Imagine a restaurant where your dinner is prepared with freshly picked vegetables, herbs and flowers from its own garden and with fish that swam in the sea only hours earlier.

This earthy paradise – De Kas - is located in the outskirts of Amsterdam and has been opened since 2001. The greenhouse has a variety of seating spots for different kinds of groups and occasions, where the chef’s table is for true foodies and is always fully booked. In the summers, lunch is served outside on the patio in the herb garden.

The five-course menu is based on what they have harvested that day and changes daily, offering a number of small entrees, a main course and dessert. The wine list changes weekly and you may select from some 40 wines.

A slice of nature for dinner, anyone?

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Address: Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3, Amsterdam
www.restaurantdekas.nl

The newcomer Mashua had a soft opening in the last week of November 2007. The restaurant is situated right in the historical center of Amsterdam, close to the Leidesplein, on the Prinsengracht and is established in a historical canal-side building from the late 1800’s.

The food is ‘latin fusion’ and originates from a marriage between South-European, African & Oriental recipes and the wide variety of local South-American ingredients. The lunch and dinner dishes are original, tasteful and nicely decorated. So is the interior with its elegant and slightly trendy decor.

From March through September guests can enjoy drinks and food on a terrace alongside the canal. A restaurant with a view.

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Address: Prinsengracht 703, Amsterdam
www.mashua.nl

18twintig is Nederlands for 1820, but this new Amsterdam restaurant’s design is very now. The bar, lounge and restaurant is located in a vibrant quarter called "De Pijp" in Amsterdam, a stone’s throw from the Heineken brewery, the Van Gogh museum, and the Rijksmuseum.

The Mediterranean menu of 18twintig has an international touch and the key words are service, quality and freshness. Except for lunch and dinner menus (changing every two months), tasty appetizers are offered for accompanying the drinks.

They also have "Meeting 18twintig" as a service for your business meetings, receptions or workshops, organising your presentations or gatherings with sound system, flipcharts and projectors during the day, followed by very good private dining for the evening.

Business or pleasure?

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Address: the Ferdinand Bolstraat 18-20, Amsterdam
www.18twintig.nl

In the heart of Amsterdam’s Chinatown and amid the old bridges, canals, and 16th century facades, Restaurant Looks has opened its doors in November 2007.

Looks offers modern urban dining with a warm and metropolitan vibe. The atmosphere is friendly, relaxed and personal thanks to the two lifetime friends, hosts and owners, Alco and Eric. And their philosophy is simple; discovering new flavours together with friends or family or just having a good time over a bottle of wine

From a semi-open kitchen, the chefs are creating dishes based on deliciously fresh and seasonal products. The International menu changes every week and offers three different starters, three main courses, and dessert.

Why not take a look?

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Address: Binnen Bantammerstraat 5-7, Amsterdam
www.restaurantlooks.nl

Steel is a new little Boutique Bed & Breakfast with only one suite. Surrounded by several designer shops, bars and restaurants, the stylish B&B is found on the ground floor of an old characteristic warehouse in the historic city centre of Amsterdam.

The luxury furnished studio has all amenities you could expect of an exclusive hotel; a lavish floor heated Rain shower with a separate illuminated bath, a 26” flatscreen TV, Nespresso coffee machine and fully equipped kitchen with stocked mini-bar. Breakfast is served in style, courtesy of Puccini who are famous in Amsterdam for their coffee, sandwiches and chocolate.

The guest are well taken care of and need not worry either about reservations or guestlists at Amsterdam’s hotspots. Management makes sure their guests are treated like VIPs on their night out.

A perfect hideaway in the middle of everything. Daily rates from €150.

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www.staywithsteel.com