Last night I found an interesting Swiss restaurant in the Nieuwmarkt district while poking around on Google Maps. Always in search of the perfect Raclette, I dug a bit deeper and hoped to find a way to book a table online. Well, they were very specific in saying that you had to either stop by during working hours or just show up. We chose the latter, and unsurprisingly considering the night and the location, the place was packed. Thankfully, they had posted a menu on a chalkboard that had Fondue, but nary a Raclette. Nothing lost, we called an audible and returned to Rembrandt Corner, where we’d eaten on our first night in town.

Our dinner there on Thursday had been pretty darn good so we had no worries about a repeat meal. Tonight, MLW had a version of the traditional Dutch Stampot. Normally a workingman’s fare thrown together out of whatever was available in the kitchen – stewed meat, potatoes, vegetables – this one was modernized and made with stewed spinach, pureed potatoes, and a nice piece of pan sauteed Cod. Healthy and tasty. I went with Kipsate, chicken skewers with peanut sauce. Traditional East Indies Dutch Colonial fare. Two more dishes off the list.

We topped off the meal with Profferjes – little fried dough balls dowsed in sugar and butter. Baby donuts essentially, and very tasty.

The sun goes down late here, being so far north, and on a warm late spring evening, if the weather is clear, a post-dinner walk is almost required. We strolled down to the Amstel, stopping to take a few photos of the sun-illuminated houses lining the river and of a few of the bigger houseboats docked on our side of the river. The perfect end to a perfect day.