Strandzuid

I went to Strand Zuid when the weather was beautiful. Although the atmosphere here is great (the sun is shining all over the terrace, the birds are flying above the beautiful Beatrixpark and the water that is right in front of the terrace is reflecting the sunlight) I didn’t really feel it.
The food (we ordered thai curry balls and quinoa with avocado crème & spelt salad with blue cheese) was oké (a little bit small portions to my opinion), but the staff — hmm, I didn’t really feel that they put effort and love into their guests here.
It was a bit busy, but after three times sending back a dirty wineglass (and I am definitely not a whiner) I think an apology is in it’s place. The fact that I was in good company made everything up though. And the sun ofcourse :)

Strandzuid is a place where you can: have lunch/​dinner/​borrel, sunbathe, play volleyball, walk barefoot on the sand, sip a drink (wine, beer, piña colada, you name it), relax on a deckchair or a giant cushion, in the sun or the shade, … you got it: it’s (one of) *the* place (s) to enjoy a nice summer day in Amsterdam!
Their outdoor area is really nice, big (but gets still very crowded on the weekends!). The bar side has many tables, high tables, cushions, etc. The restaurant has a big terrace. It’s located behind the convention center in a very quiet area, which adds to the relaxing atmosphere of the place. It’s adjacent to a canal, but you can’t swim in it — only enjoy the scenery!
The food is nothing special — it’s totally ok to have dinner there, but don’t expect a great meal. I had the Caesar salad once, and the cannelloni another time, both were ok-​but-​not-​great. But I would still come back: You come here for the location, not for the food! Oh but on the other hand, their chocolate tart was delicious!

you will NEVER see a more screwed up restaurant. A beautiful setting in the middle of the convention center grounds, but oh my gosh. no waitress, then three waitresses, drinks forgotten, food screwed up, food forgotten, people running everywhere but table after table yelling for service. This place needs a manager, fast! You will not believe the epic fail. You would really have to screw up to mess up a restaurant in the middle of the convention grounds. They manage to do it with room to spare.

The Shallow Man decided to be sociable and went with some friends to watch the Netherlands annihilate the Spanish team. Jovial atmosphere, great fun, a sea of orange. The Heineken beer keg was also good value and kept us merry as investment bankers at bonus time. However, the Shallow Man made a fatal mistake, which was to buy food there.
The Thai Noodles with Kip provided enough material for a court case to be taken against Strand Zuid for slandering the good name of Thai cuisine. The only thing Thai about that thing was the name. Served in a cardboard carton was one of the foulest things I’ve had the displeasure to eat in a long, long time. The first thing I’d say to Strand Zuid is, where was the kip? There was almost entirely nothing but noodles and veggies in the carton. Finding a piece of kip, was like coming across a non-​smoking Dutch female, bloody difficult!
Even when I did find pieces of kip, it didn’t matter anyway as the entire thing tasted of salt. All I can say is my compliments to the microwave that put this together. I felt incredibly nostalgic while eating this disaster dish, as it reminded me of my misspent youth, eating pot noodle, which actually tasted better than the microwaved pile of salt that I ate at Strand Zuid. It’s a great place to watch a football game but I beg you, DON’T EAT THE FOOD!