Busy, busy busy

I have a life outside boring the paint from your walls with endless tables and statistics. I do. I really do.

Take last week for example. I had two internet dates. I often arrange to meet people I've had contact with over the internet. "Who are you meeting today Ronald?" "Someone called Si Kopath. He's suggested we rendezvous in a dark alleyway." "Maybe it's someone from the bjcp," Andrew reassured me, "with a baseball bat."

I usually avoid spending weekday evenings down the pub. Being knackered at work isn't my idea of fun. But I made an arrangement for Tuesday evening. With a couple from Blackpool. It sounded pretty safe. Just in case things did turn ugly, I took Mike along.

Our appointment was in Westers, a beeryish pub just outside the centre. I drink there maybe half a dozen times a year. It has a couple of interesting draught beers and a few more bottles worth the effort. The weather was foul. It couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or snow and was doing both. John (the bloke I was meeting) had already got me a Maredsous 10 in. Sorry, Maredsous Tripel. (I can't get used to the new name. I'd always thought of it as more of a Quadrupel than a Tripel.) He must have read my mind.

Mike was late, as usual. I could already have been dismembered and lying neatly packed in a suitcase at the bottom of the canal by the time he turned up. I introduced him as my dad to John and Janet. For some reason, they didn't seem to totally believe me. Mike described us as Laurel and Hardy. Don't ask which of us is which.

When the blizzard had picked up enough, we decided to move on. To Proef. It's only just around the corner. Most pubs in Amsterdam open 7 days a week. Not Proef, as I found out. That closes on Tuesday. Great. I don't think well with snow swirling around me. Where to go instead? I have a couple of other pubs in my guide which are, like Proef, on the Overtoom. Further down. Much further down. My mind, much like the air around me, was filled with dancing white spots.

"What about Ebeling?" Mike suggested. Good idea. Just 100 metres away. Though I had considered dropping it from my guide on account of the eye-watering prices. Only the gents bogs* had saved it from the chop. Of course, it was my round.

The barmaid was very friendly. I thought she was trying to be even more friendly by replying to me in English. It turned out she just didn't speak Dutch. I hoped she was new. Because she hadn't quite perfectly mastered the job. She brought us tiny pils glasses for our Westmalle. After three attempts, we got glasses big enough.

Next round I asked if they had korenwijn. That caused a good deal of confusion. I tried to explain what it was and what the bottle looked like, without much success. Her Dutch male colleague was just as confused. What do they teach them in school here? I'm pretty sure they don't stock it. But not 100%.

After a couple more Westmalle Dubbels, I took the tram home.


*Ebeling used to be a bank and the gents are housed in the former vault.

I'm not trying to be arty with the photos. I just don't have any decent ones to hand of the pubs covered.


Café Westers
Eerste Constantijn Huygensstraat 35,
1054 CT Amsterdam.
Tel. 020-612 1691


Café Ebeling
Overtoom 50
1054 HK Amsterdam.
Tel. 020-689 1218
Homepage: http://www.cafeebeling.com


Proef eten & drinken
Overtoom 160-162,
1054 HP Amsterdam.
Tel: 020-6129444
http://www.proefeten-drinken.nl