Aphorism of the day

I shut my eyes
in order to see

Gauguin

Flo - Amsterdam

Restaurant Flo Amsterdam
Amstelstraat 9 / 1017 DA Amsterdam / Tel : +31 (0) 20 8904757

Right from the Boulevard du Montparnasse en Paris Amsterdam as well (like many other capitals in Europe) has it's own Brasserie Flo. FLO Amsterdam is a must-visit for culinary lovers and anybody who enjoys French cuisine and the charming, haute café ambience one finds in the best brasseries in France. You will experience the French feeling through it's buffet of crustaceans and shell fish located at the entrance, caracterizing for many Parisian establishments. A pity of all the glass but that would be a HACCP regulation I guess. The menu is inspired by the typical French cuisine and traditional cooking methods and changes every three months.

After these words it's tempting to visit the place, as part of the going away present we went to Flo in Amsterdam. Indeed it's nice hidden near the Rembrandt Plein in the city center. The entrance indeed is very nice, hostess at the door, the nice crustaceans on the left and the very big restaurant. We started of with a bottle of champagne (Bollinger Special Cuvee) and went for the menu ...

Starter :

Foie gras d'oie gelee au sauternes compote de rhubarbe et pain de campagne grille
Terrine of gooseliver with Sauternes-jelly, rhubarb compote and toasted pain de campagne

Great taste and a large portion (70 grams) but nothing as a remark other than superb. The rhubarb compote was fine and very nice with the foie, the Sauternes compote I didn't like, no refine taste like the rest. It's a large portion so watch out if you're not too hungry but perfect !!!

Main Dish :

Belle sole meunière légumes d'été pommes sautées sauce aux herbes
Whole sole meunière with herb sauce, summer vegetables and sautéed potatoes

Let's start with the potatoes ... perfect, nice modelled into shape and perfect sautéed, this looks easy but for a potatoe this size all three were perfect. The sole itself can't be bad, just use good butter and you're there. Nice presented though and the present the entire sole and you have the choice of doing it yourself. Nice and big firm fillets. The herb sauce was not impressive but the sole didn't needed it anyway.

Dessert :

Profiteroles à la glace vanille sauce chocolat
Profiterlos filled with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

Nothing real special as a dessert but it's so nice, very well with large profiteroles real good dessert to finish.

We drank A Gevrey Chambertin AC - Domaine Chanson - 2003, might be a little strange with the Sole but since the other were namely eating other things than fish this was the perfect wine to go with it.

The menu is what you can expect of a french brasserie, for the Netherlands the crustaceans is a real treat. Hard to get ... but the portions are also french and the price as well. So price - quality ratio is more than well. The nice wines are as well nice priced. It's a real treat to go to this place and have a nice night out.

The only big negative point would be staff at this point. The guy was just started in the business and that showed. But it was not what you expect from a place like this. There were enough experienced waiters that even didn't help him ... pity. Take him by the arm and he will be fine. But a little to soon to give him his own tables. And last but not least, the coffee (espresso) afterwards, is know body in this city tastes his own coffee ... awe full without a doubt one of the worst espresso's ever. And it can be so simple ...

Would I visit again? yes for sure, will not orde coffee anymore but will definitely go for the menu. Try it you will not be disappointed and they have also ea ...

Website : http://www.floamsterdam.com

Thanks to my team, I had a wonderful day, the present I'm still wearing today. After almost three years it's time to change careers and this is my goodbye / farewell diner. I've never been here so they made a good choice. Hey they had a good teacher. I hope to speak / mail / sms / see you guys till long after this date ...

love, honour, cherish & obey -x- P.

All ends badly ...

All ends badly
otherwise it wouldn't end ...

Seems to be right ... but there are also good things of course, let's not forget. For my going away party we ended up at the Smirnoff Ice Bar in Amsterdam. A very nice and trendy bar oposite the ugly Stopera (City Hall and Opera building). Marilyn Monroe says hi at the entrance, large mirrors, nice bar a lot or red. And in the back is the "freezer". Of course we went in, the perfect end of a perfect day.

Thanks to Alex (our Controller who wants a new system so bad), Marjolijn (typical and Wolter will never be forgotten), Jacqueline (better that her family stayed home), Danique (our red head that always put herself in the background), Joyce (our blond studyhead), Ninke (hope te have some more diners the years to come), and last but certainly not least and unfortunately not able to attend René (our senior advisor).

Thanks for the lovely night out, the sour muscles the next day, of course the nice watch but of all, thanks for being part of my team. I'll miss you as a team, we still had a long way to go but with the respect and the way we went along we would have been the perfect Food & Beverage team. Unfortunatley things change along the way, I'll keep in touch and wish you all the best in your carreers ... Let's drink this coming Friday to that.

Love, Honour, Cherish & Obey,

-x- Paul.

Confessions tour - Madonna

Confessions on a dance floor ...

Amsterdam, September 3th 2006. After Paul Oakenfold (known from the soundtrack of Swordfish - with that beautiful TVR) what seems to be THE remixmaster of this moment a lot of silence ... He mixed a lot of 80's hits in a today beat. Not too bad, nothing compared to our own Ben Liebrand of course.

After Mr. Oakenfold more than an hour of silence ... what's up with that, no music no nothing just waiting ... hate that. Finally after more than an hour she finally started. Oké the entrance was one of a star indeed. The show was more than great, she always knows how to bring her old songs in the music of today. Very well done. Highly impressed. A lot going on on the "dancefloor" and the images, the movement, the atmosphere in one word she's one of the greatest.

She had a few thoughts to think over : Are you listening ... especially for George Bush I think. And if we were confessed after the tour? The last question is for everybody to interpret but the first question I have a question back. Did you do a soundcheck before going on stage. The Arena is definitely not concert worthy. What a terrible sound, how dare people to ask these prices for tickets if the sound quality is that poor.

The concert was more than great only the sound ... and is that not what we want, we can all buy the DVD but that's not the reason why we go to a concert. And the ending without even one extra song ... what's up with that. A pity.

For the rest who didn't see it, if you can get tickets, go see the show ...

Aphorism of the day

May you be in heaven an hour
before
the devil knows your dead

Sandra