Bull and Dogs

I wrote nearly 3,000 words about my time in Amsterdam. It deserved every word. Just as this special place of Amsterdam will deserve every word of praise it gets, and deserves its own separate post. This place? Bull and Dogs. What is it? A restaurant, but also an experience of culinary wonder and mouth-watering ecstasy. Over-exaggeration? Maybe. But, circumstances made it so.

No, this is not a coffee shop…It’s better, I promise!

I imagine that this place, hidden nonchalantly on a busy city near the De Pijp neighborhood, is oftentimes confused for a different Amsterdam locale. Amsterdam is famous for their coffee shops (they sell weed there, not coffee), with one of the most synonymous to Amsterdam being “Bulldog.” One can assume that Bull and Dogs is a play on words of its more famous brother, but while the food served there might make a stoner happy, no weed is sold. Instead, Instagram-ready food beckons. I had heard about this restaurant from my flatmate Ella, and I originally decided not to go, because it looked too far from other Amsterdam attractions I was seeing. I changed my mind once I saw the menu, and consequently, photos of the food. Bull and Dogs’ menu is simple: Hot dogs, fries, beer, and, the cherry on top, milkshakes. But, they do everything on the menu oh so well.

One walks in through a PVC strip curtain, determined to keep out the near freezing nighttime temperatures of late November. Once you duck through the curtain, you are greeted with a cozy arrangement of tables, armchairs, and ottomans to lounge on. On this blustery Saturday night, there was barely anyone in the premises; but, all there, like me, were tourists. I choose to sit in one of the comfy armchairs accompanied by a marble side-table to hold the food. I was drained of energy; that day, I had already trudged nearly 10 miles, and had just finished a 45 minute walk around the De Pijp neighborhood. This, all on less than 5 hours of sleep. I was also very hungry, as I had forgotten to eat lunch in my ardor to see as much of the Old Jewish Quarter as I could. All these circumstances played into the gluttonous and costly smorgasbord that followed. The menu was kind enough to pair each of their hot dogs with a special beer (no Heineken or Amstel here). I decided on the pairing of the Bourbon Bacon Dog served with a Brand Blonde beer. I eagerly accepted the one euro surcharge to upgrade to waffle fries after seeing how delicious they looked on other people’s plates. I was fired up for these fries: the Belgians perfected fries, and the Netherlands (being a neighbor of Belgium) also can fry a potato impeccably. The beer was served first, and I only sipped a little bit of it, anticipating how its medium bitterness would complement the bourbon sauce on the hot dog. I passed the 15 minutes or so of waiting people-watching from the comfort of the arm chair, observing the city slowly fall asleep outside. Then, my food arrived. The hot dog (homemade and gourmet I should add) was served in a pretzel bun, and topped with two slices of bacon and bourbon sauce. It was delicious, a saporous experience. However, the waffle fries were the best part of this platter. Seasoned with garlic salt and parsley, and served with a fry sauce mostly of mayonnaise, I enjoyed every bite of these fries, eating half of them before even starting on the hot dog. I finished this meal quickly, as my brain was focused on what was to come. That cherry on the top I mentioned earlier. The milkshakes!

It was the photos of these milkshakes that sold me on coming to Bull and Dogs in the first place, so you can be sure I was ordering them, despite the exorbitant price of 7 euros per shake. I order the Dutch Cookie Wookie shake, praying with all my might that there would be stroopwaffle in it. My wish was granted. As the waitress carried out my milkshake, my mouth watered immediately. It’s even watering right now as I write about it! Frothy whipped cream dominated the top. and creamy peanut butter created a ring around the lip of the artsy jar. Caramel was drizzled over the top, and two dutch cookies (including a stroopwaffle) sat perched in a cozy pair on top the heaps of whipped cream. I drank this with much gusto, as looking beyond all the decorations, the milkshake itself was killer good. I did my best to savor this experience, but I probably drank it faster than I would have liked. Was it worth the 7 euros? For sure. Was this place in general worth it? For sure. For a tired boy running on empty, not having eaten since breakfast, the 20 euros total I paid was worth its weight in gold. If I ever return to Amsterdam, you can be sure I will return to Bull and Dogs (If it still exists).

Thanks for reading yet again! Keep enjoy the holiday season! I’ll have a blog by next Tuesday about Coimbra, home to the oldest university in Portugal! Until next time,

Jeremy Caldeira