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Date night: House of Bols cocktail workshop

Paris was our Valentine weekend treat, but on Valentine’s Day, Marlon and I changed it up a bit. After years of staying in and ignoring this most commercial of holidays, we actually went out for a Valentine-themed date night.

Oh, stop cringing, themed dates don’t have to be cheesy. In fact, they can be fun—as we discovered when we did a Valentine cocktail workshop at The House of Bols: Cocktail and Genever Experience.

Amsterdam House of Bols Genever

Home to the world’s oldest distilled spirit brand, The House of Bols has been distilling liqueurs in Amsterdam since 1575. Its signature product is jenever,  a blend of distilled malt wine and juniper berries that is Holland’s national liquor and the predecessor of modern-day gin. The house brand Bols Genever (hello, gorgeous bottle!) is one of the first-ever cocktail liqueurs and dates all the way back to 1820.

Our evening started with a tour of the House of Bols Museum, which has won the Dutch Design Award for Best Exhibition and Experience. From elegantly calligraphed labels to its gleaming copper distillery, this smallish, cozy museum offers a sensory experience of Bols’ history and heritage.

Amsterdam House of Bols Museum

My favorite part of the museum was the room where we got to “taste” each of Bols’ 38 flavored liqueurs… with our noses. *sniff sniff* Such an unusual and fun experience!

Amsterdam House of Bols cocktail bar

The “museum” part of the visit ends when the “cocktail” part of it begins: with a cocktail at the Mirror Bar, which is included in the price of admission. I wish Bols had a standalone cocktail bar outside the museum—their menu features some truly fabulous cocktails!

Amsterdam House of Bols typical Dutch height

I just had to snap this picture because it is the perfect example of what I have to deal with as a 5’1″/152cm Filipina living among the tallest people on the planet.

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Posted on March 6, 2014
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , , , , , , ,

Date night: Lion Noir

Much as I love our little tradition of traveling somewhere (or being “whisked away”, as Marlon and I like to say) to celebrate a birthday, I just couldn’t muster up the energy to do it this year. Not even within the Netherlands, not even to a hotel in Amsterdam. How life changes with a baby! The pinnacle of my ambitions could be summed up in four words. Babysitter. Heels. Cocktails. Dinner.  

My dashing date gave me all of that in one smooth move by taking me out to Lion Noir, a restaurant on the Reguliersdwarsstraat in the center of Amsterdam.

Lion Noir Amsterdam exterior

The Reguliersdwarsstraat is one of the most happening streets in the city center for wining, dining and partying. It’s also a well-known gay and lesbian strip, good to know if that’s what you’re after. I love my gays, but I wasn’t out to be a fag hag that night. I just wanted to put on red lipstick, totter around in heels, and get all fancy.

Lion Noir Amsterdam birthday dinner

Lion Noir, with its stylish interiors and moody, slightly mysterious atmosphere, is the perfect place to do just that. The dim mood lighting also gave me a chance to test my new Sony RX100 MII in low light.

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Posted on November 7, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , , , , ,

Date night: Berlin edition

Since our first post-partum date night was such a success, Marlon and I decided to make it a monthly commitment. This month’s date night was extra special because we did it in Berlin.

Marlon & Deepa date night Berlin

We hired a babysitter for the evening, fed Tala and put her to bed before setting off. Before leaving our hotel, we just had to stop and take a few outfit photos by the street art park along the riverside. It is such a highlight for me when I get to wear non-nursing clothes!

Berlin has some amazing nightlife, but since we were exhausted from the day’s activities—a conference for Marlon, wrestling with the stroller and public transport for me—we weren’t too ambitious. We just wanted somewhere nearby with a cozy, intimate atmosphere and superb food.

Bar Raval Kreuzberg Berlin

That’s exactly what we got at Bar Raval, a tapas bar right beside the Görlitzer Park (which I hear is a prime spot to catch the sunset). With the huge windows thrown open in summer, it’s a great place to watch the hip Kreuzberg crowd stroll by. I didn’t see a single baby or child while people-watching, so this was the right choice for our baby-free date night.

