This next review is dedicated to the lovely lady that is solely responsible for me writing this blog.  She shall remain nameless, but you know who you are :)))))))))

The last time I saw her, she asked me to write a review on a 'cheap restaurant'.  I'm telling you. This will be a hard one I thought.  It's not that I dont do 'cheap'.  Since we bought our house in Amsterdam, we barely eat out anymore, shunning ridiculously priced restaurants for just as good food at home.  It doesn't help that my love of red wine, is solely responsible for the large bills that are accumulated when we go out.  That makes me sound like an alci doesnt it :((((  I'm completely spoilt when it comes to wine and The Buik, for want of an easy life, lets me order the wines I like, choosing to ignore the hideous bill until he's had at least 2 industrial strengthed grappas and an espresso.  But there are times, when I am desperate to eat out, but I want to eat simple, good food which isnt expensive and a good red wine that doesnt cost the earth (and more importanly doesnt taste like draincleaner).  Valerius Café fits the bill perfectly.
We went there with our neighbours, who also love a good lunch.  They'd recommended Valerius Café to us a few weeks earlier, so we'd though we'd give it a go.  It's situated in the heart of the Oud Zuid, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your viewpoint.  For me, it's a good thing as it's only 2 minutes walk from my house :)  And having tried all the other places around my house for lunch, De Joffers (wanker central), Brasserie Van Dam (not bad), Pulpo (not bad but only been once and not been back since, that says it all), Small Talk (okay for tourists), and all the places on the P.C Hooftstraat (Brasserie Boven, PC Cafe, fine for the Nouveau Riche amongst us), I can say that Valerius Cafe is a breath of fresh air to my neighbourhood.  The clientele were not the usual type that like to clog up the street where I live.  We didnt find any P.C Hooft Wives or cigar chomping 50 year olds, resplendent in Ralph Lauren's garishly coloured jumpers (casually draped over the shoulders).  It was full of normal people wanting lunch.  Therefore I'm surprised they let us through the door ;)
We ate well.  Me and the Buik both took lasagne bolognese which was lovely.  Home made, piping hot and served with a side salad and bread.  Our friends took spaghetti vongole and a quiche.  Both fabulous (I tried them for research purposes).  We washed it all down with their cheapest bottle of Italian red (18 Euros a bottle) and The Buik took an espresso and a couple of shots of Grappa (purely for digestion purposes).
The bill for 4 people came to 80 Euros.  Considering that that included 2 bottles of good red wine, I think that is positively a bargain.  The service was prompt and friendly and the owner is a lovely guy.  I looked at the menu and it does a good range of breakfast options and simple lunch choices.  Visit this place before it gets clogged up with Hoofers.

Now there are some good sides to being an I.T Widow.  Only a few mind.  The long periods of neglect can be tough, even for a hardened old cow like myself :)  but despite being neglected for weeks whilst The Buik does his computer stuff in Finland or some other far flung country, there are times when you get rewarded for these hardships.
And that brings me nicely onto my next gluttonous meal. 
Blondie and The Buik were to entertain some of his colleagues from the U.S.  It's always a tough one eating out in Amsterdam with his colleagues.  For one, you have to make sure the food is up to scratch and the service is spot on.  Amsterdam is our home city and we should be embassadors to it.  So every time we have to eat out with them, we avoid anywhere that is 'gezellig', smokey, has bad service or bad food. 
And this is where Restaurant Sogno comes in.  We've been eating here for at least 5 years, both privately and with his colleagues.  It used to be called 'Bice' and is housed in the NH Hotel near Leidesplein.   Now there have been times when we've eaten with friends there - and the food has been 'patchy'.  But the times we've eaten there with his colleagues, have been utterly fabulous (that is probably because I, for once, dont get to see the horrendous bill)
One of the perks of being The Buik's wife, is that as he is Italian.  So it goes without saying that you'll always get a good table in an Italian restaurant :)  The Italians always treat their own very well :)
We started off with a very good Prosecco, not the cheap and nasty acidic kind, this could have rivled a good champagne.  We, or should I say I, then tucked into the bread basket whilst I pondered what would be adding inches to my thighs later on that night.
I could bore you all to death which each individual dish we ate.  I wont :)  The highlights were the following.  Trofiette pasta with a ragu made of duck and thyme.  Tagliatelle with Italian sausage and wild mushroom.  Potato soup with pecorino cheese and sage and tart made of some sort of cheese wrapped in parma ham with salad and a gorgonzola sauce.  Oh my god.  There arent enough superlatives to describe how utterly fabulous all those things were.  You simply have to try them before you die.  Especially the pasta dishes.  Divine, rich, beautifully cooked.  Everything that a good pasta should be.  Dessert came in the form of a hot chocolate pudding with a pistachio ice cream. GROAN.  Seriously.  I think this dessert is better than sex.  Now I am not sure how this reflects on the Buik's prowess, but that pudding is seriously fabulous.  I've had it every time I've eaten there and it's always been perfect.  Cooked on the outside and a gooey, runny river of chocolate goo in the middle.  GROAN GROAN GROAN. 
We finished it all off with home made Scroppino's (Prosecco, vodka and lemon sorbet) - the best in Amsterdam (I'm the official Scroppino and mojito tester so I know these things).  The boys had a very good Merlot grappa (they do a fabulous range of Poli Grappas) and we all waddled home very, very satisifed.  I forgot the wine.  How remiss of me.  We drank Salice Salentino, a red wine from Puglia which came in at under 30 Euros a bottle.  Very reasonable.  Well it would have been if we had just stuck to the 1 bottle (I stopped counting when the 3rd bottle was finished)

If you are ever in Amsterdam and want a fabulous Italian meal - the sort of meal you would eat on a special occasion, then this is the place to come.  Although I feel it my duty to warn you that the bill soon mounts up if you take 3 courses and wine/Scroppino/coffees.  Still, if you are not feeling the credit crunch, it's perfect.