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FOOD & DINING IN NETHERLANDS

Dutch national dishes tend to be of the ungarnished, hearty, wholesome variety -- solid, stick-to-your-ribs stuff. A perfect example is erwtensoep, a thick pea soup cooked with ham or sausage that provides inner warmth against cold Dutch winters and is filling enough to be a meal by itself. Similarly, hutspot, a potato-based "hotchpotch," or stew, is no-nonsense nourishment to which klapstuk (lean beef) is sometimes added. Hutspot also has an interesting intangible ingredient.

Seafood
As you might imagine in this traditionally seafaring country, is always fresh and well prepared. Fried sole, oysters, and mussels from Zeeland, and herring (fresh in May and early June -- great excitement surrounds the first catch of the season, part of which goes to the queen and the rest to restaurateurs amid spirited competition -- pickled other months) are most common. In fact, if you happen to be in Holland for the beginning of the herring season, it's an absolute obligation -- at least once -- to interrupt your sidewalk strolls to buy a "green" herring from a pushcart; prices run the gamut from dirt cheap to astronomical. The Dutch are also uncommonly fond of oily freshwater eel and Zeeland oysters and mussels (Zeeuwse oesters and Zeeuwse mosselen), from September to March.

Lunchtime
You're likely to find yourself munching on broodjes, small buttered rolls usually filled with ham and cheese or beef, although a broodje gezond (healthy sandwich) with cheese and vegetables is a good choice for vegetarians. Not to be missed are the delicious, filling pancakes called pannekoeken, often eaten as a savoury dish with bacon and cheese. Poffertjes are a sweet, lighter, penny-size version that are especially good topped with apples, jam, or syrup. Desserts at any meal lean toward dairy products, fruit with lots of fresh cream, ice cream, or appelgebak, a lovely and light apple pastry. Dutch gebak (pastries) are fresh, varied, and inexpensive; and you will notice the Dutch sitting down for a koffee and one of these delicious hapjes (small snacks, or literally, "bites") throughout the day.

That, briefly, is the Dutch cuisine -- which is not to say that it's the only cuisine available in Holland. The popular Indonesian rijsttafel (rice table), a feast of 15 to 30 small portions of different dishes eaten with plain rice, has been a national favourite ever since it arrived in the 17th century. If you've never experienced this minifeast, it should definitely be on your "must-eat" list for Holland -- the basic idea behind the rijsttafel is to sample a wide variety of complementary flavours, textures, and temperatures: savoury and sweet, spicy and mild. You'll also find the cuisines of France, China, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, and several other nations well represented.

The Restaurants
At the top of the restaurant scale are those posh dining rooms affiliated with the prestigious Alliance Gastronomique Néerlandaise or the Relais du Centre. They're likely to be elegant and sophisticated or atmospherically Old World and quaint. They will certainly be expensive. Many restaurants are not open for lunch. Although more and more restaurants are staying open later, the Dutch in general dine early; in many cases last orders are taken no later than 10pm.

Unless you eat especially early or late, reservations are generally recommended at top restaurants and at those on the high end of the moderate price range. Restaurants are often small and may be crowded with neighborhood devotees. Outside terraces are always in big demand on pleasant summer evenings. Smokers are everywhere, but nonsmoking rooms in restaurants and cafes are rare. So be warned, and try to sit outside in good weather.

For authentic Dutch dishes, look for the Neerlands Dis sign, which identifies restaurants specializing in the native cuisine. Then there are the numerous moderately priced restaurants and the brown cafes, which are cozy social centres with simple but tasty food, sometimes served outside on sidewalk tables in good weather. Sidewalk vendors, with fresh herring and the ubiquitous broodjes (sandwiches) or other light specialties, are popular as well.

Though there's no such thing as a free lunch, there is the next best thing -- a dagschotel (plate of the day). Another way to combat escalating dinner tabs is to take advantage of the tourist menu offered by many restaurants. Dutch menus list appetizers, not main courses, under "entree"; and 15% service plus value-added tax (BTW) is almost always included in the prices.

Beer & Gin
As you make the rounds of the brown cafes (the traditional Dutch watering holes), you can get the regular brands such as Heineken, Grolsch, or Amstel, or you could try something different. Witte (white) beer is great, which is sweeter than pils, the regular beer. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, you can have a Belgian dark beer, like De Koninck or Duvel. (Belgian beers are popular in Holland and are, in general, better made, more artisanal, than the local brews.)

Then there is the potent native gin known as jenever (the name comes from the Dutch word for "juniper"), a fiery, colorless spirit distilled from grain or malt, served ice-cold and drunk neat -- without any mixer, or even ice. It was once the drink of the masses in Holland, where it originated as a kind of medicine. Juniper oil was added to the distillate for its diuretic properties.

