Was really excited to come here, as they are one of the top-rated Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam. The small, plain storefront is super easy to miss--I'd probably walked past this place a few times before pulling out Google Maps to find that I dashed too far out. It can easily be mistaken for an apartment building, so keep your eyes peeled.
The restaurant is small and has very limited seating, but was pretty full when I arrived. They didn't even have a table for me (one person), so they had to sit me with the lady boss by the kitchen. The force behind this restaurant is a cute elderly Indonesian couple, especially the sweet lady, but the seating was just unpleasant. Seating is limited and I so happened to get the only table available--the "office" back table. The table was filthy with food stains and stacks of paper filled up most of the table--my plates were on the edge and on the verge of falling; I felt like I was a guest at someone's home and eating on whatever available surface they had, while they were working.
I had the Nasi Rames, a four-course meal with beef and chicken dishes that will pique your appetite. I've never really had a real Indonesian sit-down meal, so I can't compare this experience with anything, but it wasn't a great intro to Indonesian food for me. Rotating around the different dishes was a burst of flavors; the flavors of the brown sauce in the beef and egg were quite too strong for me--particularly the heavily-marinated beef--and tasted a bit weird...like super aged sauce. The meat was also dry, but I've been told that this is the way meat is traditionally cooked in Indonesian dishes. Of all the plates, I think I enjoyed the chicken and lettuce the most. The chicken had a bit of a spiciness to it and the lettuce was pickled, so I was definitely going through a rollercoaster of salty, savory, spicy, and sour flavors--it was quite the experience, but one that I probably don't want to have for a while.
The whole course was about €15/16, which is not too bad, considering how big of a meal this is for European standards. In terms of trying Indonesian food, I know this doesn't exemplify what Indonesian food is all about, and I am still itching to try some Indonesian cuisine. read more