In October, I revisited Renault garage-turned-restaurant Dauphine, packed in my daily veg quota at De Salade, compared the cocoa at Chocolate Company, shamelessly picked food off my date’s plate at restaurant Envy and made it past the bouncer at swanky bar and club Bungalow 8.

Dauphine

Housed in a former Renault garage, Dauphine is large enough to test drive the car after which it is named. It attracts an office crowd from nearby Rembrandt Tower, but avoids being stuffy. This is largely due to the fact that the enormous space is divided into different areas for drinking and dining.

I've been to Dauphine several times, usually for brunch. The menu comprises a mix of bistro classics and international favourites. During an uncharacteristic bout of apathy - I work from home and don't normally have trouble motivating myself - I went back to Dauphine. Using the free WiFi as an excuse to get some work done, I also sampled a couple of the dishes Dauphine does particularly well.

De Salade

De Salade claims to be the first salad bar in Amsterdam. Not as conveniently located or numerous as Maoz Vegetarian, a budget falafel chain that also does a good line in salads, De Salade is nonetheless a good bet for vegetarians as the majority of options are meat-free.

The concept is simple: choose a verde or rosso Italian lettuce mix, select the toppings – which include popular combinations like goat’s cheese and walnuts, and cucumber with feta, or the more adventurous pear and shaved fennel – and add a dressing. Each salad comes with two bread rolls.

Chocolate Company

Chocolate Company has opened on Haarlemmerdijk. The chocolate shop sells a range of own-brand bars, squares and spreads, although the product line is based around the hotchocspoon, a sort of chocolate lolly on a wooden spoon.

There are other chocolate shops in Amsterdam with a wider selection and more daring flavours, but the Chocolate Company is a good all-round option for lovers of the brown stuff.

Envy

Restaurant Envy serves a 'tasting' menu of small dishes so that diners can try each other's food. This is perfect if, like me, you can't help coveting what's on your neighbour's plate. And the modest portion sizes and relatively high prices mean there's little chance of adding 'greed' and 'gluttony' to the list of sins you commit on a night out.

Bungalow 8

Celeb haunt Bungalow 8 has arrived in Amsterdam. The members-only bar and club, which first opened in New York in 2002, is inspired by the lavish bungalows at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The pretention factor - and prices - are high, but the bar staff knows how to mix a prety good cocktail.