Elandsgracht Amsterdam

Balthazar’s Keuken is located in an old smithy. The atmosphere inside is decidely French. The inviting interior is humble and modest, but belies a very good cuisine indeed. Catering for two shifts each evening, the chef decides the menu, leaving the customer to choose between meat or fish for a main course. With the advent of the internet as a public forum, amateur critics were given an arena to vent their often not-too-subtle opinions from the safe, anonymous confines of their own living room. In that regard, it could be considered no small miracle that any negative notes about this place are very, very hard to come by indeed. Then again, it should not be considered a miracle at all if you execute a restaurant concept as well as owners Alain Parry and Karin Gaasterland did here. The success of Balthazar’s Keuken can, and should therefore be considered purely the result of fresh ingredients such as originality, hard work, attention to detail and caring about their customers.  Add to that the consistenly very high standard of food that is produced in this kitchen, and, as many other businesses along the Elandsgracht demonstrate every day: quality always prevails. Opened only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, reserving your table in time is highly recommended –  more often than not, this place is fully booked.

Burgermeester is a play on words, on the one hand it means as much as mayor, but can also be interpreted as burger master. Try one off its menu and you will agree. Yes you will.  Really. The concept was the result of a five minute brainstorm among three friends. They were all itching to start an eaterie of their own and came up with what they considered crucial elements, that also differentiated them from the competition – lift them from ‘just another burger joint’ to ‘holy cow, this just blew my tastebuds away’. The beef is sourced from Blonde D’Aquitaine cows from the Palmesteyn estate in the Betuwe region. Burgermeester is about full flavours, straightforward recipes and ingredients that are brought in fresh, daily. Manager Joris, who also lives at the Elandsgracht, adds a personal touch. Don’t wait any longer, try this place for yourself.

Vroom & Nobbe optician is a business that has been handed down to the second generation of the Nobbe family. They are currently starting to prepare the next generation to take over in due course. The shop at number 142 has graced the Elandsgracht since 1947, so a remarkable 65^th birthday is celebrated in 2012. All this time, it has never delivered anything less than “five star service”, as current owner, and nephew to the founder, explains. In turn, he has trained his son and daughter in the business, whereby the relevance and importance of true craftsmanship and specialism are accentuated.After all, it’s these aspects that differentiates Vroom & Nobbe from its competitors. But the shop has more aces up its sleeves. It visits people at home to bring its services to their doorstep, and does all the polishing, grinding and measurements by hand. That is not to say it shies away from technological advances: it has a feature on its website whereby you can see what different frames look like on your own face. Whether you need new glasses, lenses or nothing of the sort – this is a shop to treasure.

Owner Rob left one gallery to spread his wings and start his own in 2007. His gallery, named simply and effectively after himself, specialises in modern jewellery. It is partly the result of the experience Rob had built up in his previous gallery and partly the realisation of turning what was already a hobby into a profession. He convinced some of the artists that he already represented to come with him, but had to re-establish himself  by doing the rounds to sign new names to his business. Thanks to his extensive network and his familiarity with the Rietveld Academy, and other such places, this did not take too long. To his surprise and joy, his name and reputation still attracts both the more established artists and the new generation of artists.

Nr 118 used to be a car dealer slash gas stop. One of those nice old-fashioned ones, typically seen in small villages, with one or two rusty gas pumps out front. Just like the space the new Antique Center across the street is now based in, this place is amazingly big too. This kind of space really is only suitable for one other purpose: a supermarket. So, that’s what Ekoplaza, the supermarket that exclusively sells organic food, turned it into. The beauty of Ekoplaza is that it did not try to cram as much products in there as possible. Instead, wide aisles make for convenient and easy navigating your way around. And still their range of products is virtually endless. From liquorish to soap, you name it, Ekoplaza carries it. Storemanager Ronald has run this supermarket since 2013. Ekoplaza is on the move with over 50 Ekoplaza’s across the country, proving that buying organic is not just another fad – it’s another lifestyle.

