I went in search of culinary history nuggets in Amsterdam and the heady influence of Indonesian cuisine is strong. I found Sari Citra with a menu full of familiar flavours of home.
Given that Indonesia as a Dutch colony, it was a goldmine for trade in spices, particularly nutmeg that was worth its weight in gold.
Sari Citra means “authenticity” in Bahasa Indonesia and it was refreshing to walk in here speaking my basic Malay. The service staff is second generation Dutch, but spoke fluent Indonesian.
Located in the de pijp neighbourhood and across from Albert Cuyp market, this halal restaurant has all the snacks and cakes that range from Lemper udang, speokkoek lapis legit, corn tempeh to kueh lapis. Apart from the difference in textures, the flavours tasted like home and South East Asia.
It’s a real spread for nasi padang choices, but we didn’t have room for more food.
Sari Citra
Ferdinand Bolstraat 52bg, 1072 LL
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tel: +31 2067 54102
