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Our favourite Glowcations, Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of our favourite cities. It’s packed with canals, art galleries, flower markets and museums. However, what attracts us most is the cool vibe and the huge choice of plant-based food. The selection of vegetarian and vegan cafés can be quite daunting. Luckily, two of our Glowstars, Fabienne Dobbe and Fleur Maat are local and Dutch, so we can really narrow down your hit list. Here’s our top three must visit vegan and vegetarian cafés in Amsterdam.

Lavinia Good Food, Centrum

Lavinia Good Food is a hidden gem in the historic centre of Amsterdam. Sat on the pretty Kerkstraat, between two canals, it is charming, laid back and serves a mean gluten-free pizza. The food is mostly vegetarian and vegan, but they also have some salmon dishes if you eat fish.

Lavinia has an all day brunch and lunch menu with lattes, juices, cocktails, beers and organic wines.

We suggest  ordering The Lavinia bowl with whole grain cous cous, roasted sweet potato, chickpeas, pickled red cabbage and home made hummus. Model Fabienne thinks the vegan vanilla pie is “a must! ”

To read more about Lavinia Good Food click here.

Juice Brothers, several locations

Our favourite spot for a vitamin packed juice is Juice Brothers. Founded in 2015 by four friends on a canal holiday, it’s now a huge success and has  several branches in Amsterdam, plus two in New York. We love their Haarlemmerbuurt branch with its view of the iconic ”Willemsbrug”. The café and grab and go is modern and minimal. You order at the bar and the eating area is upstairs.

Juice Brothers have a mega choice when it comes to drinks: ten juices, three tonics, three mylks, six shots and ten smoothies! We suggest the Unicorn’s Blood – a fresh and spicy mix of watermelon, pineapple, ginger and lemon.

And there’s the smoothie bowls… all the smoothie and açai bowls are made with made with non dairy organic products. We love their signature bowl the Almond açai.

Finally, they sell Van Leeuwen the vegan ice-cream brand. Fabienne and Fleur suggest grabbing one to go. Plant-based heaven.

To read more about Juice Brothers click here. 

The Meets, De Pijp

The Meets is in the Pijp, one of Amsterdam’s coolest neighbourhoods, packed with cafés and home to  the Albert Cuypmarkt street market.
This brick walled café focuses on locally sourced produce, using organic ingredients as much as possible and staying away from refined sugars . The menu is international.  It includes açai bowls and kimchi toast for breakfast, fresh spring rolls, beetroot balls for lunch (a healthier vegan alternative for the famous Dutch ‘bitterbal’ which is a deep fried ball of minced meat)  and Sicilian eggplant stew or Pad Thai for dinner.

On the drinks front, student Fleur loves their fresh coconuts with lime juice,

“I have tasted many fresh coconuts in my life (in Vietnam, Malaysia and Bali), but I must say this was one of the best coconuts I ever had!”.

Also, don’t miss their blue smoothie. The ‘Samui Blue’ consists of banana, mango, coconut water, whey protein, spirulina and bee pollen.

To find out more about The Meets click here.

 

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Beter & Leuk, Amsterdam

 

Beter & Leuk translates as ‘better and fun’. It’s known for its organic, local, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan menu throughout Amsterdam. Their delicious menu is 100% vegetarian and their USP is their vegan pastries.  You can eat in, but Beter & Leuk also has a flourishing take-away counter and an on site shop selling sustainable lifestyle items, clothing, jewelry and more. We love it.

The setting

Beter & Leuk is in a lively area in Eastern Amsterdam, near the river Amstel. This cute homestyle café is on an urban street, with a calm and relaxed feel to it. This area of town is less touristy than others. It’s quieter and more residential, but filled with cafés and shops.

The space

Beter & Leuk feels like a living room. It’s compact and cosy. With the little shop-area in the back of the café, it also has the feeling of a concept store. You can buy cookery books, jewellery, beauty products and more. Most products come from local suppliers and everything is sustainable. The emphasis on sustainability continues not only in the menu and shop, but also in the decor of the café. It’s a stylish mix of non-matching, vintage and upcycled furniture. The walls are hung with changing artworks (also for sale) showcasing new Dutch artists. In the Summer, there are a few outside-seats, but no large terrace. Inside, are small tables and a large sharing table plus window bar seating. Beter & Leuk has table service.

