Trendy Restaurant/Bar on the waters edge, with outside terrace seating. Mostly Italian menu - salads, soups and sandwiches served for lunch and a selection of meat dishes and pastas served for dinner. Music and dancing going on late into the night.

This contemporary French brasserie has become an institution in Amsterdam, serving a mostly French menu with a vast wine list to match. The atmosphere is lively and cosmopolitan. It's near the Concert Hall and museums so it's an ideal spot to catch a meal before a performance or after some research. Book in advance to avoid institutional disappointment.

This typical Dutch Steakhouse, has served the same dishes since it's opening back in 1949 (but, it's OK, they've washed them a few times since then) and is famous for their Beefsteak and fried Sole. Although they now offer a few more dishes, you will still find an authentic Dutch meal here. With all original decor to boot, this place is a real taste of Amsterdam. Taste. Food. I know, I know.

Another string to Jamie Oliver's "cor blimey" cockney bow, this top class restaurant and chef's school gives young people struggling to find opportunities in the greater region of Amsterdam the chance to learn their culinary skills and become world class chefs.

Using only fresh regional and, where possible, organic produce, the menu is of the highest quality and changes weekly depending on what's in season.

This restaurant is part of Platform21, an organisation concerned with sustainable design for the future. Housed in an old, round chapel they organise exhibitions, lectures and other events all year round. The restaurant is based on the ground floor and opens out onto a large outdoor seating area. The kitchen is in an outside tent (can that be right?), due to the fact the building is mostly taken up with designers workshops but, on the other hand, this means you can see all the goings on in the kitchen.

This is a fairtrade restaurant inspired by the Bløfy album of the same name. Who are Bløfy, you ask? A Dutch band, apparently. They use only high quality, organic and, preferably, local fairtrade products and ingredients that have been produced with respect for people, animals and the environment, and that promote a better environment and a better world. Right on. UMOJA would like producers to get an honest price for their products, they are trying to establish a balance between the social needs of the guests, care and responsibility for the world we live in and the returns needed to ensure UMOJA's continuity. Sounds like they love a laugh.

This intimate bistro is close to the Concertgebouw and a good place to catch a bite before or after a performance. Unlike many other restaurants in the area it's open late, too.

The menu is nothing too adventurous but the food is good, the service is friendly and prices reasonable. What more could you want? Decor is cosy and in the summer there's an outside terrace. It's probably there in the Winter, too.

Brasserie Bark is a fish restaurant near the Concertgebouw. They specialise in fruits de mer, oysters, lobster and Dover sole. Staff are friendly and they have a well-stocked wine cellar. 'Good food without any fuss' kind of sums this place up. You could say that this is one bark that is as good as its bite. That's a pretty bad pun.

This trendy restaurant housed in a former fire station is located in the cultural centre of Amsterdam, Museumplein. Serving international cuisine and with an excellent wine list, this is a great place to stop by for a meal or just a few drinks. Food is seasonal, and the menu changes every few months. All is reasonably priced and the service is warm and welcoming as befits a former fire station.

Puri Mas is Indonesian for 'Golden Temple'. They serve delicious Indonesian dishes in a calm welcoming atmosphere. Located in the centre of Amsterdam it's an ideal stop if you are out exploring the city. Decor is authentic Indonesian as are the staff uniforms and they specialise in Rijsttafels or 'rice tables' a tasting menu offering a seemingly endless selection of traditional delicacies.

De Waaghals stands for 'The Daredevil' and is an informal vegetarian restaurant a short walk between the Rijksmuseum and the Heineken Brewery. There's a joke there about museums leading to drink but let's ignore it. Organic produce is used wherever possible and the menu changes twice a month in keeping with the seasons. Each month they have a speciality dish focusing on a different country. This cosy and friendly restaurant is very popular and well worth a try.

"A kitchen surrounded by fertile soil where vegetables and herbs thrive."

Restaurant De Kas is housed in an old greenhouse that once belonged to Amsterdam's Municipal Nursery. When you're seated beneath the 8-metre high glass conservatory, this restaurant seems something special.

Food is prepared using only the freshest ingredients grown and harvested with care for the environment. They have their own nursery where they grow herbs and vegetables throughout the year, as well as buying in ingredients from local organic farmers. It certainly gives new meaning to the phrase 'grow your own'.