We live not too far from the DFDS Port on the North East coast, so a couple of weeks ago we dusted down our passports and booked a mini cruise from Newcastle to Amsterdam (pre-14 day quarantine rule).
The mini cruise is great if you’re wanting to explore Amsterdam for a couple of hours. You set sail around 5pm and arrive in Amsterdam the following morning.
A 30-minute bus trip takes you to the centre and drops you off near Dam Square where you can explore the city from Anne Frank’s home, the gorgeous canals and even take a trip down the Red Light District if that’s what really floats your boat!
Before heading back to the boat to make your voyage back to the shores of North Shields.
We had decided that instead of sightseeing and being typical tourists we’d head to Amsterdam for the day to enjoy a delicious lunch. Having researched many restaurants we had decided to head to newly opened Edel by Dennis, around a 30-minute saunter from Dam Square.
Arriving in Amsterdam we took a walk across the Damrak and along the main drag and stopped for a quick coffee at Tony’s Chocolonely. Interestingly Amsterdam is still the biggest cocoa port in Europe which makes it the perfect place for the Chocolonely to be located.
Inside it was bright and vibrant and with more chocolate than even Willy Wonka himself could imagine, we sat down and ordered and paid via the QR code on our table, I chose a black coffee and salted caramel shortbread.
Laura opted for the chocolate brownie and the dark chocolate hot chocolate which was like a melting pot of pure chocolate, she thought it was super sickly.
We did really enjoy our pitstop at Tony’s and highly recommend a visit (make sure you try the pretzel chocolate it’s delicious!)
Fine dining in Amsterdam
After our pit stop, we made it through the square and up along the canals to admire the houseboats and the typical bikes and blooms on the bridges.
Sauntering up to Edel by Dennis, where we enjoyed a cocktail outside watching the boats pass by on the canal.
To dine we headed inside the quirky restaurant which had a lovely atmosphere.
We shared the chicken chunks with chilli dip, Rendangkrokettes (beef croquettes) and the Thaise Krabkrokettes (Thai crab croquettes) to start.
Followed by the Edel Cheeseburger and Laura opted for the Truffle Gnocchi with the aioli frites to share.
The food was absolutely delicious, it was super flavoursome and fresh. The cheeseburger patty was cooked perfectly and Laura commented on how much she had enjoyed the Gnocchi as the truffle really gave it a delicious flavour.
If you’re looking for tasty food in Amsterdam we highly recommend Edel as it was a great spot for lunch.
After lunch we took a stroll back to Dam Square, however by the time we had sauntered back along the streets and across canal bridges the rain was beating down, and typically we didn’t have coats so we darted in and out of souvenir stores and cheese shops as we made it back to the bus and headed back to the boat.
There’s so much to do in Amsterdam and for this trip, we had decided to just have a leisurely lunch, however when return next time we may indeed go and visit some typically touristic places.
Have you been on the DFDS ferry to Amsterdam or visited Amsterdam before? We would absolutely love to hear what you got up to in the comments section below. As always, if you found this article of any value we would love for you to share it with your friends and family, across social media and beyond!