The crowd

Beter & Leuk is run by Ilse and Maja, two ladies that are are passionate about spreading the healthy lifestyle message.

The mostly female crowd is a fun mix of young girls and trendy mums as well as older ladies- proving that healthy eating is for any age.

 

The fresh juice test

We began  our brunch review with some freshly prepared juices- an apple, carrot and ginger juice for my sister and an apple, celery and lemon one for me. Their juices are not too sweet and pretty generous in size.

What we ate

The food menu at Beter & Leuk includes sweet items such as berry smoothie bowls and banana-buckwheat pancakes. And you can find savoury items including a selection of salads (a seasonal one and a bibimbap), soup and sandwiches.

We ordered the baked tempeh sandwich with wasabi mayonnaise, cucumber, pickles and a small, fresh side salad.

I also ordered the spinach-buckwheat pancake with pea hummus and grilled vegetables. It came with a small quinoa side salad and the portion size was really good.

 

You can’t resist the sweet items on the menu. You can choose from  scones made of oats served with coconut yogurt and berries, chocolate brownies made from sweet potato and sweetened with date syrup and much more. In the end, we decided to end our brunch with the berry banana bread (sweetened with rice syrup) served with date creme and the vegan carrot cake with coconut frosting.

The carrot cake  was especially good!

We also had an almond matcha latte and a spiced iced almond turmeric latte on the side, a perfect end to a good brunch.

What else?

Beter & Leuk is active in hosting workshops on healthy eating and living. On some days you can even take a yoga class followed up by a healthy breakfast.

The bill

Juices 2x  €4.95
Matcha latte  €3.95
Turmeric latte  €3.75
Tempeh sandwich  €8.95
Masala Dosa  €10.50
Banana bread  €3.95
Carrot cake  €4.50

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Rainbowls, Amsterdam

Rainbowls describes itself as “plant-based, all natural and highly addictive”. We agree!

As the new kid on the block in Amsterdam, their colourful smoothie bowls transport you directly to Bali.

It was created by 25-year-old Mirre van Klaveren, after she was inspired by her travels through Indonesia, and especially Bali.

There she was amazed by the wide array of exciting healthy food and innovative places to eat.

The location

Rainbowls is located in the Pijp, one of the most famous and trendiest neighbourhoods of the city. There are several bus and tram stops close by. It’s only a small walk away from many other culinary hotspots, cool shops and the famous Albert Cuyp market.

The crowd

The crowd was very mixed- young Insta girls, a young family, two guys hanging on the bench out front.

Essentially, this place is for anyone who enjoys a good smoothie bowl.

The space

You enter through an inviting bright pink painted door and there’s a couple of wooden benches with pillows outside. Once inside, you have the choice of eating in or grab and go. You order at the bar and the bowls are delivered to your table. One of the side walls is made of timber, adding a tropical vibe. Here, several items for sale are on display – cookery books, coconut shell bowls and beautiful wooden cutting boards. The bar at the back of the space is dressed with clean white tiles. Sitting is not super comfortable, as, apart from a set of exotic looking woven lounge chairs, most of the seating consists of  long window benches and woven stools. Right now, seating is still limited, but Rainbowls is new and still evolving. There’s currently no WiFi, but this may change.  Nevertheless, the café has a really relaxed ambience and low noise, so having a conversation with my fellow eater was no problem!

The fresh juice test

We had a green juice made with spinach, cucumber, celery, Granny Smith apples, ginger and lemon. However, their signature drink is the iced rainbow latte. We thought it was a work of art! It was a layer of red cold pressed beetroot, followed by a yellow layer of ginger and turmeric, ending with a layer of green matcha. It has three different types of plant-based mylk. We think it is the happiest drink you will ever drink . It was very refreshing too on a (non-typical Dutch) warm, Summer day.

The little things that make a difference

Sustainability is a very important component of the DNA of Rainbowls. The smoothie bowls are served in coconut shells, you eat with sustainably produced wooden spoons and the bill is emailed to you, rather than being printed.

What we ate

Rainbowls is all about smoothie bowls.

With a choice of a pink, violet, orange, yellow, green and blue bowl, the whole rainbow is covered!

