Attention to all the hungry film lovers: IFFR foodie tips

Food alert: don't forget to eat! The international film festival sees the average film junkie racing over Rotterdam in an attempt to catch every minute from a list of meticulously selected movies. Especially during the Film Festival all food establishments get out their best pots and pans and organize special dinner nights with the film being the main course.

Hier vindt u de Nederlandse versie van dit artikel.

Translated by Bianca Wijnstekers

Don’t feel like roaming the city centre too much? The usual go-to places are awaiting your arrival: Café Floor, part of the Rotterdamse Schouwburg (Rotterdam Theatre), is always bustling. In the Doelen, the IFFR Kitchen is thrilled to serve you some delicious local dishes once again. The Kitchen works with as many sustainable and local produce as possible, supplied by proud Rotterdam caterers. For example, take a bite from Jordy’s Bakery bread, spread with organic pâté and sausages from Firma Bijten and cheese from Booij. Or have some quiche from Westerkaatje, who has been feeding the hungry for over 20 years. A little bird has spilled the beans and told us we’ll see you there!

But listen up! Why not take a chance and venture outside the safe boundaries of the film festival site? Let yourself be pleasantly surprised by the restaurants and lunchrooms that are a stone’s throw away from the cinemas (Schouwburgplein, Cinerama, Lantaren/Venster) and are taking up the challenge of dishing up food different from their usual menus. In short, we’re going to show you where to feast on tasty, cheap and cheerful, and especially quickly served food and incorporate this in your tight schedule. And we’re going to show you where the party is on!

What is Mevrouw Zoetekauw made of?

Mevrouw Zoetekauw (Miss Sweet Tooth) specializes in sweet goodies, but if your stomach rumbles around noon and you are near Schouwburgplein, this is the go-to place to grab a bite. Mevrouw Zoetekauw wouldn’t want you to watch a (gory) film on an empty stomach! From Thursday the 22^nd you can seat yourself in TOKO TO GO! in TOKO 51. Stichting Wereldvrouwen (The Women of the World Foundation) will fix you international dishes. During dinner the series ‘Het geheim van de West-Kruiskade’ (The West-Kruiskade Secret) from local TV-channel TV Rijnmond will be shown. If you have not much time to spare in between movies, you can order your tasty healthy homemade meals to go. It’s as easy as pie. TOKO 51 is an exotic pop-up location where arty, adventurous and unconventional entrepreneurs have based their camps.

West-Kruiskade 51
TOKO TO GO: 17.30-20.30

Scroll down to read more about Mevrouw Zoetekauw, or visit the Facebook page for the latest menu and programme.

Dertien serves Movie Night

Especially for the IFFR, Restaurant Dertien (Thirteen) has programmed two special food-and-film evenings. It kicks off at 21:00, so don’t expect a three-course dinner with all the frills, but tasty snacks that complement the film.
Thursday 22 January: ‘The Fish Fall in Love’, a breath-taking Iranian love story, showing that food connects and symbolises the essence of love. Served with snacks from Pop-Up Persia. (sold out)
Thursday 29 January: ‘Tampopo’ with ramen. This Japanese comedy takes place in and around a little noodle shop, or ramen to be exact. The storylines let you in on the importance of food, and once again love and food are intertwined. Yamamoto from restaurant Yama and Dertien pick up their knives and prepare a real pork noodle soup for the occasion, just like the one in the movie.

One evening will cost you € 10.00 a pop, drinks not included. If you want to book a reservation for one of the film evenings, please send an email.

Schiedamse Vest 30
Open:
Monday: 15:00-0:00
Tuesday: closed
Wednesday: 15:00-0:00
Thursday: Movie Night, 21:00
Friday: 15:00-24:00
Saturday and Sunday: 13:00-0:00

Scroll down to read more about Restaurant Dertien or visit the website.

