Levant Restaurant — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We have made our reservation by the canal 2 weeks ago. When we showed up at the spot on the right time, there were other customers occupying the tables nearby canal. We decided to wait on the nearby table until other customers finish and check out. We also mentioned our intention to waiters and they had confirmed that it was ok.

When one of the tables were finished we were moving. But we asked the waiter even to move out of courtosy even it was our promised table with reservation. They said another customer was also waiting for that table (who have arrived later than us and probaby without any reservation) The restaurant made their call from the other party which was a moment of despair. It was an upsetting moment for us. The waiters said it wasn't their call but nobody seem to take any responsibility, they just said a plain sorry.

Besides this frustration mezzes were tasty but...

The cold mezze was a highlight, they bring a tray around to your table and you can choose from a selection of vegetarian and seafood dishes - we chose a tomato and aubergine dish, mahummara and green peppers in a yoghurt and dill sauce. They were served with a generous bread basket, though some of the bread looked like it had been bought from the Albert Heijn down the road.

We also got 2 mains, the duck and lamb. The meats were both good but the veges weren't exciting. With the lamb, just grilled and similar to what you'd do at home. The duck came with a vividly coloured sweet and sour style sauce which was a bit unexpected. It wasn't unpleasant if you like that sort of thing, but wasn't what we were after considering the price point (though this is Amsterdam...).

We would come back and only have the cold mezze dishes, which would be even nicer if you get a...

I was craving Turkish food and made reservations here. There is a terrace on the canal, but due to the weather we sat inside. Very pretty place. They bring by a tray with vegetable and seafood mezzes. We selected three, all were good. The pistachio and feta dip was rich and full of flavor. The roasted red peppers had a nice char and the juices were good for dipping bread in. The shrimp with onion, tomatoes, and peppers was almost like a cerviche. Very light and flavorful. For entrees we went with a lamb and veal steak wrapped in filo and a spicy shrimp starter. The shrimp dish was quite large (I thought definitely enough to be an entree). I loved how spicy it was (hard for me to find in Amsterdam). The peppers were hot but not too hot (like a poblano or piquillo). Service was great, friendly and helpful. The Turkish rose was good as well. We will...