When we went to The Netherlands in 2023 a friend of mine recommended that we go to Kartika for dinner. Sadly, we could not fit it in with our stay in Amsterdam, so this year we made sure we could get a booking. In fact, we scheduled our first night just to go and dine there.
Making a reservation
This was not so simple as they do not have a reservation portal on their website. We got Eva to call for us, and she booked us a table for the evening we landed in Amsterdam. When our flight was cancelled, they were more than happy to move our booking to the following evening.
Our meal at Kartika
Dave and I went with the ramayana option (€34.90 per person). This veritable feast has to be ordered for a minimum of 2 people and it was the best Indonesian food we have ever eaten. The dishes were beautifully presented, getting spicier as we progressed through them. White rice was served on the side, and was just the perfect amount for our meal. We started off with grilled chicken satay, then moved on to beef in a spicy coriander sauce. And then stewed beef in soya sauce. This was followed by chicken fillets in a spicy lemongrass sauce and another chicken dish cooked with ginger and soy.
Sambals
Served on the side was gado-gado, a sweet and sour salad, tempe in a curried coconut sauce with soya beans, a green bean sambal in a spicy coconut sauce, boiled eggs, lightly spiced fried potatoes, and serundeng. This roasted ground coconut sambal was so amazing that I now have a recipe from Eva that her father used. He grew up in Indonesia and cooked feasts for the family that took days to prepare.
Service and more
The service was excellent, and everything about our evening there was memorable. The tables are quite close together, and when we sat down, our host introduced us to the people sitting next to us. They were a young couple from Belgium who had cycled from Brussels to Amsterdam. Our beers arrived with a selection of sambals and things to dip in them. The meal including a large bottle of mineral water, two beers, lemon ice cream for dessert, and excluding gratuity cost €86.00.
Where to find Kartika and how to contact them
See the links below for blog posts I published on December 30:
- 2020: Winery Road Small Plates Concept
- 2019: Fish Finger Roll
- 2016: Oliebollen
- 2015: Phillippa Cheifitz Answers Questions For The Blog
- 2013: Coconut And Cranberry Rusks
My parents arrived from Johannesburg yesterday and today we are going out for lunch. I will be offline until they leave on the 3rd ♥.
This does sound like a veritable Indonesian feast . . . and I am so glad you were not too tired after your long flight to fully enjoy it. The food does look thoroughly enjoyable and the price for such riches, with so much protein involved, most reasonable. Do enjoy your New Year with the family and have a healthy happy time together. We’ll be here when the house is quiet again . . .
And a blessed 2026 to you!
Glad that you enjoyed the meal…the beef with coriander sauce sounds great to me.
I am sure I could find a recipe for that!
It’s so nice to find a wonderful restaurant and be completely satisfied on all levels. Happy New Year!
And a happy 2026 to you!
Sounds like it was worth the wait! What a glorious feast.
it really was worth the wait!
Some restaurants book up so quickly. Glad you made it this time and enjoyed the meal.
Have a lovely second last day of the year!
Thank you, and may 2026 be great for you!
this sounds great Tandy, and the price seems really good too. I am a bit surprised you have to pay a tip as well!! SHocking … they are trying to bring the idea here into australia as well! grrrrr …. anyway, Happy new year!!
sherry
In many places in Europe it is not expected. But it is par for the course here as our waiters do not earn minimum wage like they do in Australia 🙂
Sounds like you found a winner. Wishing you all the best in the New Year.
Thank you, and all the best for a healthy 2026!
This sounds nice. I’ll see if 2026 brings Amsterdam my way. It depends where TC gets assigned.
I hope for your sake he gets sent there!
I have pinned this address thanks to your recommendation ; it’s been a dream to be able to go one day to The Nederlands. ~Nessa
I hope one day you get there!