Bar Raval al fresco tapas Berlin

We were attended to personally by one of the owners, who put a stop to our gluttony after we had chosen five small plates from the speisekarte. “I think you should stop here,” he said gently. Point taken, señor.

Luckily, the fantastic tataki of Iberico pork made it into our party of five. “People come back here just for this dish,” he said. For this—lightly charred and crisp on the outside, tender and flavorful on the inside—I would, too. Also, I can’t go to a tapas bar and not have pulpo (octopus); they do a delicious one here, served over warm and creamy potatoes.

Bar Raval Berlin tapas

Bar Raval is not a budget eatery by Berlin standards, but I thought it was terrific value: five (generous) tapas plates, two sinful desserts, and four glasses of Spanish red wine for a hair under €40. The babysitter was more expensive than this meal, but I guess I have to get used to that.

Night view Friedrichshain over the Oberbaum Bridge

We capped our date night with a romantic evening stroll over the Oberbaum Bridge back to our hotel. The lights reflecting off the river almost made me forget about the aroma of pee welling up from various nooks in the bridge. Oh Berlin, you sure know how to treat a girl.

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Posted on July 2, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Wanderlust · Labels: , , , , , ,

Date night: Post partum edition

How was your weekend? After getting way too jealous about all the fun happening at The Hive, I tore myself away from Twitter and Instagram for a Date Night with my husband. Just him and me, for the first time in 11 months. No baby bump, no baby!

We left Tala at home with a babysitter, although Marlon is pulling a Tala face here because I said I missed her on the tram ride to the cinema. Yes, I’ve turned into a cliche. I consider it an achievement that I didn’t check up on her once, trusting the babysitter would contact me if something went wrong.

Date night The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is officially the most expensive movie we have ever seen, babysitting fees included. Hiring a babysitter is expensive! I love our life here, but this was one of those times I really felt the impact of living away from home. Back home, we wouldn’t have had a second thought about leaving Tala with my mom for Date Night. Being thousands of miles away from family, we don’t have that luxury.

It took a few conversations before we made the decision to hire a babysitter. I tried to forget that the cost of a babysitter for one evening can cover half a month’s pay for a full-time, live-in nanny in Manila. Instead, I tried to see it as an investment—literally, with a measurable monetary value—in our marriage. We’ve spent money investing in things. Why not in our relationship?

So, Marlon and I were determined to make the most of our four baby-free hours. We enjoyed the loud music and cramped cozy interiors of Los Pilones, the best Mexican restaurant in town and a personal favorite, definitely a place we couldn’t have gone with our baby. We enjoyed a long conversation over dinner, even though we talked about Tala half the time.

Mojito y margarita

And I enjoyed my first post-pregnancy mojito and margarita! Eleven months is a long time to wait for a margarita, and the ones at Los Pilones are worth it. Not only are they big, but they also come with a little refill jug for margarita-hungry mamas like me.

At the end of the evening, we came home to Tala feeling refreshed and lighthearted, knowing that we had made the right decision. We might even make Date Night a monthly affair, unless it’s one of those months when we’re crawling to payday (admit it, you’ve been there).

What’s your favorite thing to do on a Date Night? And, on a more serious note: I’m still thinking about the idea of making “investments” in a relationship. Any thoughts or advice?

5 Comments
Posted on May 28, 2013
Category: Life in Amsterdam, Motherhood · Labels: , , , , ,

Date night: Gebroeders Hartering

One of the most common pieces of advice I’ve gotten during my pregnancy is not about being pregnant, but about life pre- and post-baby. In three words: “Do it now!”

Here, “it” is anything that’s bound to get more complicated after the baby comes—including mundane pleasures such as watching a movie, finishing a creative project, reading a book, or simply going out for a nice dinner. “It’s not that you can’t do those things anymore,” our parent friends have explained, “they just get harder.”

