Restaurant Anna, Amsterdam

It was about time to start posting again. On this beautiful afternoon we went for lunch at the new  Restaurant Anna located in one of the oldest quarters in Amsterdam, the infamous Red Light District. The sun was shining, our bellies were rumbling and looking forward to some good food. Anna here we come........

View of the Oude Kerk, one of the oldest churches in Amsterdam.

The bar and open kitchen area at the entrance of the restaurant.

The cool decor.

The little savoury delights with our aperitif.

Amuse of a grapefruit gel and a parmezan cheese foam. Am not very sure though because I lost the menu.

A starter with Iberico ham, parmezan cheese crackers and dry cured deer.

Confit de saumon with apple marsh mallow and a suspicious powder.

On our way to have a sigarette break in the cellar.

Smoking area, underneath the restaurant. 

Next were our entrees, starting with a very flavoursome fish soup with stuffed baby squid, scallops and mussels.

Next the panfried halibut with a Hollandaise (?) sauce.

In a city where many restaurants suffer from the
'form over substance' virus, Restaurant Anna is a very pleasant exception. From the cool decor, the professional and friendly staff right down to the flavoursome dishes and clean cooking, it all made sense. The entrance is located on the Warmoesstraat and the restaurant stretches all the way to the Oude Kerksplein, right in the middle of the Red Light District. A diverse clientele enjoys the relaxed atmosphere and the good food. Restaurant Anna deserves to have a bright future.

Restaurant Anna, Warmoesstraat 111,  www.restaurantanna.nl

Hakata Senpachi, Amsterdam

This Japanese yakitori restaurant is still a reasonably undiscovered little gem in Amsterdam. Located in a residential area, it is virtual invisible for passersby since it totally blends into the dark brown brick apartment blocks. The decor somehow has this seventies dark saloon-like aura. But when the very friendly staff starts serving their amazing yakitori dishes -involving every part of the chicken, from the innards to the delicious skin- you quickly forget about the gloomy decor. It can be quite busy with groups of Japanese business people but i guess in this case that's a good thing. My favorites are the grilled chicken skin skewers and the grilled chicken wings!

Hakata Senpachi, Wielingenstraat 16H, Amsterdam, +31 (0)20-6625823.