, spareribs and Caesar salad. For the more adventurous eetcafé diner, there are Asian-influenced dishes, such as the one I chose: an enormous slab of tuna, grilled on the outside and soft and pink on the inside, accompanied by a subtly spicy wasabi-dressed salad containing enough crunchy snap peas, beansprouts and peppers to keep me in vitamins for a week. This was served, eetcafé style, by a large bowl of thick-cut frites (chips) with mayonnaise.

The vegetarian offering also seemed to have been given some thought. A mound of linguine was tossed with sliced mushrooms and a jammy aubergine compote, topped with slivers of Parmesan cheese.

Eetcafé Van Beeren’s tart lime cheesecake on a thick, buttery biscuit base was one of the best desserts I have had for a while (and I'm the kind of person who, given the choice, always orders dessert).

In the summer months, the garden behind Eetcafé Van Beeren is open, and the multi-coloured lights strung around the perimeter give it a fair-like festivity. You won't find refined food here, but that's part of the eetcafé charm. What you will find are large portions of affordable fare that will put a contented smile on your face.