When we’re not traveling, Marlon and I are happy homebodies, so maybe we wouldn’t mind spending so much time at home, but we decided to take our friends’ advice and run with it. Thus, date night. From my list of must-try places, I chose Gebroeders Hartering, which I discovered via 70 Percent Pure.

My handsome date :)

It was the absolute perfect choice. Industrial details such as factory lamps and wood crates give the interiors a modern look, but cozy touches such as candlelight and wine bottles give it a warm, intimate atmosphere.

Gebroeders Hartering’s open kitchen is an unbeatable appetizer. Not only do you get to see the chefs at work, but you also smell the tantalizing aromas of the kitchen—such as the smell of rosemary and garlic from a slow-roasting porchetta that slayed me that evening. To tease you even more, a long butcher-block counter within the chefs’ reach displays the ingredients that will eventually end up in your meal… and your stomach!

Which brings me to the food.

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Posted on November 26, 2012
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , , ,

MangoJuiced: A stay-at-home Valentine

This week on MangoJuiced, I make a case for the stay-at-home Valentine date. If I was living in Manila, I could wrap up the argument for a Valentine’s night in with just one word: traffic.

However, staying in makes sense even here in the land of bicycles; February nights are freezing and it’s expensive to eat out. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should do it because it’s practical and it makes sense. This is Valentine’s Day we’re talking about!

What I love about staying home on Valentine’s Day is the romance. Nobody can have what you have at home. And that is truly special and romantic.

To inspire you to break away from the herd, I’ve rounded up a few sweet ideas for stay-at-home Valentine dates in this week’s post on MangoJuiced. You’ve got the weekend to plan… stay in and make some homemade memories!
MangoJuiced is a webzine for anything and everything that interests women—from fashion and family, to pop culture and beauty, to travel and lifestyle. Follow MangoJuiced on  and … and don’t forget to check back in for a new post from me every week!
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Posted on February 10, 2012
Category: House & Spouse · Labels: , , , ,

Date night

One of the things I loved about summer was the fact that the days seemed to never end. The sun would set as late as 10 p.m., and you would get lovely “late afternoon” light like this at 7 or 8 p.m. 

These days, the sun sets earlier each day. The photo above was taken a little before 6 p.m. The sun disappears from the sky by around 6:30.

But you know what? Part of me actually welcomes the return of night.

I only realized that when Marlon and I went out to for dinner and a movie one Friday night. It was a nice change, because we don’t eat out as much as we used to. Dining out here tends to be expensive, which is never a guarantee that it’s going to be good. We also tend to stay home a lot to save up for, or recover from, travels.

We went to Rainarai, an Algerian resto on the Prinsengracht bordering the Jordaan.

The atmosphere of this small corner restaurant is eclectic and laid-back, with quirky details like these schoolhouse chairs with African motifs drawn on them.

Service is turo-turo style. As Marlon and I were talking about how it reminded us of home, the girl behind the counter asked us if we were Filipino. Turned out she had visited the Philippines while backpacking around Southeast Asia. She said that of all the places she had visited on her six-month trip, her favorite by far was the Cordilleras: Banaue, Batad, Benguet and Sagada. Wow. To think I’ve never been to those places myself.

We ate dinner by candlelight while watching the sunset reflected on the windows of the canal houses. And that was when I realized I actually missed nightfall.

While walking to the movie theater, we passed the fairgrounds set up in front of the Royal Palace on Dam Square. We looked at the Ferris wheel and thought: “Hey, this is something we’ve never done together!” So we did.

We had lots of time to spare before the movie, so instead of having dessert or lounging around in the cinema lobby, we decided to take a walk. It turned out to be a wonderful idea. Because we don’t very often go out in the evenings, I still find myself so surprised and delighted by how magical Amsterdam can become at night.

