The Amsterdam Food Hotspot: TOKI

Coffee was never one of my go-to drinks. Don't get me wrong I like the warm and cozy taste, but the dependence that people have on the drink wasn't something that I wanted for myself. A couple of years ago during summer I was working on my thesis and got this obsession with iced almond latte's. For three days straight I would drink about three large coffees a day - I made them in this mason jar that I had - and I felt like the typical student, sweating away over uni work and drinking coffee to keep going. On the fourth day I woke up feeling the grumpiest I have ever been and immediately stopped. I think that's the closest I have gotten to having that 'I need my morning coffee' feeling that people always say they have. Plus I felt like it didn't give me more energy at all so I switched back to water and tea.

Fast forward to me stumbling upon TOKI. A small café near the Haarlemmerdijk in Amsterdam. Usually when I am out and about I always order a chai latte, turmeric latte or green tea, but at TOKI I wanted to give it another shot - mainly because they serve the coffee with a tortoise spoon and it would look so good in pictures. I ordered an oat latte and a slice of their banana cake, and sat down in their airy space full of terrazzo tables. It was a Friday after all so I opened my laptop to do some work - it was a Covid free world back then - and observed the people around me. It's a proper local café where you can do bit of work on your own, meet friends for a chat or grab a quick coffee to go. When the latte and cake arrived I wasn't disappointed at all. I LOVED the coffee, which was surprising to me and the cake was the cherry on top. The creamy topping and moist cake go so well together and I enjoyed every single bite as I sat there typing away.

Since then - this was december 2019 - I have been back a couple more times and always go fo the same combo: an oat latte and a slice of banana cake. I know they have plenty of other baked goods and lunch foods, but once you try the banana cake you honestly don't want anything else. The staff has been super friendly and helpful every single time I've been there and even when it's busy - people in Amsterdam love coffee -they pay attention to every little detail. 

I'm very sad that I cannot visit Amsterdam as much as I used to, but when I am there I always pay TOKI a visit. On your own or with friends, I'm sure you will love this gorgeous space as much as I do. They also opened a café in Berlin which has the same kind of relaxing atmosphere as their big brother in Amsterdam. So if you are ever in Amsterdam - or Berlin - don't forget to go for a coffee and banana cake break at TOKI, I'm sure you won't regret it. 

Have you ever been to TOKI?

Follow me on Bloglovin     |     Follow me on Instagram 

The Utrecht Food Hotspot: Frenchie Café

 One of the best things about living in The Netherlands is that everything is close by. Within three hours you are already leaving The Netherlands, so it's nice to be a tourist in your own country sometimes.
I thought it would be nice to change the Amsterdam scenery for a bit and go to Utrecht. I met up with one of my friends there and we had a big old catch up with lots of food, as you do. We first ate pancakes at a café that I will talk about soon and after that we walked to the newest hotspot in town: Frenchie Café.

It's not like we were hungry but when I am in Utrecht I like to do as much as possible, since it's not a city I visit regularly. So there we both went, to see what all the pink velvet fuzz was about.

Frenchie Café reminds me of London so much. With the round marble tables and long pastel pink couch it's like I am eating cake at Saint Aymes or Feya. We took a seat at one of the tables in the middle and had a look at the menu. Unicorn pancakes, avocado toast, acai bowls and freak shakes: This place is brunch heaven! 
We ordered a fresh ginger tea, a cappuccino, a cupcake and an acai bowl (you know, to be healthy). The food arrived fast and was presented beautifully with gold cutlery and everything. It made me love the café even more. The acai bowl was delicious and the cupcake (made by Life of Pie Amsterdam) was very tasty. We sat there chatting away when all that's left were some cupcake crumbs.

The prices were completely fine compared to the London cafés I mentioned earlier and if you are ever in Utrecht (escaping all the tourists in Amsterdam) I highly recommend having a seat on the pastel pink sofa and ordering all the brunch foods!

What is your favourite brunch food?

Follow me on Bloglovin | Follow me on Instagram

The Hague Food Hotspot: Pistache

Amsterdam is my favourite city in the Netherlands. I live very close to it, I work and study there and I love the vibe. Now the Netherlands has a lot more to offer when it comes to fabulous cities. Haarlem, Rotterdam and Utrecht are just a few of those babes and not to mention The Hague -or Den Haag, as we Dutchies call it- where today’s hotspot is located.

I love The Hague a lot. It has the same vibe that Amsterdam has; only it's a lot less busy with tourists, there is an amazing beach that you definitely have to visit once the sun is out and they have some cool hotspots like 'Pistache'!

Pistache is located right in the city centre -my friend and I still took a tram there since we are lazy a f- and surprisingly it wasn't busy at all. Maybe it had something to do with the weather -it was a typically Dutch weather day: rain, rain and more rain-, so we quickly headed inside and took a seat. 

The interior was all I could ever hope for. The green leaves art, gold mirrors and quirky, fluffy pillows made this place an Instagram heaven. Can the person that decorated this place do my room as well?

We both ordered the pumpkin waffles and I had -of course- a fresh ginger tea. I actually had a look on the menu just now, and they changed it, so I don't think you can get the pumpkin waffles, but they have a lot of other nice new things like chocolate coconut waffles and French toast, so I think I have to visit them again soon because you all know I can’t say no to carbs for breakfast.

The waffles and tea were very good. They had some coconut cream on the side which was a bit interesting but overall I really enjoyed my breakfast here. The price is also quite cheap for what you get, so you don't have to feel bad when you order the entire menu. -I am definitely going to do that next time.-

I will hopefully head back to The Hague soon. There are still so many hotspots there that I haven't visited and I can't wait to discover them in 2018!

What is your favourite breakfast food?

Follow me on Bloglovin | Follow me on Twitter | Follow me on Instagram | Subscribe on YouTube