REM — Restaurant in Amsterdam

This is a very mix experience and we will rather explore the many other options in Amsterdam the next time around

Let’s start with the positive: the place is very nice and when booking for what was my last dinner in the city after 8 years, special attention was given in terms of sitting place. Truly top hospitality Ben our Irish waiter , on spot ! Very friendly made the whole evening pleasant

Now the less positive: lets start with the biggest issue: the noise. The music in the restaurant was extremely loud, as a way to potentially hide the sound coming from downstairs where a party was taking place. That did not work at all, we found ourselves with a combo of ABBA on speakers downstairs with jazz blasting in our ears. Very unpleasant and trully killed the vibe. the food: though you can tell there is a lot of research in term of ingredients quality and flavors and innovation; In most of the dishes the combinations does not work. For the eel for example; the sauce is too thick and too overpowering, an espuma, with the same flavor would avoid that the incredible eel flavor disappear. Only 2 dishes out of the 9 we got were well balanced. the Upselling, we all know that in such environnement that money is made on alcohol. But what was sold and advised to us as a house champagne to start with the amuse, was actually a glass of Deutz for 25 euros per glass, which we only see later on… not great the little sweet box with the bill, good idea but full of old wrapper left by previous clients. we had to ask 3 times to 3 different waited for a beer to be served

For this price point (+150 euro per person), even in Amsterdam I was expecting a different experience it left us disappointed. The place has a lot to offer to make it one of the best spot of the city, but it is a...

First time at Rem very excited as many people we know have said great things about the place.

The food was amazing but my partner does not eat fish so not only we’ve made a note to mention this when we made the reservation but have also mentioned it to the waitress who served us…and then the fish dish is served for both us so we politely reminded them that my partner doesn’t eat fish which caused the waitress to embark on a sass journey.

She was either disappointed with us sending the dish back (honestly it wasn’t that big a deal mistakes can happen) but she didn’t even come to the table to acknowledge the mistake. We were also trying to get someone’s attention for bread and she rudely came over and told us off mentioning she saw us already we just have to wait for her to finish serving other tables. We pretty much got other waiters serving us for the rest of the evening, another one then considering himself a comedian decided it would be a good idea to make fun of my partners dietary preferences and said as he served the duck: don’t tell me you don’t eat it cause it swims. I mean give the man a stage, he shouldn’t be serving tables but fill up stadiums with large crowds to make them laugh….

Anyway point being it started off strong the cocktails we had on the roof were great the bartender was great but if I’m gonna pay 100+ euros pp I don’t need it come with sassy, rude waiters, just be a nice person, come to the table, address that there was a misunderstanding and let’s all move on.

Lastly, if you claim you have an alcoholic pairing with the menu, when serving the ice tea please consider offering it as an option against a wine or other beverage, because the Eastern European in me would like the full on alcoholic experience not being tainted by some kambucha...

A birthday dinner to forget

we visited for birthday dinner hoping for a special evening but left €150 poorer and deeply disappointed. We started at the rooftop for drinks and snacks, where we were greeted by the best iced tea ever, overly sweet and utterly disappointing. The bartender, with an air of arrogance, tried to "educate" us on their gin, which was neither impressive nor appreciated. Despite arriving at 19:00 as planned, we were left shivering in the cold until nearly 20:00 before being released from the freezing rooftop. The ambiance of the rooftop was further marred by club music blaring—hardly suitable for fine dining.

Once seated, the first course of White Asparagus with Zeeland Flat Oyster was bland and uninspired. The second course, featuring Monkfish with Wakame and Leek Terrine, Smoked Eel, and a Cream of Capers and Raisins, fell flat with weak flavors and insufficient smokiness.

The Kohlrabi cooked in dashi and fried in Goji butter, served with Spinach, Green Pepper Sauce, and Cream of Shallot, was excessively salty, and the spinach tasted unpleasantly like soil.

The main course, their version of Peking Duck, included a steamed bao filled with duck leg confit, which was the only highlight—soft and flavorful. Unfortunately, the duck was too gamey, and the sauces did not complement the meat. The combination of cabbage and shrimp was dry and lacked the expected umami.

Dessert combined banana with peanut, sambal, and bacon, resulting in a fatty bacon sauce that overwhelmed the banana ice cream, failing to meet fine dining expectations.

Overall, the chaotic service, freezing rooftop wait, inappropriate music, and underwhelming dishes made this a birthday dinner to forget. Save your money and...