Perch at BIRD

Last year film lovers found a warm nest during the Culinary Cinema evenings in the restaurant of jazz club BIRD: movie nights combined with food films, serving you the food projected on the white screen. This year the restaurant organises the film festival event ‘12 Days at the BIRD’s Nest’, with Chef DJ Wooldrik cooking you dishes from famous food films for a good price. Remember the confit de canard from ‘La Grande Bouffe’? Or ukha, the Russian fish soup in ‘The Fish Fall in Love’? How about some lasagne from ‘Lo sono l’amore’?
Has the projector run out of film for the night? Not to worry, you can hang around and enjoy jazzy sounds and performances from famous soul singers.

Scroll down to read more about 12 Days at the BIRD’s Nest or visit the website.

Raampoortstraat 26
Open:
Monday and Tuesday: closed
Wednesday and Thursday: 17:30-01:00
Friday and Saturday: 17:30-04:00
Sunday: 17:30-23:00

Breakfast Bar becomes O’Nite Bar

Last year they laid firm foundations as the most popular after-party spot; they’d be silly not to open up at night again! The Breakfast Bar (Ontbijtbar) at Kruisplein transforms into the O’Nite Bar in the evening. Start your day with eggs benedict and American-style pancakes, followed by hefty food grilled for you on the Biergarten BBQ. Of course the bar zooms in on the film festival as well.
Party on after dinner and burn the calories you’ve just consumed on the tunes the DJs spin and be prepared to be blown off your seats. The O’Nite Bar is the place to be!
Kruisplein 151

We want more

We’d be out of our minds if we wouldn’t mention the Grand Hotel Centraal! For years this has been the after-party location of the IFFR, no doubt about that. This year, the IFFR and Hotel Centraal have decided to officially join forces and party on till the break of dawn. Get your grooves on in the always crammed foyer where long movie days end and romances start.

Kruiskade 12 (nextdoor to Oude Luxor Theater)

Late-night munchies

De Lange Muur. In this Chinese restaurant you can place your order well into the night. They also have a menu with dim sums.

West-Kruiskade 1
Open: until 1:00

Fritez, Cafeteria Extraordinaire. Craving nostalgic snacks? Right behind Cinerama you can find a chippie shop that takes you back in the day: hand-cut fresh-made chips with a selection of six different sauces: mayonnaise, mayonnaise and truffle, mayonnaise and garlic, ketchup, piccalilli and curry sauce. Feeling saucy and wanna go Dutch? Top your chips up with peanut sauce or order the ‘Patatje Speciaal’: mayonnaise, curry/ketchup and raw onions.

Witte de Withstraat 68a
Open: until 2:00

Restaurant Bazar. Bazar always lures in the unsuspecting passers-by with its shiny lights and the inviting hustle and bustle. As if you were transwarped, in no time at all you will be served sigara böregi or the dish of the day with fresh fish from the market, spiced up with flavours from the Middle East. The kitchen is open till midnight; little snacks are served up until 15 minutes before closing time.

Witte de Withstraat 16
Open: till 2:00

Go-to places near Lantaren/Venster

The Deliplein in the Katendrecht quarter is worth the little walk across the Rijnhaven Bridge, also popularly referred to as the 'Whore-hopper'. Here you are presented with a selection of different types of restaurants, for a quick snack or solid splurges. From Thai curry to French entrecote and daily surprises. If not one then the other restaurateur at the Deliplein can cater for your needs all day every day of the week.
Refuel with a strong cup of coffee after a long night at Espresso Bar Posse, a small gallery, shop and coffee place in one, and take in the amazing skyline of Rotterdam and the river Meuse. Open: Saturday and Sunday from 11 am.

Scroll down to read more on Posse Espressobar, Veerlaan 13

Go-to places near Schouwburgplein

Near the Pathé cinema, Gracy’s Bar and Grill would be your best option. This typical American burger place opened its doors last year on the corner next to the Schouwburg. When you go in it’s like entering an old-fashioned diner, which serves mouth-watering burgers with that authentic wood-fire flavour.
You could also continue on your way to the Kruiskade, where Charlie’s Kitchen is going to prepare risotto in Club TwentySix on Sunday 25 Jan.
If you venture in the other direction and turn into the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat, make sure to treat yourself to antipasti and Italian specialities at Mangiare’s.

