Asian food addicts: This is the place to be!

Are you, just like me, an Asian food addict?? No? keep reading and you might become one.. Yes? Keep reading and hurry up, go go go, and order your food at Dim Daily in Rotterdam!!

Dim Daily is open for lunch and diner, if I am not mistaken 7 days a week. Dim Daily offers several Asian foods, a sort of fusion cooking, but not fusioned in one dish, but a fusioned menu. Dim is owned by a Thai woman (who is also the owner of Asian Glories, just around the corner from Dim, an other delishious restaurant, mainly focussing on Chinese. But the really good kind of chinese cuisine. The entourage isn't as nice as at Dim Daily, but the food and the staff are great).

Dim Daily is a deli kind of restaurant. You can't make reservations and inside are about 5 big tafels that each seat about 10 people. So you will be sharing a table, but still experience enough privacy. Dim is a modern looking place, with an amazing red ceiling. Very cool!

And then, of course, the menu. WOW!!! When it's your first time, take time to work your way through the menu. They offer sooo much! (I start dribbling a bit as I am writing this, but lucky me, we will be doing Dim Daily take out tonight! Whoohoooo!!!!) From steamed and fried dim sums, Japanese style sticks on fire, sashimi, sushi, wok dishes, noodle soups and japanese noodles.

My typical order would be (for 2):
- california maki
- steamed dim sum with shrimp and koriander
- fried dim sum with shrimp and ginger sauce
- busy wok with vegetables, curry sauce and fried rice

Dim is nicely located right in the middle of town. At the end of the 'Koopgoot', right next to V&D and the Hema. Or just around the corner from De Meent.

The only thing they don't offer is coffee, but it's neither really the place to hang around and do coffee. At daytime there is a nice coffee place about 100 meter left from Dim Daily and at night time (and daytime as well actually) it is nice to go to Dudok and have a coffee (and a cake..) there.

Have a delishious night! Let me know what you ordered?

Here you'll find Dim Daily:


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And this is Dudok (just around the corner. Turn right outside of Dim, right again and left et voila!)




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Nature and the city part two

The Isle of the Brienenoord (in Dutch: Het eiland van de Brienenoord).

 

This is a hidden spot in Rotterdam! Even most Rotterdammers don't know about this place.

The Brienenoord Bridge is one of Rotterdams most famous bridges. It is part of our Skyline and at a clear night it is great to drive over the Brienenoord bridge and watch the city lights. It gives you one of the nicest panoramic views of the city. Driving over the Brienenoord means "I'm almost home" for Rotterdammers.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/54228211@N00/86560066)

So it does seem like a strange place for nature, right next to - and under - one of Hollands busiest bridges. And yes, you can still hear the cars, but they are far above you. Down below there is the river the Maas, and this is a river with strong tides. Parts of the isle will flood and dry because of the tides and this causes the soil to be very fertile. Fertile soil means a lot of wild life. Not Costa Rica kind of wildlife unfortunately, but we do get nice birds and fish etc.

And giant cows! Yep, really, this is one of the places in Rotterdam where Scottish Higlanders roam the prairy. The Rotterdammish prairy (rather wet some times of year :))

 

Bring your own snacks and drinks, because there is not really a place to have a coffee and order a sandwich. And in the wet season make sure to bring boots or other kind of mud proof shoes.

Grotere kaart weergeven



To enter the island parc your car somewhere along the Boterdiep or Hoendiep (or any other street in that area) and go look for an old fashioned bridge on the Hoendiep. Cross the bridge et voila!

Nature and the city

All of you visitors that have been to the Randstad region (this is what we call the area in between the major cities in the West of the Netherlands. In between Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag and of course Rotterdam. In between these cities are smaller communities, but most of are getting bigger and bigger and causing for the whole of the randstad to become one dencily populated area) know that nature is something we could use more of.

Luckily Rotterdam has some really nice parcs. Some small, some big(ger). Whenever I travel, I'll always go to parcs or botanical gardens. I just love these places where nature and city come together. So, if you would like to do the same while visiting Rotterdam, these are my favorite nature spots:

1. Kralingse Bos (with a big swimming pond, horse tracks, small sailing boats, and a tiny beach). This is actually quite an old parc with beautiful trees. This is definitely my favorite spot.

 

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The rest will follow soon!

I have to go out for lunch... :)

Winter wonderland

It is winter in Rotterdam. It has been so for many weeks. Almost 2 months even. We get winter every year of course, but this year it is a full proper winter, with winter wonder lands.

We are not really build for this kind of weather, at least not for a longer period of time. We like snow and ice for a couple of days... and if we want more, we go visit the snow and ice. Not the other way around!

The first days of snow every body is out enjoying it. Riding the sledge, making snowmans, having snowball fights or just enjoying the scenery and going for a walk. But after a couple of days, we just get moody! We want spring! And the birds too!

I am a bird lover. I might just house the only two fully freerange Rotterdam city garden chicken in town. I hope there are more happy free range chickens in town, but I haven't met them yet. Next to my chicken, all the other neigherhood birds seem to like my garden as well. I put hay down and fresh (unfrozen!) water and food twice a day. I love helping and watching my little feathered Rotterdamish friends.

Go see a movie! But do it small and back in the days

Enjoy this while you can, because many Rotterdammer (well... the underground kind of Rotterdammer) will tell you with a tiny tear rolling down the cheecks, that these great movie theaters will have to move for new build projects. So while it is still there, be sure to go to these movie theaters:

Cinerama at the Westblaak

 

Cinerama offers both commercial 'blockbuster' movies as well as a wide choice of smaller and independ films. It is a relative small theater with about 6 or 7 screens. It is cosy and old fashioned, but the latter is a definite plus!  http://www.cineramabios.nl/

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Lantaren Venster is another great/small theater.

Lantaren Venster offers independ film, theater, music and dance. http://www.lantaren-venster.nl/



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Don't leave Rotterdam without visiting.....

Don't you go away without having visited the Urban Espresso Bar.

 

Located near De Meent and the big market square, Urban Espresso is one of the favorites of many Rotterdammers. If you like to go somewhere small with identity and far away from mass consumerism and on top of that if you would like to taste one of the best coffees in town, this is the place to be! But don't forget to order a sandwich or cake. Delish!!! Careful not to eat your fingers! I have warned you!!

My favorites:

- sweet potato/cheese sandwich

- banana bread

- carrot cake

- latte

- urban mary

Breakfast and lunch. Check out their website: http://www.urbanespressobar.nl/

It's new! Offering Rotterdam Inside info for outsiders

Welcome all of you locals and non-locals!

Rotterdam has a lot to offer, but you might sometimes need a litlle help in finding your direction. I am a Rotterdammer (born and raised) and I will share my local knowledge, social network and my whereabouts, so you can find your way thru Rotterdam as if you were a Rotterdammer yourself.

Don't hesitate to ask questions or tip me on localishious things I have not yet mentioned.

Great!