We strolled around the narrow streets and canals in the Centrum, or old center. When I think of the old center, I think red light district and coffee shops, so I rarely go there except to take visitors to see it. Otherwise, sex and weed is not a big draw for me. 
But night can blot out all that, and it takes on a different character. Shadows soften and hide, and night lights flatter a city’s face.
A darkened shop window turns into a mystery that beckons us to take a closer look. 

The play of light and shadow can make almost anything lovely, almost poetic. In the daytime, would we have stopped to look? 

4 Comments
Posted on October 24, 2011
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , ,

Dinner at De Kas

Every year, whenever I ask Marlon what he wants for his birthday, he simply looks at me with a smile and says, “I have everything I want.” (Cue melting heart.) This year, I decided to pour my entire month’s (meager) freelance earnings into celebrating his Big 3-0 with a three-part gift. 
Part one was the birthday dinner. I took charge of choosing and booking a restaurant. After running through a shortlist of choices from my trusty Time Out Amsterdam, I chose Restaurant De Kas, which sits in the Frankendael Park in the Oost (East). 
De Kas is located in an old greenhouse that dates back to the 1920s, and used to belong to the Amsterdam Municipal Nursery. Slated for demolition, it was rescued in 2001 by Michelin-starred Dutch chef Gert Jan Hageman and converted into a restaurant. 
It also still houses a small nursery, where herbs, vegetables and flowers are grown for the restaurant. The owner now heads the nursery, and together with a team of chefs, cooks up a weekly set menu of three starters, a main course and a dessert that is based on the produce harvested that week. I was hooked by the concept and the location, and thought it would be great to try seasonal food, something completely new to us. Luckily, I was right and Marlon loved it!
Whenever Marlon and I go to a restaurant here, the first thing the server asks is if we’d like something to drink. This always throws us off, and we normally end up going blink blink at each other… before ordering water! And that always throws the server off, because it seems the appropriate response is to order an aperitif… something absent from our food culture, and thus something we know nothing about. 

I was determined to be prepared for this restaurant visit, and thanks to a very informative thread in Fodors’ forums, now I know! The Fodors foodies suggest a number of liquors such as champagne (the most common aperitif), grappa (which I’ve tried and hate), port and sherry, but the suggestion I liked most was to ask if they have a house aperitif and try it.

At De Kas, the house aperitif is champagne with an herb from the garden, which that night was the lemon geranium flower. Ordering an aperitif is the kind of thing that makes me feel like a grown-up!

I enjoyed the seasonal meal, which came with white wine for the starter and a red for the mains. Everything was so fresh, so light and so… so spring! I always hear the judges on Top Chef judges food with words like “bright” and “clean”, and for the first time I understood what that meant. 
The not-so-bright part of our evening was when Marlon found a piece of steel wire at the bottom of his dessert. Yup… steel wire. I’m not talking about steel wool na pangkuskos, I’m talking alambre here. Though it was only about 2-3 millimeters, Marlon called the attention of the server.
The response of the staff was admirable. Three different members of the staff came over to apologize. The last was the manager, who waived the bill on dessert and immediately investigated the kitchen. She brought over a large mesh strainer and explained to us that it had most likely come from that. As we were leaving, we passed by the kitchen and saw her chewing out a pair of chefs. I thought the staff handled it well and it wouldn’t stop me from coming back. I’m just glad nothing bad happened and that Marlon managed to enjoy every last bite of his dessert!

Before we stepped out, we stopped by the herb garden for photos. Our server gave us a little tour and pointed out the most interesting plant in the garden: oyster leaf from Iceland, so called because… they taste like oysters. Seeing our skeptical expressions, she plucked two fat, fleshy leaves and gave them to us to chew on. And you know what? They really did taste like oysters!

Nights like these are what make me extra thankful to have freelance work. If not for my rakets, I wouldn’t be able to treat him and make him feel happy and special, like he always does for me. And I’m even more thankful to have a husband who enjoys such simple pleasures and shows so much appreciation for every little thing. It may be his birthday, but I think I got the best gift of all. 

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Posted on March 25, 2011
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: , , , ,