Shall I go to the cafe?

With my friends gone and a spate of computer time in front of me, i scrounged up a list of go-to cafes from Patrik's friend and from other sources. On successive days, I test them out.

Cafe #1 is De Jaren, near the University. It has a wonderful little patio that hangs over a canal, perfect for a bit of lunch and some time on the computer. This salami and pickle sandwich was quite good, meeting all of the cafe basics of freshness and flavor.

Cafe #2 was the Bakkerswinkel, a cool bakery in the heart of a pretty icky neighborhood near the train station. My drink was, first and foremost, gorgeous. Layers of orange juice, yogurt, and berry puree remained separated. It was great both pre- and post-mixture. I also got two stuffed rolls, one with chorizo and cheese and the other with a ratatouille mixture. These were also quite good and fresh. I could tell the chorizo was spot-on when little drops of orange oil started leaking on to my plate.

And cafe #3 was De Balie, a cool cafe in the otherwise really crappy neighborhood of Leidseplein. You know, one of those neighborhoods with chain stores, found across the country, mixed in with low-quality food establishments and bars only meant to get their patrons wasted. But I digress! The cafe was great. They have Wieckse Witte white beer, very tasty. And a really really quite good caprese sandwich.

As proven as it could be: Amsterdam has some lovely little cafes with great sandwich options.