Umami by Han Amsterdam — Restaurant in Amsterdam

First review, was such an unexpectedly rough experience that I felt I needed to share.

We didn't have a booking and just walked in, was busy for a Tuesday night but we got a table quickly. Our waiter was nice at first, explained the 3 course menu, all good to start. The interior gave the feel of a slightly over filled living room, but the atmosphere was fine.

We ordered drinks, a beer for my partner and tap water for me. When the drinks came the blonde bartender spilt the water on the table and on the sheet of paper we were meant to write our order on and slammed the glass down. No apology, didn't even really look at us, had a very hostile vibe.

We did the 3 course option with 12 different dishes. I have a dairy allergy so asked what dishes were dairy free. Other than one dish, I was told everything else could be adjusted or was fine. So we placed our order and I asked for some more water. Now this may seem like a small detail, but I always notice a restaurant's service around water. Whether the glass gets re-filled, or you have to constantly ask for more ect. This was unfortunately the latter, and after asking for more water (they would only bring a small glass, didn't have a bottle) we waited for over 15 minutes. By the time the water came we were so thirsty it didn't last long. But after finally flagging someone down to ask for more water, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the next round of water cups. Honestly terrible service, every time I asked for water, or checked on the water I'd already ordered, it felt I was irritating the waiters. Sorry for the water rant but it's a pet peeve of mine and as someone who's worked as a waiter, it just bugs me.

Now on to the food, which also was very slow to come out. To preface as I said earlier, I have a dairy allergy so maybe it's because of that (benefit of the doubt) but all the dishes were average at best. Not very flavourful, didn't taste fresh, and just felt off balance. Sauces that didn't go with the flavour of the meat (seabass ceviche), underwhelming sauces like the beef rendang (mainly tasted like coconut), and tiny bits of pork rib with odd salad and dressing. Everything felt confused and overly complicated. For the price I expected at least some, if not all, of the dishes to be great or a 'wow' moment. Unfortunately not. The service was noticeably bad, and while our waiter was trying his hardest, the other waiters just gave off unwelcoming and dismissive attitudes.

At this point we were very disappointed in the food and I'd debated multiple times whether taking my glass to the bathroom would have been easier and quicker to get more water. So time to get the bill and leave, and what do you know, we were charged 1 euro per tiny glass of wait forever water. While I'm new to Amsterdam, I haven't been charged for tap water anywhere else. Wasn't told there was a charge, felt thirsty almost the entire meal and then a tap water charge. Enraging.

While we chose it because of the high average review, it's definitely not worth the money. Average food, bad service and a crazy...

Had a fantastic dinner here with a large group of friends. From the start, the staff was really friendly and accommodating. We were a large group and the great thing was that all of us could order anything we wanted. Some got the Gastronomique menu, Social dinning menu, Social dinning à la cart, Street food items and the Thursday Lobster special.

The service was fantastic, yes it was slow, however since not everyone stuck to the same menu and some didn't get a set menu it was expected. The staff made sure that everyone was able to eat together in courses (with a little wait at times). I applaud them for that since logistically it wasn't very easy.

The food was great. There are many options from seafood, to meat to vegetarian. So you will definitely be able to find something for everyone. Also, the social dinning dishes are a good size, especially considering the number of dishes you can order. I did find some things tastier than others but overall the food was delicious! To begin with as a 1st course the Vinai Beef was fantastic. It was a cold started but the beef was tended and it was one of my favorite dishes. The Umami Duck was also great, it was a little spicy which caught me by surprise but it was a great start to my meal. Then, Steamed Xiao Long Bao came hot, perfectly cooked and juicy. I did wish that the filling was a bit more flavorful but nonetheless it was tasty. Steamed Iberico Pork Neck was tended and was a nice light dish. The 3rd course came with a bowl of rice as well. The Eggplant Beef was another favorite of mine. Saucy, perfectly cooked, flavorful and was fantastic with the rice. The Spicy Teriyaki Chicken was also nice but not actually spicy. The duck I had as a started was way more. It was nice but it was really overshadowed by the beef since compared to it, it was a bit on the dryer end. I can also say that the Lemon Fish was highly praised and the Whole Lobster was perfection.

As a dessert the Coconut Lychee was very interesting. It included the popping candy which you could hear and feel when eating. It was unexpected but pleasant. The taste was ok, nothing special.

Cocktail wise, I tried the Pornstar Martini and it was a fantastic drink. It was perfectly balanced and served with a shot of cava on the side as it is meant to.

Overall a great restaurant, but it is better with less people or making sure everyone is ok with ordering a set menu. Then you probably wouldn't need to wait long...

The food was good in flavour, but sadly we went home hungry. The portions were very small, if you shared your plate with 2 others then everyone got one bite and that was it. Sure you had a lot of different dishes, two a person per round (we also had the inbetween round), but it was like getting a taste and nothing else, some dishes were two bites and that was it. Last round came with a small bowl of rice, which was fine I guess, but you couldn't order anything extra. Desserts were a disappointment, I had the lychee coconut one which was one small scoop of coconut icecream and some soup-like dressing around it (the lychee but it might as well have been some molten icecream instead).

They also overpoured the coctail I ordered, there was way too much rum in it and thus very strong flavoured of alcohol. The night started pretty good, but eventually more and more cracks started showing: the service was overwhelmed and it was hard getting the right person's attention, the person who introduced themselves at our table was too busy to attend to us and everyone else just hurriedly walked across which made us think they didn't want to help. We had to practically wave at people to ask for drinks or another bottle of water, the ones talking to one another right next to our table had their backs turned to avoid eye contact (out of sight out of mind). It was an okay evening, but I wouldn't go there a second time and def not if you want a quiet evening because the place is very loud. Lastly, it was obvious they were speeding up service to empty out tables. After ordering as a group we received our first round a mere 10-15 minutes or so after. We had only just gotten our first drinks at that point. After finished it would again only take 10-25 mins before the next round came. It all felt...