There are also three different types of açai bowls, plus chia and porridge bowls as well as vegan sweets like banana bread and carrot cake.

We chose the Orange Bowl, the Violet Bowl and the Yellow one – which we were told is the most popular and it was also our favourite! It contained banana, coconut, passion fruit, turmeric, ginger and pineapple and had the perfect sweet-sour balance. The Violet bowl with raspberry and blueberry was also really nice, it tasted like a ‘regular’ berry bowl, but we liked the addition of cauliflower. We were less enthusiastic about the Orange bowl with carrot, orange, ginger and mango.

For dessert we had a raw chocolate pie and something very special- a vegan ‘roze koek’ (‘pink cookie’), which is a famous, typically Dutch cookie, from  Donny Craves who specialises in vegan cookies and sweets. The pink layer is made using beetroot and in total the cookie is has 21 grams of veg-  not bad! Since the cookie was very sweet, tasting it together with the raw chocolate pie, which had a very pure and slightly sweet taste, was not a very good idea. Nevertheless, we enjoyed both very much!

What we’d go back for…

Next time I am definitely trying the Blue bowl!

 

The bill

Rainbowl € 9.50
Rainbow latte € 4.50
Juice  € 4.95
Vegan brownies € 3.50
Raw choco pie € 4.50

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The Meets, Amsterdam

‘We like to follow the 80/20 rule- 80% plant-based, 20% animal produce! Although the main rule is 100% lekker!’ Or ‘tasty’ explains The Meet’s website.

The Meets is a place for healthy food lovers. It focuses on locally sourced produce, using organic ingredients as much as possible and stays away from refined sugars. The menu is pretty international.  It includes açai bowls, kimchi toast for breakfast, fresh spring rolls, beetroot balls for lunch (a healthier vegan alternative for the famous Dutch ‘bitterbal’ which is a deep fried ball of minced meat)  and Sicilian eggplant stew or Pad Thai for dinner.

The space

The Meets is located on the corner of a lively street in the Pijp, one of Amsterdam’s coolest neighbourhoods.

The interior is clean and bright with brick walls, wooden tables and floors and single fresh flowers spread around in vases which add a pop of colour. There is limited seating available outside. Inside the space appears narrow at first sight, but it stretches down to the back.

The little things that make a difference

The Meets uses paper straws which is something I support.

The fresh juice test

The drinks menu features many different teas and lemonades, but not many fresh juices. We chose a blue smoothie! The ‘Samui Blue’ consists of banana, mango, coconut water, whey protein, spirulina (hence the colour) and bee pollen. It was not only a refreshing and lovely sweet drink, but also the fact that it was blue made us feel instantly happier and healthier!

What we ate

We ordered a fresh young coconut to start with, paired with some lime juice. I have tasted many fresh coconuts in my life (some of them being in  coconut famous countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Bali), but I must say this was one of the best coconuts I ever had!

We also ordered the avocado sourdough toast with poached eggs, spinach and roasted tomato. The bread wasn’t toasted (which led to it being slightly soggy) and the poached eggs weren’t poached quite like we like them to be, but the addition of spinach, and especially the flavourful oven roasted tomatoes, was a winner!

Next, a Mexican veggie burger (made of sweet potato, black beans and quinoa) which came with a vegan mayo that tasted exactly like French mayonnaise.

We had the option of having the burger served in a salad leaf which we went for, making it a rather light dish.

We also ordered the açai bowl. Paired with the house-made granola served on top of the bowl, it was delicious!

Finally, we couldn’t resist the house-made vegan treats! We decided to have them for take-away since we were told that they were amazing. We ordered the banana bread, served with almond butter, and a heavenly (though rather heavy) raw dark chocolate pie with caramel peanut sauce.

What we’d go back for…

What I really liked about the Meets was the amount of choice you have as a customer.

The menu is nearly fully vegan, but you can always opt for add-ons such as bacon or different types of cheeses (burrata, halloumi) as well as vegan cheese.

This means that The Meets attracts a very broad audience, as it has something on the menu for everyone!

Also, for dishes such as the wraps and the burgers (normally served in a tapioca wrap or a sourdough bun), you have the choice to have it served in a gluten free tortilla or even a salad leaf, which we included with the burger.

