We decided to visit Amsterdam to celebrate our anniversary this year. As my Husband doesn’t like flying we took the ferry from Harwich in Essex to the Hook of Holland and got a train to Amsterdam via the Dutch Flyer service.
I booked our accommodation through Air BnB which was a first for me. I liked the idea of having a fridge to put my plant based milk and the option of making breakfast and snacks in our own kitchen. Most apartments are more suited for 4 or 6 people sharing so some places were out of our budget for just the two of us. I was thrilled when I saw this listing for a romantic houseboat! It was a few stops on the tram from the centre and really was idyllic. Our host Henk welcomed us and explained everything and even showed us some bikes we could borrow if we wanted to ride into town.
They was also a supermarket opposite which had lots of organic and vegan offerings. I got some Oatly barista for my hot drinks and we picked up some Taifun hotdogs and a fresh french stick for lunch along with some snacks.
I had already had a look on Happy Cow to see what vegan food options there were and I was glad to see they weren’t in short supply! For our first meal we went to Terra Zen, a Caribbean Japanese fusion restaurant in the centre of Amsterdam. It was very quirky with a large table you sat around with fellow diners and one chef running it all. We both went for the Jamaican plate which had vegetables and faux chicken in a lightly spiced coconut sauce with rice. The food was really tasty and the atmosphere was very laid back. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you are on a tight time schedule, but we were happy to chill and take our time on our first evening.
On our second we spent some some time sight-seeing and visiting museums, if there are any places you really want to see I would recommend you buy your tickets online in advance to guarantee entry. We weren’t aware of this so we are unable to see Anne Frank’s house and had to queue for a while to get into the Van Gogh museum.
Also if there are any restaurants you really want to visit I would recommend making a reservation. We tried to get into Meatless District on Saturday night and it was fully booked so we booked for the following evening. Luckily I knew that The Dutch Weed Burger Joint was close by so we had our dinner there. The weed referenced in the name is seaweed and it features in almost every dish on the menu. My Husband went for the burger which is soya based and comes in a green bun while I went for the Seawharma wrap which was marinated seitan based, we also shared a portion of fries.
It was a messy affair which required several napkins but it was all very tasty! Unfortunately their hot water was out so I couldn’t enjoy a hot drink after our meal so I decided to take a brownie home to enjoy later. It was really rich and fudgey and went down well with a cup of tea and a good book.
Sunday was our anniversary so we decided to go out for brunch. I had seen on the map that Brunchroom was only one tram stop from the boat and although they weren’t completely vegan they did have vegan options. When we first arrived we were informed they may be a wait for a table but then the host realised there was a table free so we were seated straight away. You have an order form that you fill in and give to counter with your options. I went for banana, peanut butter and maple syrup. My Husband had his first non-vegan meal of the trip so this is a good place to go to please everyone. The waffle was light and fluffy and I was definitely full until dinner time!
After brunch we visited the Botanical Gardens and I must say this was my favourite part of our trip. We got to see some amazing plants in the various greenhouses and the butterfly house was particularly special. The gardens are situated just west of the zoo and are €9 each to enter.
We past by Vega-Life a clothing store so I had to pop in and see what they had to offer. They had lots of vegetarian shoes and T-shirts as well as a beauty section, cookbooks and some chocolate I picked up a Thumbs Up bar to enjoy later.
We arrived a little early to our dinner at Meatless District so enjoyed some drinks while we perused the menu. My Husband went for the seitan burger which tasted very smokey and almost hotdog like. He said he preferred this burger to his one from the previous night. I went for the battered broccoli with radish and samphire. It was very enjoyable but there was so much broccoli it beat me and I had to leave a couple of florets. They must have battered a whole head of broccoli there was so much!
As we were pretty full we got dessert to go. I chose a carrot cake and my Husband had the chocolate hazelnut tart. Both were fabulous!
On our last day we stopped in at Vegabond for some food before getting our train to the ferry. I had the summer rolls with a spicy peanut sauce which were really fresh tasting and delicious. We then enjoyed a donut each and I had a chai latte with oat milk. The donuts were good proper fried donuts and they tasted amazing! I also picked up some sweets for my work colleagues while I was there as all the ones I had seen elsewhere had gelatine in them.
There were some places that were recommended to me which we didn’t get a chance to visit as there as only so many meal times in a four day visit! But I know if we decide to go back to Amsterdam there will be lots more options for us to try!
So that was our trip to Amsterdam! Have you been? What did you enjoy most and where did you eat? Let me know in the comments below.
Plumes x
The World according to Plumes 