De Japanner

Aaaand I finally made it to the famous De Japanner. I don’t know, man…I have a long list.

De Japanner was an attractive option for my group of friends – some meat lovers, some no-sushi-for-me people, some vegans. Everyone had options here. Extra points, the place is also actually famous for pretty nice cocktails…and it sure is cocktail season!

The concept of the restaurant is one that we’re seeing more and more of in Amsterdam: shared plates, shared dining. I actually like this for some cuisines, like Mediterranean or (some) Asian. I get upset when brunch places do it though. Just give me a whole, way-to-big waffle please…

Anyway! To start with, one of my friends got a good cocktail, but their menu isn’t online so I can’t really remember which one. The rest of us went with the light and delicious classic: Asahi beer.

The first plate we shared was the Beef Tataki, seasoned with garlic and ginger. I give this a 9/10. Absolutely delicious, melts-in-your-mouth kinda thing. Wish we had 2 plates.

We then got the Chicken Katsu, which came with a bbq sauce. Not the best, not the worst – an average 7/10 for this one. I think the sauce should be on the side, to really let the crispy coating be as crispy as possible.

Moving on, I present you: the Wagyu Beef Gyozas. 100/10. Order 2 portions. Or 20. Seriously. The ones in the back of the pic are vegan – not the best selection of veggies for a gyoza, in my opinion.

Below you can see the Saikoro Beef Steak. It may not look like much – probably could’ve taken a better picture, to be fair – but it tastes like heaven’s pis&ing on your tongue. 9/10.

On to one of the vegan dishes we tried (yes, we left most of it to the actual vegan person – we’re not monsters): Nasu Dengaku. The miso glaze was delicious, a solid 8/10. Also tried the Hirtake Mushrooms, which I would rate 8/10. Definitely a good run for the veggie menu here!

The last thing we’ve shared that I also have a picture of was Ika French Fries a.k.a. Squid Fries. Meh. Squid was definitely too chewy. 5/10.

I recall trying some of their Sushi Rolls too, and weren’t super impressed – probably a 7/10 for those.

Well – as you may have noticed – they’re absolutely naaaillliiing beef dishes. If I’d go again, I’d order everything beef based and some veggie dishes on the side, to get the best out of their varied (but not like 10 pages) menu.

We were happy with the food overall, and I’m still dreaming about some dishes, like the Wagyu Gyozas. I can’t sing their praises enough.

However, the service wasn’t great. And yes, I know everyone’s struggling nowadays, but this was just too chaotic. We got stuff we didn’t order (twice). Didn’t get stuff we ordered. Ordered a beer 3 times in 20 minutes. A bit of a bummer.

Overall, good spot for group hangs, with food made of mainly high quality ingredients. I’d return to re-try my favs.

Value for money: 8

Food Quality: 8

Location: 9 (Bilderdijkstraat 203; Albert Cuypstraat 228; Pampuslaan 505)

Service: 6

Website: https://dejapanner.com/

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