Aug 10, 2015

Lof der Zoetheid, Rotterdam

Selma Restaurants Lunch, Noordplein, Rotterdam 0 Comments

Lof der Zoetheid is a well-known lunch spot in the North of Rotterdam. We had passed it several times on our way to markets or the giant kitchenware shop, Kookpunt, next door. We finally got around to trying it after being seated with the owners during Yama and Dertien’s Bday celebration. They insisted we stop by soon, and promised they would make room for us even if it was full. So we cashed in on that promise and headed over there on a Sunday. We called ahead to see if there were tables free as they don’t take reservations unless it’s for high tea or large groups. The lady on the phone paused, I’m assuming she did a quick scan of the shop, and told us there were still a few tables available, so we made our way over. (more…)

Jul 29, 2015

Lebanese Flower, Abu Dhabi

Selma Restaurants, Travel Abu Dhabi, Dinner, Lebanese, Lunch 0 Comments

We spent Easter break with friends in Abu Dhabi, and our first night was spent in a tent in the Lewa desert. The desert itself was a surreal experience, beautiful endless sand dunes, and no one around for miles. All we saw were camels, their dung, and of course dung beetles. We left the peace and quiet of the desert behind, washed the sand off of our bodies, and spent some time exploring both Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which could not be more different from the serenity of the desert. All that was left to remind us of that magical place was sand (which was everywhere!) and camel’s milk ice cream. Spoiler alert, it tastes like really sweet vanilla. But the city has a silver lining, and that is food options. So for one of our lunches, my friend brought us to Lebanese Flower, a restaurant chain that serves great Lebanese food. (more…)

Jun 21, 2015

Mogg and Melzer, Berlin

Selma Restaurants, Travel Berlin, Lunch 1 Comment

We had read about a pastrami sandwich at a Jewish deli called Mogg and Melzer in Berlin that was, apparently, the bomb. We made our way over there and when our trusty phones told us we had arrived at the location we looked in confusion at the huge, uninviting brick building, where was this restaurant? A small, unassuming sign to the right of the door told us we had come to the right place. We opened the door and entered into the foyer of what was once the first Jewish girls’ school in Berlin, built in 1835. The building has since been renovated to become a Jewish cultural heritage site combining both art and gastronomy. And it is here that Mogg and Melzer is hidden away. (more…)

Jun 12, 2015

Seinpost, Scheveningen

Selma Restaurants Lunch, Michelin star, Scheveningen, Seafood 0 Comments

A business lunch in Scheveningen? I needed a view of the beach and boulevard, but most of the restaurants there are not really known for their culinary prowess. They’re places with loud music, half-naked people, deep fried finger foods, and cocktails. Not really what I was looking for, at least not for this occasion. But then I stumbled upon Seinpost, a restaurant above the boulevard, with a beautiful view of the beach, and most importantly, a Michelin star. Yes, this will do nicely, table for four please! (more…)

Jun 6, 2015

SET Noodle & Hotpot, Rotterdam

Selma Restaurants japanese, Lunch, noodles, Rotterdam 1 Comment

I was still coming down from my ramen-high in Amstelveen when we noticed a new restaurant on the West-Kruiskade in Rotterdam, SET Noodle & Hotpot it is called. A ramen shop! Could it be? We were standing out front sharing a Johnny cake and kroket from Toko Nobo (across the road), looking in, and thought, why not, let’s try this new place. (more…)

Jun 2, 2015

Pho Hanoi, Rotterdam

Selma Restaurants Lunch, Pannekoekstraat, Vietnamese 2 Comments

There’s a Vietnamese sandwich place in Rotterdam called Boguette, which makes pretty good sandwiches. It wasn’t until we went to Vietnam that we fully realized that the sandwiches there aren’t very authentic at all, though still flavorful in their own way. A few months ago, some entrepreneurial Vietnamese made a very Asian move by opening up a new place right next to it. Competition! While ordering my inauthentic sandwich one day I asked one of the guys at Boguette if he knew his new neighbors, slightly disgruntled he replied, “No, we don’t know them at all. But I guess there’s nothing we can do about them opening next to us, that’s just market economics.” I asked if he would try the food and he replied that he didn’t want to out of principle. I then suggested it could be good for business to find out what the direct competition is doing. I don’t know if he ever did try it, but I sure did, on two different occasions in fact. And guess what, it’s pretty good and definitely more authentic. (more…)

May 31, 2015

Ishii and Tanuki, Amstelveen

Selma Restaurants Amstelveen, japanese, Lunch, noodles, sushi 0 Comments

My friend works in Amstelveen and when we met up for lunch he surprised me by taking me to a Japanese restaurant. In fact there were several to choose from, right next to each other, specializing in different things. I said, “Well which one is good?” And he said, “They all are.” Huh? Why so many Japanese in Amstelveen? The answer is of course business. Apparently there are a couple of thousand Japanese people living in Amstelveen, which is basically a rich suburb of Amsterdam. This influx of Japanese business people and their families means that, fortunately for us, Japanese food was brought over as well. We had lunch twice in the past month and visited Ishii the first time, and Tanuki the second time. (more…)

Mar 28, 2015

Sugo, Rotterdam

Selma Restaurants Italian, Lunch, Pizza, Rotterdam 0 Comments

You may be thinking, what? More pizza? Well yes… more pizza. What can I say, we like pizza. Last summer we were in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, and went on a two day pizza binge. Anyway, we walked past Sugo when we were on our way to Grand Garden for dim sum. We weren’t looking for pizza, but pizza found us. The Roman pizza al taglio style square cut pieces of pizza lured us away from the dim sum and into Sugo. (more…)

Mar 19, 2015

Ontbijtbar, Rotterdam

Selma Restaurants Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Rotterdam 0 Comments

Last Sunday we finally got around to trying Ontbijtbar, which translates to Breakfast bar. This hipster joint near central station opened up a year or so ago and serves breakfast 7 days a week, open from early in the morning till late afternoon. We had walked by several times before but it was usually coming from, on our way to, a restaurant. Last time one of the chefs was standing outside having a smoke as we perused the menu in the window, and he proudly told us we should come in and try it, “it’s really good!” We had just had burgers and fries so we promised next time, next time… (more…)

Mar 2, 2015

Drovers dog, Amsterdam

Selma Restaurants Amsterdam, Lunch 0 Comments

I was visiting a friend in Amsterdam and we decided to go out for lunch. We needed a child-friendly place nearby (south side of Amsterdam) as my friend has a 17 month old toddler. He suggested Drovers dog, an Australian restaurant that does lunch and dinner. Shamefully uninspired jokes ensued and I was secretly disappointed when the menu didn’t have ‘shrimp on the barbie’ on it. Now I do have to say, there wasn’t much Australian about this place. The menu features items like cajun chicken wraps – sounds American, and breakfast cassoulet – sounds French. But then, what is Australian cuisine? Kangaroo meat, pavlova, and vegemite? (more…)