After spending around 2 weeks in Germany (where, in Hamburg specifically, the Asian food isn’t THAT great) we were really craving some Japanese when we arrived. We had no expectations of Japanese food in Amsterdam at all, just that DE JAPANNER had been recommended in the Monocle Travel Guide for Amsterdam and that it was walking distance from our hotel, Zoku (which we HIGHLY recommend, by the way!). We were so hungry that we headed there early, being one of the first to arrive, and were seated at the bar.
The menu is a mix of small dishes designed to be shared so we went ahead and ordered a variety of things.
I was really impressed by the Vegan agedashi nasu – deep frised eggplant cubes in a soy/dashi soup, ginger and spring onion (€5). I don’t think I’ve had agedashi eggplant before! They were just tasty little morsels with just the right amount of sauce. A really good starter!
Next up we had salmon in 2 forms – firstly we had Uramaki – inside out sushi rolls with salmon, avocado and cucumber (€6.50). It’s pretty hard to go wrong with this simple sushi, so I’m glad they also got it right! I often think we’re so spoiled in Australia with pretty good sushi joints everywhere. I need to remember that that is not the case elsewhere!
We also had the Salmon Tataki – thinly sliced seared salmon with spring onion, daikon and ponzu (€6.50) which I think was my favourite dish of the night! I just LOVE seared salmon. That’s probably because I’m not a huge fan of sashimi and so the searing the fish gives me a bit more comfort. We could really tell the quality of salmon was very high. All it needed was a little bit of sauce just to enhance the already delicious flavour.
The Pork Chashu – pork belly braised in a chashu marinade topped with kimchi (€6.50) was one of the more substantial dishes we ordered. I’ve actually just noticed that basically everything we ordered cost €6.50! I found the kimchi on top quite spicy so this wasn’t the best dish for me, but interesting to see the influence of Korean cuisine here.
Another one of my top dishes of the night were the Hiratake Mushrooms – steam and pan fried oyster mushroom with soy, butter, ginger and spring onion (€6.50). Since trying to eat a low FODMAP diet this year, mushrooms have pretty much been out of the picture EXCEPT oyster mushrooms! Just my luck that these were the mushrooms on the menu. The combination of butter, soy and ginger is truly mouthwatering. I could’ve eaten at least 3 more dishes of these mushrooms!
After all that DS told me he was still hungry so he ordered a dish that only he would eat – Miso Saba – 48-hour miso marinated mackerel filet (€6.50). Mackerel is way too fishy and boney for me, but DS seemed to enjoy this very simple dish.
All in all, DE JAPANNER surprised us because it seemed like Japanese restaurants around Sydney. It could’ve slotted straight into Potts Point! We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and would go back next time we’re in Amsterdam!
DE JAPANNER
ALBERT CUYPSTRAAT 228
1073 BN AMSTERDAM
THE NETHERLANDS
https://dejapanner.com/
