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Plancius
Next to the Resistance Museum and opposite the Artis Zoo, this dramatically stylish space (bright red bar at the back) is where TV execs head to cut deals over big serves of upmarket comfort food. Lunch is typically sandwiches, salads and pastas. The menu changes quarterly, and there are friendly, good-looking waiters.
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Pompadour
Join society ladies sipping top-notch tea and nibbling away at homemade Belgian-style chocolates and pastries at this chichi little tearoom in the Negen Straatjes. If you just want the chocolates, they're around €6 per 100g. Note: it's not open on Sundays, but a second branch is, at Kerkstraat 148.
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Puyck
This place near Sarphatipark offers neither games nor pretension, just imaginative, sophisticated cooking appropriate for a nice night out. Think baby lobster with lettuce, duck breast in Chinese five-spices, or a white wine-poached pear, all served with flair. If it has the Thai curry sorbet, you're in luck.
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Pygma-Lion
This modern South African bistro plates up animals you normally have to go to a zoo to see, like ostrich, springbok and zebra. Squeamish stomachs will still find more domesticated options: vegetarian dishes, 'tipsy' tart and blackcurrant scones.
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Rakang Thai
Chairs wrapped in straitjackets, bright art on the walls, neckties in the tables (it makes sense when you see it), a mai pen rai (no problem) atmosphere and delicious cooking (go for the almost buttery tom kha gai soup or crunchy, spicy duck salad) keep it busy here night after night.
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Restaurant Ps
Run by an unlikely yet vastly experienced pair - an English chef and a Columbian maître' d - this new restaurant in the Western Islands, north of the Jordaan, already has an army of devoted fans. Expect reasonable prices, an excellent wine menu and attentive service, plus an artsy interior with mosaics of Venetian glass. The set meals change weekly and feature seasonal ingredients.
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Restaurant Red
For those paralysed by choice, the very sexy Red is for you. It's all about steak or lobster here, and whatever way you're wired, the stylish waitresses will match the right wine. No prizes for guessing the main colour scheme.
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Ristorante d'Antica
Although d'Antica's three dining rooms get their share of celebrities, you'd be hard pressed to find a more welcoming restaurant in town. There's a familiar selection of pastas and meats, but cognoscenti order spaghetti al parmigiano (not on the menu) - and everyone may watch as waiters turn steaming pasta inside a wheel of cheese.
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Rose's Cantina
Even if the Californians and Texans (not to mention Mexicans) among us wouldn't stamp this place as authentic, it's hard not to love the gorgeous courtyard and fiesta interior. Fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas are super-sized, and margaritas taste good on any continent.
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Sabor de Maria
This catering shop sells tapas from around €2.50 per 100g, such as meatballs, stuffed grape leaves and garlic chicken wings, and main dishes like rib eye with pepper sauce, vegetable lasagne and Spanish chicken. Take it away, or settle at one of the few tables.
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Sal Meijer
This kosher delicatessen has little to no atmosphere, but how can you argue with a refrigerator case lined with pretty scoops of salmon, potato and egg salads? Order the heaping corned beef sandwich - get it warm, you'll thank us. We love the zingy ginger cake for dessert.
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Sama Sebo
Sama Sebo looks more like a brown café than a trip to the South Seas, and that's OK. The rijsttafel is 17 dishes (four to seven at lunch time), and you can get individual plates if that's too much. It's had the same formula since 1970, so who are we to question?
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Saturnino
The menu at this Italian bistro is as long as the phone book in a village in Tuscany. Stunning gay couples pack the different levels of this Art Nouveau tiled-and-styled space for pizzas, pasta and playful flirting, and it's perfect for a low-key lunch with your fashion-industry friends.
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Sea Palace
Funny thing about floating Chinese restaurants: they look like tourist traps and may well be, but from Hong Kong to Holland many are admired for good food. The Sea Palace's three floors are busy with Chinese and non, who come not just for great views of the city from across the IJ. Even if you order dim sum from a menu instead of a cart, the shrimp in the ha kow dumplings go pop in your mouth just the same.
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Segugio
This fashionably minimalist storefront with two levels of seating is the sort of place other chefs go for a good dinner. It's known for risotto and high-quality ingredients combined with a sure hand. Book ahead - it's almost always busy.
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Sluizer
This old-line institution - with its romantic, enclosed garden terrace - historically comprises two restaurants: a Parisian-style 'meat' restaurant (No 43) and a fish restaurant (No 45), though both menus are available in both restaurants. Spare ribs are the speciality of the former and bouillabaisse the speciality of the latter.
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Small World Catering
This Australian-run company is known for quality. Small cases house gorgeous prepared vegetables and meat dishes, and you can get a variety of quiches and sandwiches including fresh tuna, tapenade and artichoke hearts.
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Sterk Staaltje
Squarely between the Amstel, the Red Light District and Nieuwmarkt is this handsome, rustique takeaway shop with lasagne, savoury pies, and lovely olives and cheeses. Lunch will set you back about €5 .
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Stout
Slick, hip couples congregate at this airy, artful cafe to air-kiss, read design magazines, gossip and share imaginative fusion dishes (carrot and coriander soup with spicy tempeh, Thai chicken burger with kimchi) and fruit shakes. In warm weather, sit on an outdoor cushion and watch the world go by.
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Supperclub
If you're looking for a scene, you've found one. Enter the theatrical, all-white room, snuggle on the enormous mattresses and snack on victuals as DJs spin house music. Shows are provocative and entertaining - if it's lamb night, live sheep may be led through to the kitchen. If it's hospital night, look out.
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Szmulewicz
Szmulewicz's décor is at once slick and breezy (trompe l'oeil marble walls, sculpted lighting), a diversity reflected in its menu of reliable, ever-changing international cooking: pastas, tapas, Greek dishes, beef fillets, and vegetarian specialities. In summer, buskers play outside on this quiet block off Rembrandtplein.
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Take Thai
This modern, all-white restaurant plates up some of the best Thai food in the city. Choose from a variety of curries spiced according to your palate. The Penang beef curry is a winner, as is the fish fried in lemongrass and Thai basil.
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Tempo Doeloe
One of the best Indonesian restaurants in the city (it charges accordingly), Tempo Doeloe's setting and service are pleasant and decorous without being overdone. Dishes bring out subtle flavours amid the spice, and staff are happy to accommodate vegetarians. Plus, there's an extraordinary wine list. Downside: a bit supercilious - you have to ring a doorbell to enter.
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Thai Corner
Don't dismiss this cute little place: it does seriously authentic Thai. Locals and restaurant critics swoon over squid with garlic pepper and tofu with Thai basil, and stare agog at the over-the-top, carved wooden bar at the back of the room. Other restaurants could afford to take lessons from the self-effacing service.
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Tujuh Maret
Dare we say it? Tujuh Maret, next door to Tempo Doeloe, is just as good but attitude-free and cheaper. Grab a wicker chair and tuck into spicy Sulawesi-style dishes like dried, fried beef or chicken in red pepper sauce. Rijsttafel is laid out according to spice intensity, and makanan kecil is a mini- rijsttafel for around €15 .
