There are no secret corners of Venice, of that I have been certain.  Every centimetre of the gracefully crumbling city has been padded on, stroked, coo-ed over and fallen in love with over and over again.

I can't pretend that we discovered anything new in the two nights we were there.  We didn't stumble into any corners where nobody had been before, those corners had already been filled.  Every bridge we crossed already had lovers kissing on it.  Even the water, milky green was jostled and frothed by countless gondolas passing beside us and beneath us as we stole along the paths where thousands have passed before us.

I would love to whisper in your ear "I found it, I found that secret patch of Venice nestled and hidden away like an emerald set in marble" but alas, I found no such thing.

So let me tell you instead of experiences and memories  and how, even in a city where everyone has been before they can still be wrapped up in surprises.

The first time I went to Venice I stepped into a film, I stepped into every film I had ever seen shot in the city.  The glorious technicolour of the 1950s and 60s, Polaroid snapshot colours.  Venice is faded glory and seems to have always been so.  Venice is dusty velvet which frays when you touch it.  It is a tiara once sparkling with finery now dulled but resolutely, determinedly beautiful.

The second time I went to Venice I walked on duck boards across the acqua alta in Piazza San Marco as mist swirled and my breath exhaled in short white puffs ahead of me.  Bitterly cold and glassy as an ice palace.

In quiet times I had murmured the stories of Venice to the Lovely Husband of technicolour, jewels and  a city of glass which you knew before you ever set foot in it.  We were ready for a visit.

The third time I went to Venice, we fell out of love, the City and I.  Assailed by hoards of people, trapped in interminable queues unable to find anywhere, anywhere at all, where I could catch my breath and reconcile my memories.  Aggrieved by extortionate prices and sub par food, Venice and I were heading for a fall.

On the last night I dug deep into my memories, rattling through my archives and drew out a memory of food, an approximate location and the last vestiges of hope.  Through the growing gloom I led the lovely Husband through darkening alley ways, past chain stores, souvenir shops indistinguishable from one another and solicitous restaurants offering us tourist menus for less than 20 euros.

I turned down a non descript alley way with an unsubstantiated name, Calle del Paradiso (Paradise Alley).  Only one building shed any light on the street.  A handful of bistro tables set behind ropes.  It looked the same as I remembered but, oh Venice, looks can deceive can't they?

We sat down and were greeted by the host.  He was older, ten years since my last visit.  We ordered, he questioned our hunger, we chose wine, he recommended something better.  I thought about mentioning that I had been there before but as I said, there is nothing secret in Venice, everyone has been there before.  He turned at the door and looked at me before darting inside with our order.

Course after course came out, each as perfect as the last.  Beautifully fresh, exquisitely prepared dishes that stole the words from us as we tried to describe each crunch, crack, salty, sweet plate until we stopped trying.

"I remember you"

I looked up as he cleared the plate.

"You've been here before, a long time ago but I remember you"

We reminisced quickly, he thanked me for returning, I said that I would return again.

With food and wine and memories, just like that the course was re-set, we would go another round Venice and I.  I would seek to look past the gaudy and superficial and Venice would wait to be admired again.

The City of No Surprises, until you are the one being surprised.

Il Paradiso

Calle del Paradiso

Venice, Italy

I love Haarlem.  From its curving streets to its hidden courtyards, it is truly a beautiful city.  Even though I find the shopping there vastly better than Amsterdam I rarely visit and then every time I return, spend most of my time wandering around wondering why I don't visit more often.  Just a 15 minute hop on the train from Centraal Station, and there are five or six trains an hour, Haarlem feels a world away.

As the in laws are seasoned Amsterdam visitors we thought it was about time we took them out of the City for a day so off to Haarlem we headed.

With no particular plan in mind we wandered aimlessly for a while before deciding to hunt for a lunch spot.  I had identified one on the web before we left which, somewhat predictably, was closed when we got there.  Back to wandering aimlessly.  I remembered eating at Brahms and Liszt before on the Klokhuisplein so we pointed ourselves vaguely in that direction only to find that it too was closed.  Slightly peckish by this time I spotted a hotel named Stempels (Stamps) with cafe on the corner of the Klokhuisplein.  It was serving lunch, the menu looked acceptable so we wandered in.

We were immediately shown into a beautiful front room with ornate ceilings and a gorgeous chandelier.  Seated at a large round table in front of a sunny window we began to feel as though we had possibly hit the jackpot.  A quick peruse of the menu confirmed that the usual Dutch lunch option of soup, salads or a sandwich were available - with a couple of main course sized meals for the ravenous luncher.

We settled on Dutch shrimp soup with roasted pineapple for myself and my mother-in-law with turkish bread and tapenade, while the Lovely husband ordered a sirloin sandwich and my father-in-law decided to try the "Irish" hamburger (although we were still none the wiser as to what made the burger Irish, noone seemed to know).

The soup was rich, deeply flavoured and silky in texture with small sweet prawns and chunks of roasted pineapple scattered through it.  Both the Lovely Husband and the father-in-law pronounced themselves very satisfied with their respective meals.

