In celebration of a most unlikely discovery – a Pinoy store in downtown Amsterdam that is accessible – (as in just one block away!) – from our downtown gym, I stopped by for only my second time to buy a whole bag of polvoron sweets and a tiny bag of homemade steamed rice cake (aka puto), and soon afterwards happily scoured the surrounding area for a place to have an impromptu dinner night out. The gym would have to wait another night for me and my partner as I was in the mood to have some fun and live a little. After walking around the unattractive yet pricey De Pijp neighborhood, undecided due to lack of clear options, we ended up at a corner Irish bar that served food. The service was nice enough but the establishment was far from cozy and the food wasn’t that far from mediocre. O’Donnell’s may never get to see my shadow again, but my Pinoy takeaways made it all worthwhile.