Discover Benelux | Top Food, Drink & Sleep Spots | East Amsterdam

Using the magic of food to transform lives TEXT: THESSA LAGEMAN | PHOTOS: LONNEKE VAN DER LINDEN

Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Amsterdam, based on the famous cook’s concept, is located in one of the city’s oldest warehouses with a marvellous view on the wide IJ-river. It is a short walking distance from the Central Station and in Fifteen’s kitchen you will find 15 young and motivated teens who now have the opportunity to change their lives forever. On the menu there are local, sustainably produced ingredients of the highest quality, which are adapted according to the season. At the moment, many people like to order the

Octopus carpaccio, says Karla Moust, the restaurant’s marketing manager. This starter is served with grapefruit, wild rocket salad (arugula) and grilled pepper antiboise. “When you decide to have dinner at Fifteen Amsterdam,” Moust explains enthusiastically, “you not only choose a restaurant in a special building with delicious food, you also contribute to a bright future for our apprentices.” Every year, 15 motivated apprentices follow a chef training course here. These young people were unable to study or to find a job, usually due to difficulties in their youth. At Fifteen Amsterdam they get the chance to change their lives forever.

So far, around 220 young cooks have become a chef in the kitchen of Fifteen Amsterdam. “Furthermore, our restaurant is located in an interesting part of Amsterdam, where not that many tourists make it,” says Moust, adding that there is a tram stop very close by. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in a modern, industrial style, which creates a great atmosphere, especially when the candles are lit. www.fifteen.nl Jollemanhof 9 1019 GW Amsterdam T: +31 20 509 5015

A perfect summertime venue TEXT: STUART FORSTER | PHOTOS: RESTAURANT DE TROPEN, GARDEN & TERRACE/SEBASTIAN AICO LIND

During August, sunshine bathes the 100seat terrace of Amsterdam’s Restaurant De Tropen from mid-morning until sundown. It is a laid-back venue where people can enjoy food and drink while looking into the leafy Oosterpark. The terrace is one of the biggest in the Dutch capital, yet the location feels more rustic than urban. The restaurant is within the Royal Tropical Institute, a grand monumental building dating from 1926. This landmark also houses the Tropenmuseum, which displays an array of artefacts from global cultures. People do not have to visit the ethnographic museum to stop by at De Tropen. Piet Boon Studio designed the restaurant’s interior, which seats up to 90 guests and reopened in September after a renovation to make it one of Amsterdam’s hippest meeting spaces. Chic chairs and decorative items sourced from tropical, tribal cultures give De Tropen a smart, 62 | Issue 32 | August 2016

cosmopolitan vibe. By late afternoon the venue buzzes with the conversation of the socially responsible entrepreneurs based in offices within the institute. De Tropen is committed to employing people from deprived backgrounds and sources ingredients from suppliers who show commitment to environmental and social causes. The cuisine draws on multicultural inspirations from the likes of Surinam and Indonesia. Hans Ribbens was appointed chef in June. His team serves light, all-day bites plus lunch and dinner. Black bean hummus, served with goat cheese

Exterior of the Royal Tropical Institute

and salad, and miso yuzu kombu soup, prove two of De Tropen’s most popular dishes. For more information, visit: www.amsterdamdetropen.nl

The Restaurant De Tropen, Garden & Terrace is open daily from 10am until late. The kitchen closes at 10pm. See the café’s website for details of the monthly afterwork party, which next takes place from 5pm on Friday 26 August.

Interior view of the Restaurant De Tropen