As we sat in the sun filled window, catching up and tightening our new family ties over delicious espresso I was also able to take in the building around me.  The owners have done a wonderful job of preserving the original architecture of the rooms, which used to house a printing firm (Royal Joh).  They have added fabulous modern touches, sculptural candlesticks and hand printed wallpaper (although, is it just me, but in a "wonky" room would you not hang the paper so that the top was level along the picture rail and the bottom off?). 

If you get the chance to spend some time in Haarlem I would highly recommend spending some time at Stempels - especially as the Autumn and Winter months close in and you increasingly find yourself wanting to while away the hours watching the world go by.

I've been a bit spoilt recently.  After the lovely meal at Nevy, and a fantastic lunch with Mevrouw Cupcake at the College Hotel during restaurant week,  I wobbled like a weeble towards the weekend and a visit from my in-laws. 

I have married into a family of foodies (yes!), the Lovely Husband's mother is a trained cook and they love to eat out in Amsterdam at least once whenever they come to visit.  We have taken them to Cedar's a number of times on request this time however, they were ready for a change.  After flipping swiftly through our mental rolodex of restaurants we have tried and loved we settled on Restaurant Blauw on Amstelveenseweg.  Our only previous visit to Blauw had been a few weeks after it opened in summer 2008 but we had been very impressed by the food and the service.

We are rijstaffel fans, so at Indonesian restaurants menu decision time is very short.  One meat (for him) and one veggie (for me) - if that is an option.  Otherwise, two veggie's if it is a minimum 2 person order.  Where Blauw differs from other Indonesian's we have been to is that it also offers a fish rijstaffel and it is very, very good.

As experienced rijstaffel-ers (what? It's a word...) we know that ordering four rijstaffels for four people is food madness.  It is always way, way too much food and we still had to walk (not roll) home afterwards.  Fortunately, Blauw is very accommodating in this respect and clearly states on its menu that if you order less than one rijstaffel per person then each additional plate is charged at E10.  I really don't have an issue with that and it is certainly better than ordering food only to waste it.  I also appreciated that although it is clearly stated on the menu the waiter still took the time to point it out rather than wait until bill time.

We ordered two meat and one fish rijstaffel.  I could impress you all by naming all the dishes but unfortunately there were far too many and I lost track fairly quickly, resorting to just smiling and nodding - the way I do when someone is speaking to me and I have not a clue what they are saying.  What I can tell you is the food was superb.  A good balance of hot and cold dishes, the hot kept piping on in-table warmers ranging from mild to just spicy enough.

It was still too much food.

Nevertheless, we battled bravely through and polished off as much as we could.  I'm ashamed to say we even sneaked in a dessert - and it was just as good.  In our defence we were going to eschew dessert but just as the plates were cleared, an almighty rain storm descended on Amsterdam.  What could we do?  We were on foot and setting out in that much water would have been fool hardy at best, dessert was our only option.  Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Food wise Blauw was flawless, the service was excellent and for a small restaurant they really manage to pack people in without you feeling crushed or hurried.  Its definitely on the list for a future visit.

Edit: An additional nice touch is that towards the end of the meal the staff will offer to take a photo of you and make it available for download on the website.  A nice memento for the in-laws.

I don't eat meat. I don't eat meat because I don't like it and at about eleven years old when I explained this to my Mother she took me at my word and I stopped eating it. My father told me I would last two weeks before caving and eating meat again, 22 years later it would appear he was mistaken.

What I love though is fish and shellfish, grilled, fried, poached steamed, baked, sashimi raw, I love it all. Here in Amsterdam the fish is fantastic. Our local fishmonger is well stocked and full of advice. When it comes to restaurants though it has been a bit hit and miss.

Example One: Hit - When we first moved to Amsterdam we had an apartment on Singel (for the full expat experience, canal house - check, gay landlords - check). We got into the habit of trying out restaurants randomly on a Friday night (too lazy to cook and the pound was much stronger back then). One evening while wandering aimlessly down Reguliersdwarsstraat we stumbled across Le Pecheur.  Dressed in my habitual uniform of jeans and a t-shirt I peered through the window, "Hmmm... looks a bit posh, not sure I'm dressed for it".  However, the Lovely Husband was hungry, he liked the menu, it was a fish restaurant, we'd been wandering for a while, he wasn't walking any further.  In we went.

Back in 2007 pre-facelift, Le Pecheur was all pink and chintz since then it has assumed a more neutral decor.  I definitely don't normally do chintz-y restaurants but as another favourite restaurant, La Favola, suffers from a similar chintz overload, maybe its a Dutch restaurant thing.

Anyway, Le Pechuer, getting over the chintzy-decor has become my go to restaurant when I want really good fish.  They offer a 40-ish euro 4 course menu which is way too much food but you can pick and choose from it a la carte for a very reasonable price.  Everyone we have taken there requests a return visit which, from my foodie friends, is high praise indeed.