Jonge (young) jenever is less sweet and creamy than the oude (old) variety -- jenever grows smooth and soft with age -- but both are known for their delayed-action effectiveness. There are also very good Dutch liqueurs, such as Curaçao and Triple Sec. Wines from all over the world are available as well.

INTERESTING PLACES TO DINE (AMSTERDAM)

Hemelse Modder

Hemelse Modder has beautiful decor (floor-to-ceiling mauve velvet curtains, well-spaced tables and displays of dramatic tropical flowers), that lends this place a special-occasion feel. Add a menu of palate-pleasing dishes at less than upmarket prices, careful service and mellow music, and you've got a winner.

Medieval Centre
Oude Waal 9
info - 624 32 03

Tisfris

Brimming with good cheer, this place is packed with a mix of creative locals, lunching mums and shoppers stopping in after rummaging through stalls at nearby Waterlooplein market. Its affable staff serve scrumptious, healthy meals, salads and sandwiches, and it gets flooded with morning sun, making it ideal for breakfast.

Centrum
Sint Antoniesbreestraat 142
info - 622 04 72
Open: 09:00-19:00

d'Vijff Vlieghen Restaurant

Spread out over five 17th-century canal houses, d'Vijff Vlieghen is a glorious top-end dining experience. Ask to be seated in the Rembrandt Room (it has four original etchings by the master) and join other splurging foreigners and businessmen being treated to silver service and chichi Dutch food. Book ahead.

Spuistraat 294-302
Medieval Centre
info - 530 40 60
Website: www.thefiveflies.com
Open: 17:30-22:30

Dynasty

Decorated on a lavish King and I budget, this southeast Asian eatery is resplendent with over-the-top murals and hundreds of rice paper fans hanging from the ceiling. Dishes like 'salmon from the steam clouds' and 'thousand flower duck' taste as good as they sound.

Southern Canal Belt
Reguliersdwarsstraat 30
info - 626 84 00

Supper Club

Remove your shoes, lie on sumptuous white cushions beneath a huge white ceiling and soak up the Supper Club's theatrical atmosphere. The interior is transformed nightly according to the cuisine; one night it's downtown Naples (with laundry hanging from the ceiling), the next a sophisticated Paris Salon.

Medieval Centre
Jonge Roelensteeg 21
info - 638 05 13
Website: www.supperclub.nl

Café Reibach

Start your day at this charming canalside cafe that serves generous, magnificent breakfast platters laden with Dutch cheese, paté, smoked salmon, eggs, coffee and fresh juice. If you can fit it in, afternoon tea is just as impressive: if you're quick, you may get to sample the famous pear tart.

Brouwersgracht 139
Jordaan
info - 626 77 08
Open: 10:00-20:00

Latei

Loveable Latei is the Zeedijk at its most eccentric. Purveyors of the area's best coffee, good sandwiches and fluffy, flavoursome omelettes. Latei also sells high-quality Finnish wallpaper, olive oil from Umbria, and all manner of 1950s objects, including lamps and trinkets. At night, it does a healthy couscous salad that vegetarians will love.

Centrum
Zeedijk 143
info - 625 74 85
Open: Mon-Wed 08:00-18:00, Thu-Fri 08:00-22:00, Sat 09:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-18:00

De Belhamel

Sup on Dutch-accented versions of French and Italian classics in the sumptuous Art Nouveau surroundings of De Belhamel. You could eat raw onions in this sort of marble-and-velvet ambience and feel luxurious; fortunately, the chef whips up delicious concoctions that match the decor. It's popular, so book ahead.

Brouwersgracht 60
Western Canal Belt
info - 622 10 95
Email: debelhamel@diningcity.nl
Website: www.diningcity.nl/debelhamel
Open: 18:00-22:00

Pathum Thai

At Pathum Thai, you'll find punctilious staff, reasonable prices and fabulous Thai food. This relaxed and friendly restaurant is tucked away down a quiet Jordaan back street. The crowds filling the tables come for the food, served in spicy, well-prepared and affordable doses by devoted staff.

Willemsstraat 16
Western Canal Belt
info - 624 49 36
Website: www.pathum.nl
Open: 17:00-22:00

De Bolhoed

Fresh-faced waiters actually smile as they serve up an international menu of organic food. If you can't choose between the wide range of Italian, Mexican and Middle Eastern dishes, make like a local: snag a seat on the canalside terrace and order the banana cream pie, served here for more than 18 years.

Prinsengracht 60-62
Western Canal Belt
info - 626 18 03