Gastronomy

- La Oliva: La Oliva's concept is about pintxos y vinos – Basque-style tapas and wine. The pintxos – most of which involve a bread base plus topping – are lined up on the bar so diners can take a look, give their selection to the staff, and wait for their chosen titbits to arrive. The wine list is extensive, and offers some excellent Spanish varieties. For hungrier diners, there is a regular menu of starters and mains involving some excellent ingredients typical of northern Spain, including the delicious, if expensive, pata negra ham. 

-Blauw: Blauw is on the up-and-coming Amstelveenseweg, and the design – split level with low-slung lighting and mood decor – gives it the edge over its more traditional Indonesian competitors. But its trendy interior and cool crowd don't detract from the fact that the food is exquisite. Order the rijsttafel (literally: rice table) and prepare for an enormous selection of marinated meats, fragrant curries and crunchy salads. 

- De Kas: De Kas, meaning greenhouse in Dutch, is housed in an enormous glasshouse: one half for eating, the other for growing the fruit and vegetables that end up on your plate. If your food wasn't produced here, it will come from the surrounding garden or a nearby farm. You might be served edible begonia flowers or the leaves of the "oyster plant" that tastes (bizarrely) of its namesake. 

-Beddington's: Beddington’s is named after British chef and owner Jean Beddington, who opened her first restaurant in Amsterdam in 1983. A combination of her Derbyshire roots, Asian influences from living in Japan, and modern Dutch twists, make her food some of the most stylish and experimental in Amsterdam. Think seared tuna steak with a zingy horseradish, wasabi and soy concoction, served with mellow sweet potato mash.