Restaurant Kenneh — Restaurant in Amsterdam

This was probably one of the worst experiences I’ve had in a while. And I don’t say this lightly. We were really looking forward to trying something different, west african fine dining and offering a vegan menu was set to be a great date night. The whole experience (without even commenting on the food) was terrible and calling this fine dining with the price tag is quite ridiculous. From the moment we came in, with a reservation, although the restaurant wasn’t full. The staff told us they gave our table away. After some discussion they end up sitting us down, without menus or drinks for a while. We booked with a note that we were looking to do the vegan menu and I had allergies to peanuts, which we reminded the staff as we ordered. As we ordered wine, I chose the wine while the waiter made a sarcastic comment to my husband “Oh so she decides huh” which was completely inappropriate. He then managed to forget our wine, we had to remind them to serve us. They didn’t present the bottle or let us taste it. As our first dish arrived, it wasn’t vegan which made us worried they didn’t take note of the allergy either.

We also had a woman waiter who wasn’t trained in personal space, always reaching across in front of the customer to take plates away. The “funniest” part is when I didn’t finish my bread which was resting on my side bread plate, she picked it up with her bare hands asking me if she could take it away. She didn’t pick up the plate. She picked up the bread straight. Should i have said “no please leave it” after she had touched it?

The restaurant itself isn’t furnished with sound absorbing material which made the evening extremely loud although not that busy. It was also really warm with a lack of ventilation which just made things uncomfortable. At some point, one of the cooks yelled “I’m going for a smoke” which we all heard due to the open kitchen.

I hate to leave negative reviews but this experience overall almost felt like a prank. Paying a high price tag and calling this fine dining is almost insulting. Would not recommend. Go at...

Kenneh is a gem and well worth checking out if you want to try West African dishes from different countries. Highly recommended.

This was our second time having West African food, and the first time in the Netherlands. The moment we stepped in we were greeted by fragrant spices and the very friendly owner.

We tried the peppered oyster, the puff puff with lobster, the scotch egg with onion stew and beef sausage, the grilled red mullet with spicy peanut stew and fresh herbs, as well as the aged sirloin steak seasoned with suya. We had the herb infused rice and the homemade bread (agege) with nutmeg butter as sides.

All the dishes were phenomenal. The dishes were very nicely spiced, and the owner came up between courses to check whether the food and the spice level was to our liking. He also explained the origin of the different dishes, which he did for the full tasting menu as well — we heard this at the next table over.

The wine list offers a good selection of wines that pair well with the different dishes. They also offer three cocktails, of which we sampled two: the Spiced Tamarind and the Tree of Life. Both were a great way to end the meal for us, as we usually don't take dessert. The flavour profiles are nicely evocative of the cuisine.

Overall, I would really recommend checking this place out. It does West African food in a fine dining setting, but the overall atmosphere is very down to Earth, friendly,...

I really want to say it's awful. I want to tell you not to come. I want to keep this place all to myself and eat there every night. Sadly, that would be a disservice to cuisine, and to the wonderful characters of Chef Samuka and his fiancé.

The food was sublime. Conversation-stoppingly delicious. It's a cliche to say "surprising and refreshing twists on fine dining staples" - but when was the last time you had lobster with an onion butterfly, or home made bread with nutmeg butter? I can't even tell you about the dessert, because you won't believe me. Just go and try it.

Their service matched, the wines were well chosen and delicious. The cutlery and serving choices perfectly communicated fine dining sensibilities with style befitting the restaurant's West African routes. If I had to find fault, they could maybe better match the service corridor with the quality shown everywhere else, and there's something about serving females first that jars a little with Amsterdam sensibilities in 2024. I'm being very picky though - and the sheer delight of the food renders everything else moot.

Hyperbole aside, Kenneh surpassed any 1* Michelin I can remember visiting; Samuka is clearly a remarkable talent with an exciting future ahead of him, and I can't wait to go...