The bill

Fresh young coconut   5.00 €
Samui blue smoothie   5.00 €
Açai smoothie bowl  9.00 €
Avocado toast  10.00 €
Mexican veggie burger  13.00 €

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Amsterdam Coffee and Coconuts

Coffee and Coconuts, CT to locals,  asks customers a simple question: “Do you wish to take off your shoes, let your hair down and dance in the warm sand?”

The minute you step inside the café’s cool interior, it’s easy to live the mission statement and appreciate why CT has been a cult favourite since opening in 2014.

Owner Bas Beijer felt he had seen it all in hospitality and dreamed of opening a unique place of his own. So he created the innovative Coffee & Coconuts,  serving up healthy food and a dose of beach style relaxation daily.

CT uses high quality products and delivers mellow, surfer charm by the bucketload. Open daily from 8:00 until 23:00 you can pop in any time a day for breakfast, lunch, bites or dinner, a coffee, a juice, a beer or a fresh coconut. CT has it all!

Setting

Entering the spacious three storey café, you immediately forget the busy streets of Amsterdam. Comfy, sand coloured sofas invite you to sit down and unwind whilst sipping on a fresh coconut. Coffee & Coconuts is located in a beautiful art deco former cinema in the Pijp, one of Amsterdam’s most vibrant and famous neighbourhoods.

The building itself is a landmark with beautiful stained glass windows. Inside, the large interior is flooded with light and features whitewashed wood, stripped back brick and industrial lights.

The furniture  is clean and simple. It works beautifully with the wooden floors and sand coloured sofas. Outside seating is limited to only two tables, but it’s not a problem as there is plenty of space inside.

 

 

The little things

What is amazing about Coffee & Coconuts is that it suits all types. The crowd is a good mix of friends going for brunches, couples chilling on the lounges and flex workers with their laptops.

CT is particularly good for flex workers, as there are several lounges and even bean bags to sink into. Plus, the smaller tables are perfect for people who want to focus on work without being distracted by other customers.

CT is ecologically friendly and uses paper straws, rather than plastic ones, and provides take-away bags.

What else?

The staff were friendly and very efficient in what is quite a big restaurant. We asked for a window table and were invited to wait at the bar with a drink until one came available. The dinner menu also looks very appealing!

The green juice test

CT doesn’t do a green juice, you can get plain OJ and an apple, carrot, lime and ginger combo. It is famous for its signature smoothies, so we tried two recommended by the staff. First, the Gorilla Loco with coconut water, oat milk, ‘jungle’ (raw) chocolate, berries, banana and almond. It was not too sweet due to the bitterness of the chocolate and it had a beautiful pure taste.

For every Gorilla Loco Smoothie bought, a euro is donated to the benefit of the Virunga gorillas in Congo.

Our favourite, however, was the Magic Mango Lassi with yogurt, mint, honey, orange blossom and masala which managed to be very sweet and still refreshing.

What we ate

We ordered CT’s classic almond and buckwheat flour pancakes. They have been on the menu from the beginning and come with whipped coconut cream, toasted shredded coconut, blueberries and a generous serving of maple syrup. The (100% gluten free) pancakes were fluffy and pillowy. Combined, the whipped coconut cream and maple syrup was a little too sweet, but the blueberries added a touch of acid flavour to counter this.

The second dish was toasted sourdough with oven-roasted tomatoes, almond pesto, Dutch burrata cheese, extra virgin olive oil and smoked almonds.

Finally, we also decided to share the CT avocado toast- sourdough with miso paste, scrambled egg, flavourful taggia olives and feta cheese. Our eyes were indeed bigger than our stomachs, so luckily we could take the rest of the the toast (which was huge!) for takeaway.

The bill

Mango Lassi  €4.90
Gorilla Loco  €5,80
Avocado Toast  €8,90
Coconut Pancake  €7,50
Burrata Toast  €8,50

What made us glow?

The absolute glow-factor of Coffee and Coconuts is the relaxed atmosphere.

It is a very chilled spot whether you are looking for a flex work spot on your own or want to have brunch with a large group of friends.

