After a long day of travelling, due to a flight delay- thank you storm Eleanor- we arrived at our AMAZING boat where we would be staying over the next few days. ‘We’ is Jack and myself, and my following few blogs will mostly be about all the food we ate, with some touristy interludes too.

So, back to the dinner. Recommended by our Airbnb hosts, Boi Boi is a local Thai restaurant that offered fresh dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant was located on the Dappermarket, which, in the day time, is a bustling neighbourhood, full of market stalls, however, in the evening, the area is peaceful. It was great for our first taste of Amsterdam.

Back to the restaurant…

I was slightly nervous that we would both struggle to find something we liked, however, the food menu was huge, and I imagine they would personalise dishes too. I love Thai food, and Boi Boi didn’t fail to deliver both tasty and more-ish meals.

After looking through the drinks menu, which was composed of 20+ beers and loads of other spirits, teas and soft drinks, we both boringly opted for soft drinks. After the tiresome day a 7Up really hit the spot.

The food all sounded great on the menu, and smelt even better as it came from the kitchen. There was a real mix of customers in Boi Boil, many of whom were obviously regulars, which created a lovely ambience.

I always find it interesting travelling around Europe and observing the way that restaurants operate, especially service. I think personally, in the UK, there’s a big emphasis on chatting to customers, becoming familiar with everyone, however, I found Amsterdam to be really rather different. No one was rude at all, but everyone was so laid back. Orders were taken at a leisurely pace, and small talk was kept to a minimum, but to be honest, both Jack and myself were very happy about this- I just wanted to eat up!

The menus were handed out on clipboard, and the partially stained and ripped paper rather made me chuckle. It was very what you see is what you get. There were lots of dishes I had heard of before, for example spring rolls, soups, ribs and pad Thai, however I fancied something a bit different.

All dishes had the option of adding chicken, pork, squid, prawns and duck (maybe others I cannot remember!), which meant everything could be personalised for taste and price. I chose a spicy cashew and veg dish, with beautifully cooked squid, and Jack had sweet and sour chicken (minus a few veggies!). Both dishes came with really yummy sticky rice and the portions were on the large side- I am not complaining.

The only thing I would say is that there were no indicators of heat on the menu, so when I took a rather big mouthful of broccoli and tentacle I was met by a very spicy flavour. Luckily, I love spice, and powered through the runny nose to eat the majority of my meal.

Although we didn’t try any of the beers or alcohol, there were lots of Thai options, and local gins too- I was very tempted, but sadly everything is quite expensive in Amsterdam.

I am incredibly pleased we tried this vibrant restaurant, and would really recommend it as somewhere with great food for affordable prices, and a fun atmosphere. They also sell their own merchandise, if anyone is in need of a new jumper or car bumper sticker??