One of Amsterdam’s hottest spots – a multi-media experience on the Rembrandtplein. Lots of events held nightly.
To quote their website:
“Escape Venue has been a fact in the Dutch nightlife since 1987. Exclusive parties, music, light, decoration: all faces of a progressive club venue…For young adults who see themselves in a multi media environment, existing of modern dancemusic, hi-tech lighting, eye caressing visuals and internet.
Located in the very first block heading east from the Dam Monument, Sukasari is on the right side of the street just past the Old Man Headshop. The place is nicely decorated, Indonesian style, and was an oasis for lunch on one of Amsterdam’s hottest summer days. The spinning ceiling fans kept us quite cool as we relaxed over a lengthy business lunch. A steady supply of kleine biertjes chilled us even further.
The food is traditional Indonesian, not hot and spicy like Thai food. The menu is extensive, and they offer daily lunch specials if you don’t have a clue as to what to order…
The appetizers range from the standard shrimp-flavored kropek crispies to soups (meatball, chicken, chicken-corn or vegetable) and loempias. They offer a variety of sate’s (chicken on skewers) with the usual peanut sauces, and traditional bami (noodle) and nasi (rice) dishes. (Prices range from f5.25 for an appetizer to f22.50 for the most expensive item on the menu.)
Sukasari will also make up a Rijstafel with a variety of eleven Indonesian dishes for you to sample. (Priced at f45 per person.)
Being reasonably priced is the main attraction here, with a lunch special geared to the wallets of travelers who want a quiet oasis near the Dam Square. Be sure to ask for some hot chili sauce for your dishes to spice things up!
Sukasari is open from noon until 11:30 in the evenings Tuesdays thru Saturdays. On Mondays they are open from 4:30 pm until 11:30 pm. Closed Sundays.
Run by the Queen of The Zeedijk, Dusty (or is it Willem?) and his/her partner Johan. Now you get the picture.
Boisterous gay-friendly bar overlooking the canal with regular theme nights, DJs & drag acts.
The ultra-hip Winston’s on the Warmoesstraat is now even cooler.
With music nightly to feed your soul, this is one of Amsterdam’s favorite places that is blessed with amazing style!
Music or fun every night of the week!
Funky rooms & hostel dorms in budget property.
Arts venue & cafe with 3 spaces for theater, dance & comedy, plus short lunchtime performances.
A gathering of hippie souls have founded their own community of sorts just outside Amsterdam, and it is truly unique. Lots of events are scheduled to educate the public about their plight, as well as to have some fun and spread the love of the hippie movement. The collection of buildings is rumored to be truly Mad Maxish, I will report further after visiting myself.
You can visit Ruigoord by taking a bus (Number 82 on Marnixstraat outside Sloterdijk Train Station), by car or bicycle.
Here’s a couple of videos from Ruigoord to give you an idea of the action.
This place claims to be the biggest Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam, and it certainly is the busiest! Very popular with the locals, it’s usually packed. Inside tends to be rather smokey, but there are some outside tables.
Bar in the Jordaan reknowned for it’s drag acts. The ultimate scream of an evening I’ve heard, with queens from the closet in the crowd and more queens on the stage. Absolutely Fabulous.
13th-century church, now Calvinist, hosting religious & cultural activities including concerts.
Originally a small wooden church on a bank of the Amstel River in the 1300’s, it grew to be the stately Gothic structure it is today during the 14th century. Over the centuries it was a place for traders to meet and a refuge for the poor.
There are two organs: a transept organ (1658) and the well-known Vater-Müller organ (1724/1738), nowadays both are used for concerts.
The floor of the interior is paved with the gravestones of the rich, famous and royals from centuries past. It is an eerie feeling indeed to be walking around on them, especially when you recognize someone you’ve heard of!
Every year they offer the World Press Photo exhibition to the public, along with other exhibitions, theater and musical concerts from time to time. Be sure to check our always updated event calendar for listings of happenings when they are announced.
After spending an afternoon exploring Amsterdam we decided to find someplace nice to eat. Something different.
Strolling down the Reguliersdwaarstraat from the Rembrandplein, we came across the stylishly modern Memories of India, which I gather is a chain from Great Britain. The menu outside offered a tempting array of traditional Indian specialties, and a few Balti curries. Deciding to eat here was definitely not a mistake, and everything from the appetizer to the main course was presented to us by our smilingly efficient Indian waiter.
Our appetizer of fried fish with a spicy dipping sauce was quite tasty. Despite the many tiny bones we enjoyed the crispiness. A small salad was also served along with the appetizer.
For entrees we chose Prawns Bhuna and Chicken Korma. The Korma was made with chunks of chicken in a sauce consisting of cream, ground nuts, butter, herbs and spices. It was so rich and thick that it was seductively addictive. Prawns Bhuna proved to be the perfect counterpoint, with large shrimps simmered in a hotly spiced stew of tomatoes, onions, herbs and spices. The garlic naan we ordered worked quite well at sopping up all the amazing sauces that came with our meal.
Lingering over dinner was really enjoyable, with a fresh breeze coming through the open front door to carry away cigarette smoke. The restaurant has a patio dining area in the back, and the whole place is decorated in a very modern style, (hardly discernable as Indian) with large modern art canvases, and Roman-style columns topped with metal-work palm trees scattered about. There are a few stone carvings of elephants and other Indian motifs on the walls to help remind you that yes, indeed, you are in an Indian restaurant. As if you will need a reminder after eating the food!
Memories of India is a nice place, with great food at a reasonable price – our entire meal with drinks was under 100 guilders. Most enjoyable indeed!