We got up today, found a cafe for breakfast and headed to the Van Gogh Museum. We arrived there 20 minutes before opening and still found ourselves waiting in a long line. The docents open the door and we all plodded forward to the ticket window, and then the most miraculous thing occurred. They split the line to open another window and Mom and I were at the front! So, happily, we were among the first 20 people in the museum today. yay!
If you hadn’t guessed, this museum is spectacular! I know it won’t surprise you to know that the collection of works by van Gogh is just outstanding, but they also have a few breathtaking works by Monet and Pissarro!
Usually when you go to a museum, if you are lucky, you see one or two to really nice works by van Gogh. But here they have a whole floor dedicated to him. And that’s not all, since they have a number of other works scattered about and displayed alongside his contemporaries. It’s just astonishing to go from piece to piece the piece and say “wow that’s just incredible.”
After the van Gogh museum, we decided to go lowbrow again. Not quite as lowbrow as Heineken, but there was alcohol involved. Directly across the street from the Van Gogh Museum is the House of Bols. Yes, these are the same people who make triple sec, Curaçao, and other liqueurs. In this case, however, I wasn’t drawn by the things that I can get at home, but rather by the Genever Gin, which I have read about but haven’t had the opportunity to try.
House of Bols is still basically a big advertisement, but you get to explore the ingredients and flavors more extensively than we had the prior day, although the process is less explained. At the end of the tour they make you a cocktail of your choice using their liqueurs and allow you to taste some of them as well. I had The Improved Holland Gin Cocktail and mom had the Original Collins. Both were outstanding. And we tasted some Bols Flavors unavailable in the US, particularly enjoying the yogurt flavor (yup, you read that right).
After this, we bought a few bottles and went to Momo for lunch. It is listed in the Michelin guide. They do an Asian fusion lunch, and I had a bento box. The was a crispy duck roll that was really good, as well as scallops and fish. Everything was very well prepared and very good, although nothing felt particularly innovative.
Until now, I have always had great luck with Michelin recommendations. The restaurants they suggest have always impressed me in some way. This is true even for restaurants that are listed but don’t have “stars.” While this one was very good, it was not at the level of other such restaurants I’ve frequented, although this was lunch rather than dinner, and that may explain the disconnect.
Lunch was followed by a boat ride through the canals, which was pleasant. The captain didn’t follow the charted route, and was a bit odd. Further, he was obsessed with 70’s music (fortunately not disco). Somebody should tell him that Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald isn’t a great choice to play on a boat (and I don’t think he was going for irony).
After this we strolled through downtown Amsterdam browsing through the stores on our way to dinner, which was another anticipated Michelin recommendation. But this one was disappointing. The starters were nice (beef tartare and zucchini cannelloni) and promised a good meal.
Then it all went wrong. Moms tournedos of beef were dry and a bit strange with an overwhelming soy flavor, and my bouillabaisse was a disaster. The fish was good and the base was tasty, but the potatoes were undercooked, the shrimp were overcooked, and the cockles were sandy. Such high expectations, dashed! *sigh*
Michelin, you have misled me. You are as unreliable as TripAdvisor.
Perhaps Yelp! will be my savior?
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January 16, 2026
My posts are weakest when they are linear like this one. Combine the linear format with food blog and things just don’t work well.
I’ve learned that now, and very rarely will start a post with something like “I woke this morning….” It took me a long time to do that, however.
Still, what do I remember about this day years later? The van Gogh museum and the House of Bols are both remembered fondly. I now have a higher opinion of House of Bols than I did at the time, and think that was a worthwhile way to pass an hour or two.
I also remember the disappointment of that second restaurant. It was a stuffy place that didn’t welcome us, and the food wasn’t great.
My last thought here is that I’ve stopped looking to the Michelin Guide for recommendations. While the food can be great, I’d rather seek out traditional local fare (although that is difficult to do in Amsterdam), and the Michelin Guide doesn’t often reward that.
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