More about TwentySix, Kruiskade 26
Scroll down to read more about Mangiare, Van Oldenbarneveltstraat 150
Scroll down to read more about Gracy’s, Mauritsstraat 1A

Go-to places near Cinerama

Discover the world of the Witte de Withstraat, which is situated behind the cinema and runs parallel to the Westblaak. There are bars, lunchrooms, cafés and restaurants scattered from beginning to end. Try Wunderbar, where they serve a € 5.00 daily dish as a supplement to the regular menu. In addition to their normal opening hours, Restaurant Ballroom opens its doors for special Film Festival lunches. If you come in the evening and show your movie ticket, you can order their Film FestiBall menu for only €15,50. A tad further up the road the Bagel Bakery fixes great lunches; with their freshly-baked and generously topped bagels the chefs are doing the Jewish kitchen justice.

Bagel Bakery, Schilderstraat 57
Scroll down to read more about Wunderbar, Boomgaardsstraat 71

Extra information

Mevrouw Zoetekauw - Sugar and spice and everything nice

Sweet dreams are made of these, and so is Viola Schaaff, the woman behind Mevrouw Zoetekauw (Miss Sweet Tooth). Turning her dreams into reality, she opened up her own heaven of cookies, cakes, heavenly treats and puffs of sweetness. You can find her in pop-up store TOKO 51 on the West-Kruiskade, a commercial property that harbours creative entrepreneurs. Everything you see in there is for sale.

Viola – nurse in a previous life – started her business back in 2009, catering for companies as well as private functions, and making appearances at markets and on festivals. In December 2014 she ended up in TOKO 51 with her own tea salon. She hopes to stay there for at least a year. So do we.

Her bakes are always vegetarian, sugar-free, often vegan and made of organic ingredients. She sugars it all up with natural sweeteners, using dates and other fruits. If you fancy a hearty meal, she serves soups, sandwiches and quiche as well.

During the International Film Festival Rotterdam Mevrouw Zoetekauw fixes you daily dishes between 17:30 and 20:30.

Dertien - adventurous, ambitious and accommodating

Pepijn Schmeink, former chef de cuisine of famous restaurant De Eendracht,has opened a new contemporary Rotterdam kitchen at the Schiedamse Vest. Together with business partner Remco, they toast to new culinary adventures.
Dertien accommodates approximately 60 people, spread on two floors. On the ground floor, with a seventies interior design, you can take a seat at long tables or the robust bar for tasty snacks such as cheese, chutneys and charcuterie. First-come, first-serve is the mentality. A reservation for parties of four or less is not necessary.
The gloriously large wood-fired oven from the Eendracht is part of the entourage. And to cap off the informal ode to the seventies you can read the menu on an old-fashioned wooden type case.

Anything but ordinary
Upstairs on the entresol the seventies atmosphere has almost literally evaporated into thin air. Up there all that matters is your dining partner and the food selection of meat, fish and vegetarian courses. Service is pleasant and efficient and maître Pepijn is always near. The food combinations are anything but ordinary, so come and try for yourself. Think of smoked goat curd, hog, polenta, Norwegian cod (Pepijn is a huge admirer of the Nordic kitchen), cassoulet and then think out of the box; you will be served combinations you will not have had before. Feeling ambitious, just like Pepijn and Remco? See you there!

BIRD - eating is believing

Last year, BIRD scheduled ‘Cinema Culinair’, literally translating the formula ‘what you see (on screen) is what you get’ onto a plate. This year, Chef DJ Wooldrik will be adding cinematic spices to his food once again. Starting on Wednesday 21 January, he’ll be preparing a tasty special daily that will not leave you short-changed (15 to 18 euros a meal).

