FavorFlav’s Favorites #2: Sababa’s falafel makes your life complete
Have you ever wondered where that impossible name ‘FavorFlav’ comes from? Yes, it’s a nod to the rapper, but it stands for ‘Favorite Flavors’. And what exactly are those? From podcasts to hotspots and from secret ingredients to the latest gadgets. In this fortnightly feature, we share our favorites with you.
Lauretta: “Put blue M&M’s in your yogurt. Yes, I’m serious. Especially if you were – like me – crazy about yogurt with crispy chocolate balls as a child. You know, those little tubs with a transparent lid. These golden combinations are guaranteed to bring back those good old days.”
Sharon: “Do you like wine? And by that I mean really good wine? (Or, as wine snobs used to say, ‘beautiful wine’)? With really delicious bar bites to go with it? Then I have a lovely address for you! Winebar Shiraz in Amsterdam. Honestly, this is a wine bar where everything is just right. The atmosphere, the decor, the service, the food and, last but not least, the wines. You can drink plenty of Shiraz (surprise!) here, but also plenty of other familiar and lesser-known wines. And if you like the wine so much that you want to drink it at home too, you can buy it for a sympathetic price in the wine shop inside. Shiraz didn’t win the Wine Bar of the Year election for nothing.”
Steffi: “The falafel from Sababa in Amsterdam-West is abnormally delicious. Perfectly crispy on the outside, soft – but not too soft – on the inside and so flavorful that even Kate-‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels like’-Moss would succumb. They make the most delicious sandwiches and salads with it, but you can also buy the falafel on its own (€4.50 for 5 pieces). Ideal if you want to give your leftovers a lovely upgrade, don’t have time to make falafel yourself… or if, like me, you simply can’t (yet!) make it as well as they do.”
Delilah: “Now that I haven’t worked in the hospitality industry for a long time and therefore hardly ever go to De Kweker anymore, a large gap has appeared in my eating pattern that used to be filled by cavolo nero, or black kale. I already love vegetables enormously, but that is truly one of my favorites. So I’m annoyed that it’s so rarely available, and I’m trying to get everyone on board to increase demand! Black kale is apparently very well suited to growing in Dutch soil, and you can buy it in the shop at Fruittuinen van West (when it’s in season). I don’t go there very often, though, so I was delighted when I came across it at the Jumbo Foodmarkt in Amsterdam Noord. I do go there regularly, at least. It is only delivered once a week (on Saturdays), but if we all start buying up the entire stock every time, perhaps it will be available more often! Oh yes, and next spring my daughter will get a small plot in the school garden, so you can bet I’ll go along as a parent volunteer specifically to ‘accidentally’ drop a few seeds there…”
Laura: “I actually go to the market for my groceries far too rarely, but this week I finally got around to it. I was craving small sole and went to the fish stall (opposite bar Topido) at Ten Katemarkt. Well, ‘small’? Let’s just call them soles. I’ve never seen such enormous ones. It turned out in the pan that they were also full of roe. A pleasant surprise, because salada de ovas – a fresh salad with fish roe – is one of my favorite Portuguese starters. For a moment, I felt like I was back on the coast of Portugal.”
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