Humphrey's, Amsterdam

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People are always wanting to know where the locals eat. We were with several VT friends, so the locals took us to this place and it certainly did not disappoint. It is a very pleasant place with excellent food. I love dark beer and was able to start with a nice Leffe Brown. I had the €23.95 a la cart menu which gives you several choices for 3 courses. I really liked the salad and mixed grill but pretty much loved the dessert of Saint-Albray cheese with walnut bread, grapes and fig compote.

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I chose Humphrey's based on VT recommendations: best meal we had in Amsterdam for the price. They have locations throughout the Netherlands but are nothing at all like the stereotypical chains you find in the U.S. There are two in the city and the one I'm covering here is on Nieuwezijdskolk between Centraal Station and Dam Square. I had read that it's a busy place so we showed up right at the opening hour (5:00) to empty dining spaces that filled to capacity within the next 30 minutes. The restaurant is done up in an eclectic but warm and pleasant mix of rough wooden floors and tables with bookcases, elaborate chandeliers and modern, artsy touches here and there.

Dinners is a 3-course, €24 (at time of this writing) prix fixe menu of one starter, one main course and one dessert served with a large hunk of hearty bread with 2 spreads. The menu changes regularly so won't elaborate on what we ordered except to say it was all very good. You can view a current menu in 4 languages here. There is also a limited menu for children (up to age 12) ranging from one to three courses.

As busy as they were, service was reasonably prompt, friendly and the courses beautifully presented. I only have these two terrible photos of the food but low lighting required flash and I didn't want to annoy the other diners!

Open Monday --Thursday: 5 PM - 10 PM, Friday - Saturday 5 PM - 10.30 PM, Sundays 5 PM - 10 PM

Note: this is very close to the Inntel Hotel Amsterdam Centre and if you're staying there, dinner can be charged to your room.

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Humphrey's is a restaurant of a chain with branches in more Dutch cities. In downtown Amsterdam there are two Humphries restaurants.

The formula is simple: a 3 course meal at a fix price (Euro 23.50) that attracks many eaters.
Drinks are additional.

The menu is renewed every quarter of the year.

If you come after 6PM better make a reservation.

Kitchen hours:
Mo-Th: 5 PM - 10 PM
Fr-Sa: 5 PM - 10.30 PM
Su: 5 PM - 10 PM

Address details:
-Nieuwezijdskolk 23, 1012 PV Amsterdam. Tel: +31-20-4221234
-Spuistraat 267, 1012 VR Amsterdam. Tel: +31-20-6243555

Favorite Dish: Starter: Tomato soup
Main course: Mixed grill
Dessert: Ice with strawberries

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you get a 3 course menu
you can choose out of
5 starters
5 dinners
5 desserts
if you go inside the first part is a bit quiet but if you walk further you will see another room this was better. but we did not know. for the next time.
210 seats
went also to this restaurant on the vt meeting 14 march 2004
have been here with lsgevry and his wife
and with grazina and nephew but that was not a good day i guess the waiter did forget our second drink and we had to ask a few times and did not get it.
but have been here about 6 times and the other time were good.
2008 i had a diner with Vt again. forgot to look at the prices for the drinks.
pictures 2, 3 and 4 menu july 2008

Favorite Dish: i had a chickensalad
a vegatarian filled aubergine with rice
nuts icecream.
a 3 course menu will cost 18.95 euro 2008 menu is 22.50
housewine 2,50 euro(other wine till about 4.50 euro)2004
cola 1.85 euro
tea 1.60 euro tink 1.80 in 2008
coffee euro1.70
open 17.30-22.30
menucard
http://www.humphreys.nl/menukaart/actueel.htm

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.....if rather oddly named!

This is where we ate our 'VT-meet' meal....and very pleasant it was too,

Humphrey's is a chain, which provide set-price menus for 25 euro....three courses. Good value, imo.

Their website has an English menu.

I chose:

Roman salad with scampi (prawns, actually), egg, bread croûtons with garlic and a rouille sauce.

Cod fillet with a parsley crust and “forgotten vegetables”, served with a bay leaf beurre blanc. (the vegetables were not 'forgotten'..they were there!)

Warm apple, filled with almond paste and brandied raisins, a caramel sauce and raisin ice cream.

It was all very nice indeed, especially the pudding (I do love puddings).

Service was extremely pleasant, to the extent of the young waitress quite happily taking photos of us VT-ers. :-)

Well worth a visit, I think: well-cooked food in a pleasant setting (well worth booking at potentially busy times) at very reasonable prices.

