Solo walk in Amsterdam 2026

This was taken in late March....It was still spring with cloudy skies and temperature around 7 to 9 degrees Celcius.

Went for a brief walk in the city coz i still have some leftover Euro notes left to spend (from last year).

[Below] Very green and artsy ceiling along an alley off Damrak Street. Damrak is a main street of Amsterdam.

Nearby, there is a bank....eh wait....is it a bank or Starbucks?

Walked in (out of curiousity)......it is Starbucks😀

Pastries, cakes and coffees...smell good!

Warm too....compared to the cold weather outside.

[Below] Tram service. The screen displays the arrival time of the next tram.

Just be careful not to stand on the rail when a tram approach. 

De Bijenkorf is a luxury department store chain, founded in 1870.

[Below] Some kind of peace demonstration going on for Palestine. There were police officers guarding the place.

Ripley's (Believe It or Not) museum. It consists of five floors with over 500 genuine, bizarre artefacts. Nope, i did not go in. Need to purchase ticket to get in and spend some time in there, maybe next time when I have more time.

Roughly estimate to allocate 1.5 to 2 hours to complete the visit.

Off Damrak street, a much quieter alley....mostly hotels, restaurants, pubs and souvenir stores.

[Below] The gothic architecture of Oude Kerk. The Oude Kerk is the oldest parish church in the city.

The streetlamps are hung on wires (instead of lamp poles). 

Please be careful not to walk on the bicycle lane.

There are lots of commercial sightseeing cruise operating on the canals.

[Below] Basilica of Saint Nicholas

This one is free entry😀

(I will cover this in another post)

The train station where I came - Centraal station.

It is within walking distance from all the famous landmarks.

Nasi Lemak Burung Hantu (Night Owl)

FIFA World Cup season, which team do you support?

I quietly support country S hehehe😀

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Tried this newly opened nasi lemak restaurant in the neighborhood. For nasi lemak, you need to order from the food counter, collect the nasi lemak from there and then pay at cashier counter. For non nasi lemak, order & pay straight at the cashier counter and they will deliver to your table. 

Waited for the chicken leg to cool down before eating. It was a fresh batch of fried chicken legs. I had syrup bandung drink for RM5.50+

Looks like any ordinary nasi lemak. Taste ordinary too...hahaha!

I think they are better nasi lemak elsewhere....maybe it's just not for me😅

Apparently, this place opens till wee hours in the morning (around 4am, if not mistaken) hence it's meant for night owls.

Ayam Gepuk Lot 96

This ayam gepuk restaurant took over the shop that was previously occupied by December Bak Kut Teh. It was opened some 2-3 months ago and is still popular in the neighborhood.

The concept is like fast-food style where you order and pay at the counter and then given a receipt with a number. Self-service food collection at a separate counter next to the payment counter.

I ordered a set C which consists of deep-fried spinach, deep-fried cabbage, tempe, taupok, cucumber and a chicken leg. There are 3 levels of spiciness: non-spicy, spicy and extra hot. I chose spicy, just to try the 'heat'.

Despite, i find it quite spicy. Next time i should just order the non-spicy. Chicken is fried till perfection, but I could taste that it is not fresh chicken, more like frozen-type chicken. There is pounded nutty sauce on top of the chicken but it doesn't taste like cashew nut....the taste is so mild that almost couldn't detect whether it is peanut or cashew nut. The slightly red sauce is their pounded chili sambal. Don't be deceived by its colour, it is very spicy!

I finished off everything except the chili sambal.

Overall, taste OK for an RM14 nett meal.

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I think i prefer this nasi lemak from Nam Heong better. At least the sambal is more subtle than the pounded chili in ayam gepuk.

This is curry chicken drumstick with nasi lemak for RM17.60 nett.

Which do you prefer - Nasi lemak with curry chicken or ayam gepuk?

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Bought some discounted snacks from the Urban Fresh supermarket in the neighborhood Pinnacle mall.

This 'buy 1 free 1' promo is such a steal!

I know I'm a hopeless junkie!😅

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Saw this display of Coke cans at one corner in the supermarket. Looks colorful, but why are they on horse feet?

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Weekend family dinner again at Yang Ming. It has been some time since we last dined there.

We ordered 4 dishes for 5 pax.

Desserts - guilingao on the house. Yay!😀

Total bill came to RM155.80 nett

BON APPETIT!

Beer?

I was forced to buy this 'beer' in order to enjoy a discounted chicken chop.

The chicken chop with fries and salads and mushroom sauce.

This was my second visit since its opening on late last year.

This place is usually for drinks, although many families bring kids and elderlies here for dinner too.

Balinese theme restaurant/pub.

My so-called 'beer' is actually ice lemon tea...with lotsa bubbles (don't ask me why, I'm wondering too)

Only with a purchase of drink, customer is entitled to RM10.90 for the XXL chicken chop. Available before 7pm on weekdays only.

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Nam Heong mee siam with curry chicken. I was surprised they gave me so much cucumbers.

But I'm fine with it. The more the better....flush out the toxins.

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KFC, my favs since kid😁

RM17.50 nett (promotion price) which came with a drink.

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Kuey teow soup with chicken leg in Yitcha Kaw Kaw restaurant.

Flat kuey teow tastes authentic like Ipoh version, with succulent chicken leg which is served with ginger and chili dip. The chili padi is for the kuey teow soup.

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McD breakfast mcmuffin and hashbrown in the mix & match set for RM7 nett.

Tastes good! Will order this again.

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Korean ttukbaegi bulgogi in Midam BBQ restaurant (RM24.20 nett)...my favorite order for weekday lunch coz they only have this promotion till 2:30pm.

The beef abit tough for my teeth, so I think I’ll go back to the sundubu jjigae next time.

Plain Jane eats plain food

Tried the mee siam with luncheon meat (RM12.95+) in Nam Heong. They are so generous with the sambal, but I personally think it is not needed. The mee siam itself is flavorful enough.

On another day, I had plain pan mee (RM6.90+). It is served with only beansprouts. The beansprouts are the round and short type. Crunchy and juicy.

The plain pan mee is not enough to keep me full, hence I ordered a plain nasi lemak (RM7.90+).

Plain people eat plain nasi lemak and pan mee😂

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Went to Xiguan after months....It has been some time since I last had wonton noodles. Ordered the small wanton noodles with minced pork, char siew and shrimp wontons (RM14.90+)

The minced pork was slightly dry, but the char siu was succulent, with a nice balance of lean meat and fats. The shrimp wontons never disappoint—plump, juicy, and as big as a Chinese soup spoon.

 The bill came to RM17.30 nett after service charge and tax.

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A new bakery opened at the lower ground floor of Pinnacle mall, nearby the Guardian pharmacy. 

Quite a variety of buns, breads and pastries, but price was slightly on the higher side.

However, there is 50% discount on certain items 30 minutes before closure.

Maybe one day I'll go buy at closing hour.