 

Coffee and Coconuts
Coffee and Coconuts

 

 

 

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Meet The Glowstar: Fleur Maat

Fleur Maat was born and raised in Rotterdam. In her gap year, she travelled and worked as a model in Milan before going to Utrecht University to study Global Sustainability Science.

She is passionate about healthy eating and is the founder of The Model Food Diary.

Why did you launch The Model Food Diary?

I started the Model Food Diary back in 2014, when I was in my last year of high school. I was trying to get into shape for modelling. I was scouted on the streets a couple of times at 15 and I was planning on taking a gap year to travel and give modelling a go. Living up to the standards of the fashion industry, however, took a lot of effort and dedication from my side. I had to lose weight, but I didn’t know anything about working out or healthy eating.

Besides learning more about healthy food I also had to learn how to cook

Instagram provided me with an endless stream of culinary inspiration. Cooking became my biggest passion. My healthy cooking got better and, influenced by the many food bloggers that I followed, I decided to start my own personal food platform in order to share my own food creations.

Describe your upbringing, how important was healthy eating?
Growing up we always had proper homemade meals and my parents made sure me and my sisters ate our fruit and veg. But there was always more than enough room for treats and not-so healthy foods. Baking is something I got from my mother, I used to bake every single weekend- apple pies, cupcakes, cookies – you name it. Baking is still one of my favourite types of cooking, but whenever I bake now, I try to make it as healthy as possible using whole grains, nuts, fruit and unrefined sugars. My mum has a passion for gardening and, when I am back home in Rotterdam, we often have fresh veggies from her garden- beetroot, lettuce, tomatoes and more, as well as fresh herbs. We also have two chickens.

There is nothing more fun than going into the garden to get fresh products to use in the kitchen!

How would you describe your blog and feed?

I have a weak spot for breakfast and especially pancakes! At the weekends, I’m always experimenting with healthy pancake recipes using different types of flour such as coconut and banana flour. My blog is for anyone who loves healthy food. I don’t follow any specific diet and don’t have any allergies that restrict me in my eating. Even though I am not modelling anymore, I still feel the need to eat healthy.

My cooking comes from all around the world.

 

I have travelled to many different places and, wherever I am, I try to learn as much as possible about the local kitchen and produce. This is both a big inspiration and it influences my cooking and my blog! I have been to Italy a million times and my recipes often have a Mediterranean twist but I also love authentic Chinese, Mexican and Malay cuisine.

What are you learning from your Instagram and blog  journey?

I am constantly improving my own cooking due to my blog. My favourite thing is to come up with new recipes – either new cool or crazy flavour or ingredient combinations or making existing dishes more healthy with clever tricks. There are many active food bloggers around, but there are also many who share false recipes! With that, I mean recipes that don’t make any sense!

Before I share any recipes of my own, I want to make sure that they are both easy to recreate as well as tasty!

I love it when I am doing my own thing in the kitchen and something super good comes out – that is real cooking for me. Using my intuition and good ingredients. What I have learned is that healthy eating does not have to be super complicated or expensive. Simplicity is often best! As a student this is also a good thing to remember.

What is the mission of The Model Food Diary?

My following consists of many young girls, many who are models themselves.  I understand what they go through in terms of work and having to stay in shape and I love to be able to give them some inspiration about their own healthy diets.

I’ve left modelling so I don’t have the pressure of staying in shape but I still value healthy eating a lot. I also value sustainably produced foods, so I try to cook with seasonal and local products, as much as my student budget allows me.

Why did you decide to collaborate with Glowcation?

Whenever I’m abroad the first thing I Google is where I can eat good and healthy food! Discovering new exciting hotspots is a massive hobby of mine.

Sometimes it takes a lot of work to find out information about a place. Glowcation is a platform that describes hotspots in full detail offering a great deal of food inspiration that saves time for any healthy foodie traveller.

Being able to give my own view of the places I visit is of course super exciting!

What are you excited about?

I’m excited about going into my second year of Global Sustainability Science at Utrecht University. I’m planning on following the business and economics path since I love entrepreneurship. Plus, The Model Food Diary has given me the chance to collaborate with some amazing sustainable and health promoting companies.

I hope to be able to do some surfing and of course: cook!

What are the top 5 things in life that make you glow?

Travelling
chilling with friends and family
surfing
going out for breakfast
AND baking healthy pancakes