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My first dining experience when I came to the Netherlands 9 months ago was in La Place restaurant in Dik Tromplein 2, Hoofddorp, around 5 to 10 minutes ride from Schipol International Airport. My boyfriend’s parents picked us up from the airport and wanted to have a bite before the one and hour drive home to Zeeland. When I arrived for the second time this January, we also dined there since the flights from Manila always arrives around 6PM. My third time in La Place was one week ago in Waldospraat in Den Hague and it was only during that dinner that I truly appreciated the place.

La Place is a self-service restaurant and is an affiliate of the Vroom & Dreesman (V&D), one of the most popular chains of department stores in Netherlands. Inspired by the concept of a marketplace, with its fusion of smell, colors, sounds and interaction, La Place is where you can find fresh and healthy food at a very low price.

Food are fresh everyday, displayed on counters and segregated by according to food groups, adding a little more persuasion to a diner’s appetite with the colors and sights of delicious choices from salads and vegetables, baked products, pizza and pasta and their mouth watering desserts of pies and tarts. There’s also a wide selection of drinks, freshly blended smoothies, bottled fruit juices, ice tea, beers and their own brand of wines.

For diners who wanted hot, fresh off the grill/pan dishes, they also have a grill section where you can choose the kind of fish you want, comes with baked potatoes. Or you can mix your vegetables with either beef, pork or chicken for an Indonesian/Asian cooked in level of spiciness you prefer. You can have it with noodles or rice, with or without coconut milk.

I must say that with the small amount that you pay for a certain selection of dishes, the food are really good, not to mention healthy as it always comes with your choices of greens. On our latest La Place diner, I had beef curry and banana/orange smoothie for only 10euros. It was so delicious, not too spicy since I opted for the mild curry and the serving is so generous I wasn’t able to finish my plate.

La Place restaurants are generally spacious to accomodate a big number of customers since they are quite known with both the locals and foreigners. The inside is modestly decorated with paintings or photographs on walls, cushioned chairs and big tables, well-lit and cozier compared to some fancy restaurants back home.

The only downturn is that because of its popularity, the place is teeming with people especially during dinner or lunchtime. Waiting for your wok/grilled dishes can take a bit longer, especially that there’s only once cooked assigned in each station. But considering the cooking time and the number of orders taken every 15 minutes, their services are generally fast.

So next time you are in Amsterdam or any city in Netherlands, try dropping by at La Place and save your pocket from expensive dining. Their coffee are also very very good.

(Note for Readers: Since I want to earn for my pictures as well, please spare some time to view the photos of the restaurant in Picable. And since Picable doesnt allow album posting yet, please have more patience in browsing my triond account if you want to see the pictures, one by one. Thank you very much)