Please note that since writing this blog post, Kip It Real has closed down
We’re ten weeks into this so-called “intelligent lockdown” here in the Netherlands now, which has given me plenty of opportunities to explore my local takeaway options. Everywhere from fine-dining restaurants to holes-in-the-wall have jumped on the takeaway and delivery bandwagon. And with good reason: we’re all desperately hoping it’ll allow them to stay afloat until restaurants are allowed to open up again.
My first experience with Bam Boa was sometime last summer, when I walked in with a friend, sat down at a table, and was ignored for 20 minutes. We left. I didn’t plan to repeat that mistake, until a friend told me he’d picked up the sharing menu from Bam Boa a few weeks ago and loved it. Knowing that I wasn’t going to have to deal with any shoddy service this time, I gamely ordered the same thing online and picked it up half an hour later. And I’m extremely glad I gave Bam Boa that second chance. For €55 for two people, you’ll get a reusable bag stuffed with half a dozen savoury pan-Pacific dishes – both cold and warm – plus bread, cassava chips & dips, dessert, a candle and even a QR code for a playlist. I particularly liked the piquancy of the ceviche, the moreish dressing on the spinach salad, and the melt-in-your-mouth succulence of the Korean BBQ beef. We were so full by the end of rounds one and two that we kept our desserts for the next day. Excellent value for money and delicious to boot.
Order via Deliveroo for delivery or directly via Bam Boa for pickup
From the people who brought us Box Sociaal (and all round masters of wordplay – Eggs Benny and the Jets, anyone?) comes Kip It Real – a good old-fashioned chicken bar. The menu wouldn’t look out of place across the more hipster cities of America, but in Amsterdam it’s one of the first of its kind. Think a range of chicken wings and chicken sandwiches, as well as various larger plates and sides. We tried the “Burner” – aka Nashville hot chicken (a favourite of mine from time spent in Tennessee) – which was a spicy, crispy-fried chicken thigh on a heavily calorific bun (I’m assuming it had been dunked in butter) with pickles and mayo. Diet food this is not. But it definitely hit the spot, especially with the addition of some homemade “real hot” sauce. The wings were equally good – coated in a buttermilk jacket and deep-fried to crispy perfection, served with a range of different sauces. My favourites were the aforementioned real hot, homemade ranch, and something sweet and spicy that might have been peach-habanero. You’re looking to pay around €12 for the sandwiches, €8 for six wings, and €16 for the plates. Kip It Real has got My Next Hangover written all over it…
Disclaimer: I was offered free chicken by Kip It Real… and I took it! Business has been rough for freelance food writers too, ok? But seriously, I loved this chicken.
Order via UberEats for delivery, or phone for pickup – see Instagram for details
I’ve been to Nomads “in real life” a couple of times before – namely for their Jordanian edition and their Portuguese edition. But I’d not made it over to the restaurant in Oostpoort during their culinary journey to Vietnam, so I was excited to have an opportunity to try it at home. Nomads serve two of their tree courses plated and ready to go, and the third with instructions about how to heat it up and plate it at home. We started with a spicy bavette salad with pickled vegetables, followed by a fishy main with chilli jam, Jerusalem artichoke and asparagus, rounded off with a citrusy dessert. While I can’t remember the specifics very well (it was a few weeks ago), it doesn’t much matter as Nomads are showcasing their “best of” during the lockdown – when I visited their website again while writing this article, the menu was Mexican. Dinner costs €30 per person, and feels like a proper evening out.
Order via Resengo for delivery or pickup
I celebrated my 40th birthday earlier in May with my fanciest takeaway yet: dinner from Graham’s Kitchen. For €49 per person, we were treated to a seasonal feast: excellent sourdough bread with whipped butter; classic white asparagus with ham, eggs and Hollandaise sauce; a fresh and minty pea soup; spring lamb with ratatouille and gnocchi served in lamb jus; and a strawberry panna cotta for dessert. If you live within a 3 km radius of the restaurant, they’ll deliver to your door, but otherwise you can pick up the meal package yourself. I opted to get mine a little earlier in the day and heat it up at home.
Order by emailing info@grahamskitchen.amsterdam or calling 020 364 2560; menu on website
When I’m craving comfort food, there’s nothing better than a pile of warm pitas and assorted yumminess to dip them in. And with the selection from Hummus Bistro d&a, I wasn’t disappointed. I tried the hummus with chicken (a surprising combination that oddly worked), the siniya (a minced lamb and tahini dish), half a dozen crispy falafel balls, and a portion of spicy zhug on the side for good measure. It came to €40 and absolutely hit the spot.
Order via Deliveroo for delivery (I can’t figure out how to do pickup!)