If you like oriental inspired food, this place in the Kerkstraat in Amsterdam should be on top of your list to visit. Ron Blaauw is a famous Dutch chef who started his restaurant imperium many years ago and he cooked Michelin stars for a long time, quite fancy fine dining. Today, he prefers to keep things simple but very very tasty! I think this is overall a bit the trend, world wide. So he decided to open several Gastro Bars; places with a good atmosphere where one can have exceptional food for a fair price. Quality, taste and service almost similar to Michelin starred places, but more relaxed, less stiff and just good fun. Last week we visited Ron Gastrobar Oriental, the gastrobar specialised in Chinese/oriental cuisine and we were blown away by the dishes. It was our first but definitely not our last time there, and today I will share our experiences with you in a photo report!
Behind this facade the magic happens at Kerkstraat 23 in Amsterdam.
We arrived around 7.30pm by bicycle. The Dutch way! (side comment: Tourists please be careful with cycling in Amsterdam…. It is a busy city and maybe better to try during the day without drinks rather than in the evening after a meal…. Trams, buses, trains and taxis are all present in Amsterdam too….)
Bar seats at Ron Gastrobar Oriental
We started with a glass of Champagne and a look at the menu (which looks a bit like the daily news – love it)
Cosy and romantic. A perfect place for date night!
To start with: “kroepoek” (you don’t see on the photo, sorry) which are homemade spicy shrimp crackers with homemade sambal (spicy!) and sweet and sour cucumber.
If you prefer table seating, there is enough space for that, too.
Table setting with ‘news’ as menu.
OK, this photos does not show what this dish was really about. It’s the “Ta Tan” dish. Underneath this huge paksoi leave there was our starter: Black Angus beef tartar with smoked Sriracha mayonnaise and puffed rice. And that was delicious. The spicy Sriracha sauce was just perfect and one of my favourite. It’s well known and often used in Asia and I wrote a blogpost about it already a few months back.
Ready for some Dim Sum! And oh yeah… The Dim Sums at Ron Gastrobar Oriental are to dream about…. They do 7 different flavours and combination and we had “Dai Tie Sieuw Mai”: Steamed sieuw mai with scallop, Chinese mushroom and spring onion and the other one was “Who Ngau Sieuw Mai”: Wagyu sieuw man with bone marrow. Flavour town! So delicious. Served with a thick soja and fermented leek sauce…. Other combination dim sum were for example Prawn ha kau with tobiko and wasabi mayonnaise, steamed oxtail bun and foie gras or Steamed then fried chicken kauw choi kau.
Next course and I think my favourite….. Or not sure…. All was delicious. Anyway, this is the “Suut Yu”: Roasted cod with bumbu Bali, coconut sauce and crispy chicken skin.
Then “Pai Kwat”; Ron’s famous spare ribs from the BBQ. Without the bone and you can eat it all! No sticky fingers or mess, just very tasty sticky soft marinated pork meat, so full of flavour.
Ohhhhhhhhh! This was delicious! And that is special because I really don’t like spareribs usually…. But these….. heaven!
And if you eat Oriental you should not miss out the “Pe King Hau Ngap”; Roasted Peking Duck – to share for two. With steamed Jasmine rice (“Faan”) and a steamed bun…. Oh, and that Hoisin sauce….. Absolutely fabulous!
In this special meat dry cabinet the Peking Ducks dry out, rest and are perfect for marinating and roasting. And then for eating…. Duck Yeah!
Dessert time. “King Hei Tan”; Surprise Egg Ron Gastrobar Oriental…. With mascarpone, strawberry, white chocolate, cacao…. You have to use a spoon to crack the egg and see what’s inside!
Like so. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ron does his Surprise Egg’s in more gastrobar. Also in his ‘normal’ gastrobar, where he started, and in the Indonesian. Beginning of September there will be a new gastrobar, the French. And I am sure he will do something with this dish there, too!
With the coffee we had this cute ice cones with a sort of lime ice cream… Yummy!
My new favourite place in Amsterdam I believe! What a great food, atmosphere, service. I loved it!

The facts

Ron Gastrobar Oriental is open daily from 17.30 – 23.30
The restaurant can be found on Kerkstraat 23, Amsterdam.
Click here for directions and click here for the website

*Note: I have not been asked, payed or invited to write about Ron Gastrobar Oriental. We payed the bill ourselves in full and my opinion is honest. All photos are mine and taken with a Canon EOS M3 camera.