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This is apparently a Netherlands chain. It was next to the hotel and we could order room service and they would deliver it to the hotel room and put it on our bill.

Their on-line menu has a 3-course menu at a fixed price. On the menu are eight appetizers, eight entrees and eight desserts. These three courses only € 22.50.

I don't remember exactly what I had except that I had a steak and it was good. I did take a photo of it (photos 2 and 3)

The three courses set menu (which I don't think is the menu that we had at the hotel for room service) is below

Favorite Dish: Starters
*Beef carpaccio with rocket lettuce, pesto, Parmesan and pine tree kernels.
*Light creamy lobster soup with a ravioli of crab.
*Roman salad with crunchy chicken, Parmesan, cashew nuts, deep-fried onions and sesame dressing.
*Scampi prawns in tempura with coriander-chilli dip, served with sweet-and-sour Chinese cabbage.
*Tartlet of chestnut mushrooms with a nuts-mushrooms vinaigrette.
*Small croquette of goat’s cheese, served with rose hip jam, herb lettuce and sun-dried tomato.
*Rolls of Prosciutto ham, filled with mixed salad, piccalilli dressing and a crispy rosemary stick.
*Pizza with tuna, red onion, olives and an antiboise of tomato.

Main courses
*Mixed grill: skewer of Angus beefsteak, pork tenderloin and free-range chicken, served with a pepper-cream sauce and potato chips.
*Salmon fillet with preserved sauerkraut and a sauce of mustard and white wine.
*Roasted and lacquered Peking duck with stewed vegetables and plum gravy.
*Entrecôte, served on a pancake of bacon, potato and leek with a gravy of red Port and shallots.
*Pumpkin risotto with sage and a salad of rocket lettuce with Parmesan and chestnut mushrooms.
*Gamba prawns with a red curry, stir-fried vegetables and basmati rice.
*Tarte Tatin (upside down pie) of eggplant, spinach, paprika and cream cheese with a tomato compote.
*Whole fried Dutch North Sea sole with a sauce of butter and parsley (+ € 9.95).

Desserts
*Tarte fine of apple and caramel with Rum-raisins ice cream.
*Australian homemade ice cream: Belgian chocolate, choco chips and vanilla
*Tiramisu with finger shaped biscuits and coffee syrup.
*Warm chocolate fondant, filled with pear compote and vanilla ice cream.
*Marinated pineapple, litchi, mango, coconut ice cream and crispy marble cake.
*Bread pudding with bilberries and a sabayon of soft curd cheese.
*“Herve” cheese brûlée with crackers, apple treacle and grapes.
*Coffee or tea with a mini ice cream on a stick with the tastes vanilla or macadamia, poured over with chocolate.

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I was just so impressed with this restaurant it is fairly large but divided into 3 rooms so it still gives an air of intimacy.

The furniture is dark wood with chandeliers, there is a long bar at the entrance.

The menu is 3 courses for Euro 22.50 (as at 2009) & the food is fantastic - but remember to book. There is usually several seafood choices as well as 2 vegetarian choices for mains.

We sat near a book case filled with old books

Favorite Dish: I had staters of spinach salad with bacon, asparagus & sundried tomatoes

Main course was hunks of beef cooked in a hungarian sauce

Dessert was lime key tart with cream

This is a good value place to eat with 3 courses for 20 euro there are a choice of around 5 iteams for each course the food was tasty and a good size portion,the decor is nice to,this is part of a small dutch chain,but it dosent feel like that and only a few doors away from dewildman bar with a choice of 150 beers!

Favorite Dish: all dishes wer tasty

I went there for the first time for a VT dinner and I found it great. The ambience is fine, nice wooden tables, the place is big and not smoky at all.

Favorite Dish: The have a fixed menu that changes every month. It costs Eur 18.95 excl drinks, choosing from 4-5 antipasto, main courses and desserts.
It is really a lot of food!

Humphreys Restaurant,
Nieuwezijds Kolk
This is a very nice and popular Restaurant. It is very popular with Dutch people which to a tourist is always a good sign.
The ambience is just so pleasant and the service of exceptional standard.
A restaurant not to be missed.

Favorite Dish: Humphreys offers a three course meal for Euro 17.95.
The menu remains the same for a calender month, however the choice and quality offered is so good and varied it is easily possible to eat here for 2 or 3 successive nights and have a very different meal on each occasion.