This store that takes its name from the French word for sneakers, opened in April 2012. It focuses on sneakers. Not just trainers, the ones we wear on weekends or holidays preferably until they disintegrate with wear. We’re talking about proper sneakers, from high end brands, and acceptable footwear in most of Amsterdam’s hotspots and on the occasional catwalk. Aside from the familiar brands, this new specialised shoe store also carries the lesser known, more exclusive brands. As a nice extra touch, it also has room for some of the local brands such as Locals AMS. The store interior is exciting in a toned down way, clean and beautiful but not exaggerated or pretentious. Baskèts is owned by Jeffrey Sluijzer and Daan de Greef.

Antique center Amsterdam, formerly known as ‘the Looier’ in an old garage. The space is enormous though it is packed to the rafters with antiques,  knickknacks, collectible items and rarities. Display cabinets guide you through a maze stalls and more displays, each owned by another dealer, collector or enthusiast. The center underwent a transformation “to dust it off and bring it into the 21^st century”, as the owner put it. Arnout and his wife Emrys ter Haak took over the business and decided to  overhaul the place, but keep it accessible to tourists, students and serious art lovers and collectors alike. Whether you come in looking to spend 5000 Euro or 5, there’s something here for everyone. The vast collection of items ranges from the bizarre to the funny and from the delicate to the breathtakingly beautiful. It is absolutely fascinating walking through this place and will make you wonder why you didn’t comer here sooner – or more often.

Sinds 1965, this quiet little business has made quite a name for itself. Over the years it has shown something that is not as common in small business anymore as one would expect or hope: it is reliable. Plain and simple. It cleans your clothes, carpets or even leather and suede items and will even collect and deliver. It has moved to Hazenstraat 65 early in 2012, but considering its track record and, well, the name, we still consider it part of the Elandsgracht. The laundromat’s interior may occasionally look like fifteen closets full of clothes exploded, there is definitely a method to the apparent madness. The owner, Coert, works almost round the clock and does it with a smile and a kind word for everyone who walks into his place. His trusted two assistants are equally dependable and are always in for a quick joke or anecdote about the neighbourhood. Being made to feel like a regular and walking home with a mountain of fresh clean clothes never fails to put a smile on your face.

The Lindemans may rightly be monickered an entrepreneurial tribe. Dozens of family members are entrepreneurs, most of them in some way or form in the Albert Heijn concern. This giant supermarket chain allows people like Lindeman a lot of leeway to personalise their business, and so they did. Having started back in the day, that is in the latter half of the 19^th century, thankyouverymuch, as a wholesale grocer, on the corner of Hazenstraat and Elandsgracht, the Lindeman family and their branch of Albert Heijn breathe new life into the somewhat dusty cliche of being the pillar of the community on the gracht. Something not lightly earned, and something they themselves would be proud of, although their modesty would strongly reject any such praise. Its sucess is such that family members help out daily, and that sometimes even includes manning a cash register, or assisting a new kid with re-stocking (another effect of its popularity, re-stocking appears to take place around the clock, every day of every week).

In just seven years, Jurgen Ambrosius and his wife have found a home on the Elandsgracht for their toy store ‘De Kleine Eland’. In turn, the Elandsgracht has embraced this shop with its old-school toys, dolls, puzzles, games and any other classic toys you could think of.  With a primary school  nearby, their target market is just around the corner. The couple started their toy store in 1993, so 2013 marks quite the milestone.Through a coincidental meeting with the owner of the building, they kept in touch and were able to take his place in 2006 and open their doors to what must look like a true paradise for any kid that is not glued to an iPod, mobile phone or other electronic gadget. Even adults have a field day here, as it will doubtlessly take them back to their childhood with a lot of the toys on display. Expect to leave the shop with a big smile, and most likely some “ new, old toys”.