Dutch Kitchen @ Schiphol, Amsterdam, Puro Gusto @ Athens Airport & O'Learys @ Abu Dhabi Airport

Trapped in transit at Amsterdam's airport, travellers can seek both solid & liquid sustenance at Dutch Kitchen - true to this outfit's name, local produce is emphasised, spanning an organic beef burger with Koningshoeve meat from Spaarnwoude, & cocktails like Cosmos & Mojitos made with the Netherlands' own Bols liqueur. Plus, free poffertjes for kids below one metre tall!

Dutch Kitchen, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

The food at Athens' airport won't thrill the taste buds, but if you're searching simply to satiate the stomach, a Greek salad & Vesuvio ham-&-cheese sandwich at Puro Gusto should do the trick (a small bottle of Tsantali wine probably won't hurt either).

Puro Gusto, Athens International Airport

Abu Dhabi's international airport isn't exactly an oasis of F&B options either, but this busy sports pub will do; check in for the tender, flavoursome veal ribs. And of course, the presence of a licensed bar for wine & beer is altogether a welcome relief.

O'Learys, Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Milk The Cow @ Melbourne & Say Cheese @ Amsterdam

A cornucopia of cheese - check out Milk The Cow's Grundlegend Fondue (Grundlegend is German for ‘fundamental,' a fitting description, as this is the ultimate fondue), remarkably rich, blending Truffle Pecorino, Swiss Emmental, Gruyere L Etivaz, Remy Martin VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac, Monmousseau Brut Etoile & Truffle Honey. Pair with a very unique milk-&-cheese cocktail: Rum, cereal-infused milk, Midnight Moon Dutch cheese & truffle honey. Lactose-intolerant customers, beware!

Milk The Cow Fromegerie

Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, VIC, Australia

No lack of fromage either - or should we say, kaas - at this Schiphol shop, where Dutch cheeses take centre stage, easing the pangs of travellers trapped in transit at Amsterdam's airport. Sample the Reypenaer VSOP or Wijngaard matured with ginger.

Say Cheese, Lounge 3, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Vishandel Visser @ Amsterdam

One of our favourite meals in Amsterdam came from this street stall that features fish of various fins for convenient snacks.

The main attraction here: "broodje harring," the raw herring sandwich.

Looks slimy and unappetising but tastes amazing. Super-fresh fish with pickles and onions.

Smoked herring sandwich. Not as moist and juicy as the raw one, naturally.

Shrimp, stuffed to savoury succulence. Sensational.

Eel sandwich. Lusciously creamy; not a Filet-O-Fish for sure.

Warm, tender chunks of unidentifiable fish, encased in light, crisp batter that isn't greasy in the slightest.

Vishandel Visser,

Amsterdam.

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As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).

House of Bols @ Amsterdam

Ever gotten tipsy in a museum? Here's your chance.

The House of Bols offers an interactive journey through the world of cocktails, with colorful exhibits that challenge visitors' sense of taste and smell.

At the end of the visit, choose a complimentary drink from a wide range of unique cocktails using booze by Bols, the world's oldest distilled liquor brand, established in Amsterdam in 1575.

Bartenders whip up the concoctions at the museum's sleek Mirrors Bar.

Caipinevra (a Brazilian cocktail with a Dutch twist, containing Bols Jonge Jenever, cane sugar & lime wedges for fruity flavors), alongside Dutch & Butterscotch (a bittersweet Manhattan with a spicy twist, comprising Bols Corenwyn, Bols Butterscotch liquor, Angostura bitter, orange zest for a malt-&-caramel blend).

House of Bols,

Amsterdam.

It's nearly here! The Eat Drink KL weekly email newsletter is scheduled to be launched shortly after midnight, Monday, Jan. 27, sent out for free to subscribers, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

Please consider subscribing to Eat Drink KL Weekly via this following link: 

https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/5106C196432BB23D

Thanks very much; subscriptions are appreciated.

As a separate initiative, the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. This eBook of restaurant recommendations is available for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones at this link: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires March 31, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Blue Pepper @ Amsterdam

Indonesian food is popular in Amsterdam, the result of ties forged through the centuries of Dutch colonization in Southeast Asia.

Any concerns we had that the food would be toned down for European palates were vanquished with this tangy, spicy amuse bouche of battered chili chicken.

Lumpia basah, a starchy, roti jala-ish steamed winter roll of chicken & prawns. The recipes slant toward "contemporary" Indonesian, eschewing traditional preparations for prettified ones.

Salada bebek (roasted duck salad with green turmeric leaves dressing).

Most of the dishes tasted decent _ except this grilled fish pate with peanut sauce, which looked too pale to be otak-otak and was far too bland.

Salada asinan segar (crackly crab, mango & pineapple in green salad with tamarind).

Succulent lamb sate with lime-&-soy sauce & chicken sate with peanut sauce.

Soto aneka laut. Watery seafood soup with a slight citrus tang.

Sate Marangi (garlic-marinated beef fillet skewers).

Chicken soup with glass noodles & (too few) quail eggs.

Plump prawns in jackfruit sauce, alongside stir-fried veggies & egg.

Cod fish "cobek." A West Javanese fish fillet recipe with carrot sauce.

Padang-style beef rendang.

Chicken gulai (Sumatran-style chicken with lemongrass & cinnamon).

Urapan (wok-fried mixed veggies with grated coconut) & Kambing Kecap (lamb fillet, long beans & chillies).

Sambal goreng buncis (spicy green beans with shrimp).

Desserts are Westernized. Here's a platter of blue pears sweetened & stewed in blue curacao, fruit tartar & fermented black rice pudding.

Flan of young coconut with pineapple soup & sorbet. Sweet, melt-in-the-mouth bliss.

Faugeres, Carignan-Mourverdre-Syrah-Grenache, Chateau Chennaie (2004) & Au Cler, Vin de Pays des Cotes des Gascogne (2009).

Blue Pepper,

Amsterdam.

The latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favorites for January-March 2014 is now available online, featuring 100 pretty nice eateries, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. The eBook can be read & downloaded for free, convenient reading on computers, tablets & smartphones. 

Please click here: http://eatdrinkkl.publ.com/Eat-Drink-KL-100-Favorites-Jan-March-2014 (This link expires April 1, 2014; see blog entries after that date for new link).

Beginning late January, a free email newsletter will be sent out every Monday to subscribers, highlighting new restaurant openings (even before they're featured on this blog), F&B promotions & other tasty tidbits for the Klang Valley.

Please consider subscribing to Eat Drink KL Weekly via this following link: 

https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/5106C196432BB23D

Thanks very much; subscriptions are appreciated.