Remember the confit de canard from ‘La Grande Bouffe’? Or ukha, the Russian fish soup in ‘The Fish Fall in Love’ from Ali Raffi from 2006? How about some gnocchi with osso bucco from ‘Lo sono l’amore’? Chef DJ draws from his own cinematic experiences when he prepared polenta with squid on the set of the movie Nero su Bianco in Sicily, a short movie that he made with Maher al Sabbagh (Chef in the city of Maastricht) in 2003.

After dinner you can shake off those calories and dance the night away on the beats played in what we believe is one of the best music venues in the city.

Posse Extension

The location of Paul’s Posse at the foot of the Whore-whopper’s bridge is spectacular, with Hotel New York in sight on the one hand and the hustle and bustle of the Deliplein on the other. Thanks to Paul’s Posse and neighbour de Fenixloodsen (the Phoenix Warehouses) Katendrecht has become a culinary retreat on the other side of the river Meuse. The tiny gatekeeper’s house a.k.a. Posse Espressobar, will eventually be turned into a private dining room, suitable for 8 people.

Hefty casseroles and commodities
The food on the menu is inspired by the kitchens of Café de l’Industrie in Paris and Cap de Creus in the Catalan Cadaqués. Posse radiates an ‘informal, Mediterranean atmosphere, where food is homemade, natural and made with daily fresh products. Big old chesterfields, industrial lamps, reading corners, an antique bookshop, vintage bikes scattered all over the place and hard-romance pictures of Helmut Newton and Paul himself all have a price tag on. Paul: ‘We can haggle about everything, except our underwear!’

Mangiare - Italian for eating

You could easily overlook this charming little restaurant. But open the door and a waft of Italian aromas tickles your nose and lures you in.

Inside, a merry banquet of pesto’s, salads, tapenades and grilled vegetables is spread out in the display case. You can eat in or take away. The blackboard displays the menu and the specials are explained at the table. The busiest part of the day for this hip and stylish establishment with its simple wooden tables and chairs, average water and wine glasses and paper serviettes proves to be during lunch hour.However, they do evening service and drinks as well and in the little shop up front you can buy all-Italian products. Saves you a trip to Milan!

Gracy's - American burgers with a touch of Rotterdam

The fifties rock-stick design and open kitchen invites you into yet another hamburger joint in Rotterdam. However, owner Hao-En Looi has managed to give Gracy’s an eccentric feel. ‘Slow cooking’ and ‘open fire’ are the key words, ‘Artisan Charcoal Grill & Bar’ its definition. Want to enjoy an all-American-burger experience with a touch of Rotterdam? Then what are you waiting for?

In the evening you can sink your teeth into the classic Surf & Turf with lobster and Black Angus, the Miss Gracy Burger and more, accompanied with the traditional coleslaw and homemade fries. Gracy’s does lunch as well: sandwiches, Panini’s, onion rings or nacho’s. There’s good coffee and shakes, and for the sweet tooths sgroppino and Sweet Street Blueberry Cheesecake is a must. In short, this joint has all the right ingredients for an excellent Real American Diner.

Wunderbar

Opposite King Kong Hostel in the Witte de Withstraat, in the same building as the NRC and a partner of Worm is #Wunderbar. Tucked away in the basement, Worm has proven to be one of a kind in the Rotterdam night scene.

Fräulein
Germany is the source of inspiration in #Wunderbar. A hodgepodge of tacky paintings, Persian rugs and a wooden interior reminds of…? ‘We didn’t have money left to decorate the place’, explains superwoman (all-in-one bartender, hostess and chef), ‘so the staff brought items of their own. The sofas are made from someone’s old floorboards.’

Deutsch
Fritz ApfelKirsch, beers, wurst and soup, German enough. The Big Knack (hotdog), Marry Had a Little Lamb, and Vincent Vega (that’s right, no meat), not so much, but who cares?! Wunderbar is definitely a three-star food place on a one-star budget. And: like in Worm, all kinds of people can wonder in. Anybody is welcome!

Photo: still from the movie La La La at Rock Bottom, by Yamashita Nobuhiro. Credits: International Film Festival Rotterdam