Amsterdam Food Adventure - Day 3

Westerpark

We'd enjoyed our time in Haarlem but it was time to head back to Amsterdam for our final day. A quick coffee and toastie in Haarlem before boarding the train and by lunchtime we were back in Amsterdam and making tracks towards Westerpark.

 

Beside Westerpark is a fascinating building designed by Michel de Klerk. Designed in 1919 Het Schip (The Ship) contains 102 homes for the working class and is an important example of expressionist architecture. 

The building was built in response to Amsterdam's major housing shortage and was a far cry from the squalid conditions many families were living in during the 19th and early 20th century.

 

It's a stunning building with striking features.

 

The level of detail in this brickwork was incredible! We enjoyed admiring the building from outside but there is a museum inside which you can visit for €15.

 

There's a Sunday Market in Amsterdam which rotates between three locations, today it was in Westerpark which is about a 30 minute walk from Central Station.

 

My main interest was the food so I carefully checked out all the food vendors working out where to buy some lunch from.

 

The Sunday Market is a great place to buy cheese and there's so many samples to try. I didn't want to fill up on too much cheese but when it tastes this good it's very difficult to resist!

 

Tony's Chocolonely is a chocolate you'll see all over Amsterdam. Their headquarters and a shop can be found in Westerpark, visiting the shop is a must.

 

Their 100% slave free chocolate comes in many different varieties which are all available to buy in their shop.

 

My wife and I loved their branding and the ethos behind the company.

 

In the shop you can try generous samples of each of their chocolates. 

 

Having checked out the food vendors my wife decided on Worst Truck.

 

She bought a vegan hot dog serve with chips, salad and onions for €7.50.

 

I opted for Mr Brasa Foodtruck, everything on their menu sounded so good!

 

I ordered the smokey sticky spare ribs which cost €9.

 

There was so many ribs and they tasted incredible, the meat fell right off the bone. Definitely my food highlight in Amsterdam and somewhere I strongly suggest you visit if you can.

 

There's a canal beside Westerpark where we relaxed with a pint of sangria in the sunshine.

 

The Gashouder in Westerpark was built in 1902, at the time it was the largest in Europe. The gas was stored above the Gashouder in a steel tank that extended telescopically to a height of 40m. Nowadays it's a huge venue used for large scale exhibitions, live shows and company presentations.

As well as food vendors the Sunday Market in Westerpark is a great place to look for vintage items.

 

With a couple of hours left before heading to the airport we looked around some shops.

 

Had a beer beside the canal.

 

And I bought a smurf ice cream. 

Finally back at the airport I had a final Heineken and burger and chips before boarding the plane. It had been an excellent weekend and in just three days we'd seen a lot of this great city!