Example Two: Miss - Come my birthday this year though I was ready for a change.  I had read very good things about Vis aan de Schelde and was keen to try a new fish restaurant.  In terms of price it was definitely more expensive than Le Pecheur, however, I wasn't blown away.  I was distinctly unimpressed.  Maybe I chose badly from the menu, maybe other reviewers put more emphasis on the sleek decor than I did.  Whatever the reason Le Pecheur remained my "go to" fish restaurant in Amsterdam.

Yesterday it was our first anniversary and to offset a very un-anniversary like day spent filing and yet more unpacking we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Nevy.  It is a bit of a trek to Nevy, which is to the west of Centraal Station from our Oud Zuid base although you can also arrive by private boat and dock at the restaurant (maybe next year...). 

I find dressing for Amsterdam restaurants difficult, even the expensive ones seem much more casual than London restaurants.  Having settled on white jeans and a smart top I found I had managed to dress perfectly.  This is definitely a jeans and a smart top restaurant, chinos and shirts for the boys seemed to be de rigeur.

We arrived early enough (7:30-ish) to snag a table by the window so got to admire the view over the water and the impressive decor.

The house champagne is Moet, I'm not a fan of the Moet house so we elected for a gorgeously apricot-y prosecco instead.  Every meal should begin with bubbles.

The menu offers a range of fish, each cooked in a variety of ways as well as an raw bar.

I started with dry fried tuna and a Japanese spring roll.

As you can see, it was so delicious I completely forgot to photograph it until I had attacked it.

The Lovely Husband had lobster tempura with a red pepper mousse.

Feeling very encouraged by the superb quality of the starters we moved to the main course.  As it was our anniversary I splurged and had the lobster. Normally, on a balmy Sunday evening I wouldn't be bothered with lobster, too much effort to dig it out of the shell but I really wanted to try the triple cooked potatoes.  I mentioned this to the waiter who assured me that the kitchen would be more than happy to serve the lobster out of the shell for me.  Perfect.  The Lovely Husband decided to try a new (to him) fish, Red Gurnard served a la plancha with grilled polenta and roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine.  His food was excellent but we were both blown away by mine, definitely the dish of the night.

The perfectly grilled lobster came in fat chunks with the claw meat removed intact.  It was served over a bed of squeaky green beans which had been lightly turned in a cream sauce.  Resting on top was a skewer of deeply flavoured grilled mushrooms.  The triple cooked potatoes turned out to be a jenga-style stack of thick chips, crisp and crunchy on the outside, piping hot and fluffy on the inside.  I was in absolute heaven.

After that no dessert could possibly come close but I valiantly ordered the cheesecake with raspberry topping, lemon curd sauce and berry sorbet.  It was, as the other courses had been, precisely executed and incredibly flavourful.  I am something of a cheesecake fiend and this was definitely a superb example, dense topping with a crunchy biscuit base.  After the bubbles and a couple of glasses of a lovely German Riesling, however, I completely forgot to take a photo of the dessert.  The Lovely Husband crunched happily through his banana and pecan crumble with chocolate sorbet, which I tried but sadly it only confirmed for me that the only thing worse that a banana is a cooked banana.  I assure you that this is my personal taste though and nothing to do with the dish itself.  The chocolate sorbet was sublime.

Feeling utterly stuffed we zipped back through Amsterdam at night, heads laid back so that we could better see the lights of the canals and the shadows cast by the houses.

Nevy is most certainly a contender.

It has to be said that Amsterdam is not a city that lunches. Obviously, people eat lunch but if you are trekking around time and want something other than soup, salad or a sandwich but you don't want a full meal then your options are going to be a little more limited.

Step in La Place eateries. La Place have quite the coverage in Amsterdam. Not only do they run the catering in two major department stores (V & D and De Bijenkorf), but they also service several major workplaces. Lucky workplaces.

It is self service, but certainly not the self service I recognise from British department stores. At La Place everything is divided into zones. A salad bar zone, and what salads! Grilled veggies as far as the eye can see. huge bowls of leaves and wedges of tomato. A grilled meat bar, a grilled fish bar. Some locations have a pizza oven, some a stir fry bar. A soup station, juice bar and drinks bar are all within striking distance. Just pick up a tray and load up. The best thing is that everything is prepared right in front of you - fresh, fresh, fresh.

Once you have paid and collected your cuttlery then you can choose your seating. Today I was in the V&D on Kalverstraat and scored an outside table in the glorious sunshine so that I could watch the world go by beneath me. If the balcony is full or the weather a little less clement then sitting inside is no hardship underneath the glass roof (pictured above). If you are meeting someone there then there are rooms named after nearby streets, "I'll meet you in Damrak..."

Over at De Bijenkorf, following last year's major facelift you can sit in differently themed areas all showcasing designer furniture from the furniture department below. Eames chairs, Tom Dixon lighting. Or sit out on the new roof terrace secluded from the busy streets below, snacking on sushi before heading back down into the chaos of central Amsterdam.