Amsterdam Cool: Love Food

The only fail in an Amsterdam weekend in my humble opinion is Brunch.

You wake up on Sunday head bit woolly and all you want is saturated fat, carbs, and caffeine… and perhaps an OJ.

Uitsmijter

Brunch in these parts is also Lunch, as in there is no distinction … same menu, every day of the week. And that menu is mostly Tosti’s (the basic small toasted sandwich, cheese, ham, tomato sometimes with spicy sambal, served cut in half with a splodge of Ketchup for dipping) or Uitsmijter** - pronounced Outs-my-ter with some h’s thrown in to achieve the mandatory guttural sound. (this is 1 or 2 slices of bread, topped with 2 slices of ham, melted cheese and 2 fried eggs). If you are very lucky you might get Pannenkoeken, pancakes, that look like crepes but are thicker and greasier, with a variety of toppings, my favourite is apple and bacon – don’t ask just eat, its good I promise.
Anyhow, there are times that this just does not cut it, and what you want, nay what you *need*, is a really good fry up or fluffy pancakes and bacon, or eggs benedict. That was hard to source, until Englishman Jason came along, and began his project of love….

Love Food

One Sunday a month in Cafe Finch on Nordmarkt, Jason crafted his Seasonal Brunch menu… and then his Dinner menu… then his Take Away menu

On the last Love Food Sunday, 29th March, I arranged to meet with two of my friends Marie & Franklin for brunch. Maries Brother and his Girlfriend were in town for the weekend so they came along too. I had been to a Drag Party the night before, and was in real need of this life saving saturated goodness!

We were not disappointed, Fresh OJ and coffees were served post haste, (prompt service with charm is a rarity here) and we looked at the menu. In unison we all plumped for the Full Monty

The Full Monty…
The breakfast that made English men and women the fine people they are today!  2 rashers of thick cut English bacon, 1 of our own home made English pork sausages, a poached egg, fried mushrooms, a grilled tomato, a slice of Yorkshire black pudding and baked beans from a tin. Served with a round of toast & butter and a choice of ketchup or HP Sauce.

The sausages were instantly recognisable as home made, and boy were they meaty perfection. Thick bacon and runny egg, toast… I was in heaven, as were Marie and Franklin, the two tourists were looking at us a bit strange, “yeah its a fry, its good, but its just a fry”  – Just a Fry!! Never! You know when you get exactly what you’ve been searching for, this was it, now I knew my weekends (at least once a month) were complete!

So, imagine my happiness when this appeared in my DM window the other day.

Love food for the Win!! Now I can have my favourites every Sunday. And with it being a regular fixture I can explore the menu and try other things, not in fear that I will be missing out on my Full Monty for another month.

Think I’ll have to have the Full Mikey next time….

The Full Mikey…
The American classic breakfast. Choice of bacon or homemade sausage, hash browns, scrambled eggs, 2 American Pancakes with butter and maple syrup and a side order of toast

Oh and to complete the Win, Finch is in a lovely location, with a great terasse and cool staff. Free Wifi and a full bar (if its hair of the dog, or an early start you are after). Its perfectly placed for a cycle around Westerpark after, and perhaps a fresh mint tea in Het Ketelhuis cinema…. but that’s for another post

Anyhow, I heartily recommend you hit Cafe Finch if you are here on a Sunday and want to try Amsterdam’s best Sunday Brunch at Love Food!

See you there ….

**Ps potted history of Uitsmijter – it means Bouncer, as in big burly lad standing outside a nightclub. And is reputed to be “invented” by students, as the thing you served your mates after a night out and before you kicked them out… bit of soakage… and that it is… but its no fryup!