Amsterdam

This Month in Amsterdam (March):

Shopping: Just walking the aisles of Kitsch Kitchen, a supermarket of Mexican-themed tat, is guaranteed to lift the spirits. This is the place to come if you happen to need a different fake moustache for every day of the week (8-12 Rozengracht, kitschkitchen.nl).

Sightseeing: The Dutch Resistance Museum tells the story of World War II and how the Dutch responded to Nazi occupation. This month there's a special exhibition of Fritz Behrendt's satirical cartoons (61 Plantage Kerklaan, verzetsmuseum.org).

Key areas: For a few years now, Van Baerlestraat has been vying for the title of the city's ritziest street. As well as luxury luggage emporia a-plenty, there are lots of upmarket brasseries to see and be seen in.

Day trips: March sees the annual reopening of the amazing Keukenhof gardens, just a 15-minute train ride from Centraal station. With 32 hectares of bursting blooms, it's almost impossible to take a bad photo (keukenhof.nl).

Amsterdam News & Gossip

French National Dish: Bouillabaisse

This hearty fish soup was originally eaten by Marseillaise fishermen after a hard day at sea. They would sell most of their catch to restaurants and markets, and then take the rest home to eat. Despite its modest beginnings, the dish is often referred to as soupe d'or (soup of gold) due to the vibrant colour created by two of its vital ingredients: saffron and orange peel. Traditional bouillabaisse includes white scorpionfish, skate and conger eel, garnished with a garlic mayonnaise.

Try Ginette Mathiot's recipe, with the addition of mussels, in the first English translation of the French cooking bible I Know How to Cook (£24.95/€28.30), published by Phaidon Press.

Or book a table at one of these restaurants:

LE MIRAMAR
MARSEILLE
If you want to taste the real deal in its native city, go to Le Miramar. At €58 the vraie bouillabaisse is pricey, but worth it. 12 Quai du Port, tel: +33 (0)4 9191 4109

GOUMARD
PARIS
Many Parisian restaurants claim to serve the best bouillabaisse, but few come as close as Michelin-starred Goumard. 9 Rue Duphot, tel: +33 (0)1 4260 3607

VIS AAN DE SCHELDE
AMSTERDAM
This striking, monochrome restaurant is one of Amsterdam's finest for seafood. The bouillabaisse is pretty authentic, but with the decadent addition of a helping of Gruyère cheese. 4 Scheldeplein, tel: +31 (0)20 675 1583

Amsterdam Trivia

• March: Amsterdam takes recycling to a whole new level: don't be surprised to see locals picking up their neighbours' abandoned furniture from the street and strapping it to their bikes. The canal district has the best booty.

• February: Heineken's shire horses are still used to deliver beer throughout the city. You can meet them at The Heineken Experience brewery museum, or watch them in the streets.

• January: It looks like the Dutch were on to something when they invented clogs - medical staff and other workers in Holland and further afield still wear the traditional shoes, which are both comfortable and can help prevent foot injury.

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