Amsterdam’s Indonesian Restaurants, and the Rijsttafel

When I visited Amsterdam, I noticed there were a lot of Indonesian restaurants. I wasn’t sure why (I didn’t read my guide book prior to arrival). Fine dining to casual restaurants were on almost every block, or so it seemed. I saw so many and figured I might as well dine at one. So I did some research before figuring out where to dine.

What is Indonesia today was a Dutch colony for more than 300 years. One of the results of that is a tasty one: plenty of delicious Indonesian restaurants throughout the Netherlands. And what you’ll find in almost every Indonesian restaurant is Rijsttafel is a Dutch term for “rice table.” Rijsttafel is a bunch of side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways think of it like the assortment of small dishes you get at Korean restaurants after you place your order, but with more food. But in the Netherlands, you can get up to 40 dishes.

I found a restaurant called Sukabumi on Oude Leliestraat which served Rijsttafel, with 8 to 12 items, and a bunch of other typical Indonesian dishes. It was in a nice section of Amsterdam and seemed like it would be a great place to dine. The restaurant is small, and only had 6 tables. Fortunately, we got a table before the dinner rush hour.

As I perused through the menu, I realized I didn’t have much of an appetite (shame on me) so I went for a smaller option called Nasi Rames Special for 10€ – essentially a rice plate with 5 sides – that seemed more than enough, especially since I paired my meal with beer. You’re in Amsterdam, and beer costs just as much as water, so why not? Bintang Pilsener was my beer of choice, a light beer from Indonesia with 4.7% alcohol. A refreshing and filling beer, that almost tasted like Heineken.

And now my meal:
When you order the Nasi Rames Special, the waiter serves you a small dish of Atjar, pickled cucumbers. This was followed by a large plate containing rice (white or fried) and small portions of a number of dishes:

• Daging Rendang – beef cooked in coconut milk
• Babi Ketjap  – pork in soy bean sauce
• Sate Ayam – chicken satay
• Gado gado – vegetable salad
• Sambal goreng telor – sliced hard boiled egg with a curry sauce
• krupuk – prawn crackers

Nasi Rames Special with white rice

The meal was excellent – a mix of mild and spicy items, and just the perfect serving amount for one person. So if you’re in the area, do stop by.

Sukabumi
Oude Leliestraat 5-h
1016 BD, Amsterdam
Netherlands
Tel: 020-620 1414