Quartier Putain, Amsterdam

Coffee is disreputable… but only if you do it wrong.

Perhaps no other coffee shop has a better views than Quartier Putain. Located on Oudekerksplein right in the middle of Red Light District, the café overlooks the 800-year-old parish church Oude Kerk and is within calling distance of the infamous prostitutes in windows.

In fact, that’s how Quartier Putain got its name, which means “prostitute quarter” in French. Sandwiched between the city’s oldest building and lure of the world’s oldest profession, this coffee shop has to work especially hard to draw in both the devout and the deviant.

Founded by Erik de Kok, whose father was the former owner of Coffee Company, Quartier Putain doubles as both coffee shop on the ground floor and performance space on the first floor. The former provides Amsterdammers with espressos and brewed coffee while the latter hosts events for musicians, artists, film makers and writers.

So come here for a ristretto pulled by baristas from their La Marzocco Strada and then attend a book reading or record release by Top Notch, a local music label and publisher. It’s the best of both worlds.

Quartier Putain是我在荷蘭工作那段日子中，第一家拜訪的咖啡館。
位於阿姆斯特丹市中心艷幟高張的紅燈區中，
取了一個翻譯過來名為紅燈區法文名，可說是非常應景又有趣。
如果留意一下四周，你就會發現咖啡館旁就有著名的紅燈區櫥窗，
有時還可以看到櫥窗內待客的性工作者。
而咖啡館的對面則有著一家八百年歷史的老教堂，
一旁有著人類最古老的行業，一旁是神聖的老教堂，
這家咖啡館的位置讓人不禁莞爾。

第一次到訪時的那位咖啡師，還有好喝的衣索比亞單品手沖讓我留下深刻的印象。
我猶記得友善有親切的他，知道我喜歡泡咖啡館并會在荷蘭呆上好幾個月后，
向我推薦了幾家當地著名的咖啡館，
并在百忙中把咖啡館的名字一家家的寫給我，現在想起還是依然心存感激。
一家咖啡館的咖啡師推薦另一些他喜歡的咖啡館，
我在荷蘭的咖啡館之旅就是這樣開始的。