Momo: hottest new restaurant, lounge and bar in Amsterdam

What a fabulous addition to the dining and bar scene in Amsterdam! This week I went to the terrific opening party of Momo, a new restaurant, bar and lounge specializing in sushi, sashimi and Asian style dishes, then I went back the next evening for dinner. It’s now my favorite place to hang out in Amsterdam. The quality of the fish they use for sashimi and sushi are far above what you get in Amsterdam sushi restaurants, and the presentation of the food is a feast for the eyes. There are set menus for four or more persons, an astounding menu if you want to eat at the bar (you don’t really need to sit down for the full dinner because these little plates are so delicious and filling), and a list of unusual cocktails.

The chef, Anthony Sousa Tam, used to work at Hakkasan in London, so you can set high expectations. Other noteworthy dishes: the grilled chilean sea bass in an aromatic curry sauce was divine — the curry was very spicy (no concession whatsoever to bland local tastes). Desserts were out of this world: chocolate fondant with chocolate mousse and ginger creme brulee served in a spider’s web “cage” of crunchy caramel.

Momo’s interiors were done by Baranowitz & Kronenberg, the Tel Aviv architecture firm that did Herbert Samuel and Sushi Samba, two excellent restaurants in Tel Aviv.

Finally, Amsterdam gets an elegant, cosmopolitan place to hang out that actually has really good food!

• Vibe: urban chic, white airy interiors filled with light; attracts a flashy vulgar fashion/design crowd from Amsterdam-Zuid, with a few conservative banking types hanging out at the bar; location is perfect – next to Vondelpark and one block from the luxury boutique shopping street, PC Hooftstraat.

• Pros: best sushi and sashimi outside the Okura Hotel, savoury bar food like chicken wings (but nothing like chicken wings you’ve ever tasted), excellent cocktails.

• Cons: can get very loud when the place is packed; you must reserve otherwise you eat at the bar; the PC Hooftstraat shopping crowd (fake tan, fake body parts, botoxed foreheads and plumped-up lips) can be quite vulgar so be prepared to forgive their crude behavior by downing even more of Momo’s incredible cocktails.

Momo
Hobbemastraat 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 671 7474
www.momo-amsterdam.com