Sazanka

Ferdinand Bolstraat 333
Amsterdam

One Friday after work, J & I tried to go to Yamazato for some sushi, but no surprise it was booked full. So we decided to finally give Sazanka a go. The last teppanyaki place I'd been to was in Noordwijk with J's family, and it must have been our chef's first day working without an instructor. His fear was as obvious as the trail of shrimp guts on the side of his knife because he couldn't adequately clean the shrimp. And he knew that we knew he had no business being there, "cooking" for people. It was amusing and sad, but in the end my expectations didn't exactly come crashing to the ground. When in Noordwijk, eat croquette.

Sazanka, on the other hand, met all my expectations, even exceeding them if consider the Eastern European gangster and his Asian girlfriend with dyed blond hair, bleached eyebrows and taupe monochromatic lips. who sat across from us. And I think I should.

The restaurant is a lot smaller than Yamazato, with maybe 7 or 8 teppanyaki tables where the guests rotated in and out throughout the night. Catty-corner to us at the next table was the gangster and woman I described above, and neither J nor I could keep out eyes off of them. Luckily, we could stare as much as we wanted using Sazanka's mirrored walls; and we could take in the other guest too... at a table in the middle of the room sat 3 separate groups overlooking each other: 4 late-twenty something men sitting spending money, 4 teenage girls celebrating a birthday by spending daddy's money and 4 wives in their early forties whose husbands had excused themselves for an after dinner cigar. The tension at that table was palpable, each group staring each other, but knowing that they couldn't touch. Great drama.

Anyway, I'm here to talk about the food as well, right? We ordered the menu Sazanka, which started off with a lovely tuna carpaccio from the kitchen, followed by an absolutely amazing smoked duck and crispy duck liver salad made entirely on teppanyaki grill. Next was the obligatory lobster tail and scallop, which was cleaned, deshelled, cooked and re-assembled with skill and confidence. Of course, delicious; J not only tried but enjoyed his first scallop! He also enjoyed the grilled yellowtail with teriyaki sauce which followed, but I didn't at all. I prefer it raw and i thought the teriyaki sauce was too heavy, sweet and sticky for the fish. But I ate it anyway, what else can you do with the chef in front of you?

The main was as one would expect, beef steak cut into cubes, served with crispy fried garlic and the three traditional sauces. For dessert we were served a crepe with ice cream, which after some work I was able to change for green tea ice cream. The kitchen was concerned that the green tea would clash with the rest of the dish, and asked the waitress to communicate this concern to me. Of course, the customer is always right, but I have a lot of respect when a restaurant has standards and a clear vision, on everything and their desserts. Sazanka surely doesn't deserve to be treated as a fall back to Yamazato anymore.

Finalmente Brasil

Kinkerstraat 22
Amsterdam

Ever since I first stumbled upon Finalmente Brasil over one year ago, I wondered about this curious little place which always seemed packed despite its dreary, worn out appearance. What was this little Brazilian lunchroom that remained consistently full without any mention on IENS? Calling upon only the most scientific deductive reasoning, I surmised that their clientele must live locally and were a loyal bunch on account of what must be consistent and well prepared food. In light of whatever judgments I may have made about the outward appearance of the restaurant, my interest was piqued and my expectations were high.

I caught up with Finalmente Brasil one early Saturday afternoon in August and took a seat, joining only the few flies casually buzzing around a nearby table. A Portuguese game show was blaring from the TV in the corner and the one waitress hung casually on the counter chatting to the chef. As I’d studied my menu options online months before, I didn’t need long to settle on my choice. After ordering the feijoada, a traditional Brazilian stew, I settled into my rickety chair for the last stretch of what had actually been a year long wait.

It arrived a short 15 minutes later neatly presented in three parts. First, I received a large bowl of black beans; second, a small aluminum platter with one grilled pork chop, a fried plantain (bakbanaan), sautéed fresh greens, a healthy (sized) piece of pork belly and a small portion of lukewarm rice; finally, an empty plate upon which one could mingle together all of the above.

If you believe life is best enjoyed over a generous helping of beans accompanied by pork prepared in a variety of ways, then you are probably not Dutch. A dish which lives or dies on the beans, these were richly flavored from ham hocks, slowly braised so that the meat falls off the bone upon the slightest pressure of the fork. The pork chop, dusted in what tasted like Goya’s Abodo seasoning, had perfectly parallel crisscross grill markings on it (OK, suspiciously parallel), but was juicy and flavorful enough to allow my suspicions to melt away… And speaking of melting, that was the sensation in my mouth after crunching through the fat of the pork belly, caramelized in all the right places.

Unfortunately there were all to little of the greens. They were still a vibrant color after being pan flashed with a bit too much oil, but they added a refreshingly bitter crisp bite that served as the perfect balance to the deliciously salty food.

Wonderful to gorge yourself in the company of friends or soothing to slowly enjoy on one’s own, Finalmente Brasil’s feijoada is the quintessential comfort food. I ate mine without the optional pig’s ear & tail (the price is the same with or without – €17.50) but next time I might trust them enough to go the distance.