Piet de Gruyter

Nine times out of ten fusion cuisine is just another word for crap. But not in the case of Amsterdam’s funkiest papadum, poppadum in English. At Piet de Gruyter this thin fried bread from ground lentils and spices is dressed-​up with a salad of seaweed, slices of slightly baked tuna, pickled ginger, rocket, teriyaki sauce and wasabi mayonnaise. This Indian-​Japanese recipe may seem odd, but it’s pretty divine — especially without the mayonnaise. The cooks of this unpretentious café and restaurant are world famous in town for another unusual lunch dish too: the vlamtosti, toasted bread with cheese and spicy minced meat. People with less adventurous taste buds could stick to their omelette with confit de canard or the sandwich with sauerkraut and pastrami. Just a coffee is an option too in this ultra welcoming spot where students, sixtysomethings, actors and advertising people mingle. The owners of De Gruyter, Maarten, Allard and Floriaan recently opened a new place across the street: Viscafé de Gouden Hoek. A must-​go if you like to eat good quality fish in a relaxed setting.