[Food Review] Branie Amsterdam - an Asian inspired restaurant with small sharing plates at Overtoom.
50 Best lists, like the Michelin guide, are a combination of hits and misses. However, Branie's on their "50 Best Discover" list caught my attention. I Googled the place and found overwhelmingly positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.9 from over 300 people. I then decided to visit with a friend.
Below is 1 min YouTube video summary.
Immediately after reading the menu, I realized that what "50 Best" wrote about this place was completely wrong. It was not inspired by Southeast Asia. The most prominent cuisines applied to the dishes were Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, which are from Northeast Asia.
Unlike other Asian fusion places that stir up Japanese with Thai and Chinese, becoming a terrible hybrid, they smartly managed to find the right spot for Asian fusion, combining multiple different cuisines.
They welcomed us with a bowl of spicy popcorn with chili powder.
I ordered the drink "50 Best" recommended, the Bergamot Mule made with Dutch jenever, bergamot, lemon, and ginger beer. Beware, the size could be smaller than you expect. However, the cocktail was quite refreshing and tasty, so I could see why "50 Best" specifically featured this drink.
Initially, we ordered four dishes, thinking it would be more than enough for two people. However, the plates were smaller than we expected.
The first dishes were Aguachile and Chili Wonton.
Aguachile
Sea bass, Cantaloupe, Lime, Thai basil, Crispy rice
13.5€
They reinterpreted the Mexican dish into subtle Thai-Mexican food by adding Thai basil and crispy rice, while replacing shrimp with sea bass. The fresh ingredients, good texture, and great combination of flavors were excellent. We also thought adding cantaloupe was a nice touch.
Chili Wonton
Minced pork, Chili oil
9€
However, there were only five fingernail-sized bits, leaving us lost for words. Again, they successfully nailed the flavor. They know how to use chili oil without ruining the taste of the wonton. However, I felt the wontons were too small, or there were too few of them.
I know I would get about the same amount of wontons in my bowl when I go to Mak's Noodle, Tsim Tsai Kee, or Ho Hung Kee in Hong Kong, but at least those are three times bigger, thicker, and juicier than these wontons.
Yes, this is not Hong Kong but Amsterdam, but the dish is only 9 Euros, and this small portion was more than a surprise.
Steak Chimichurri
Bavette & Chimichurri
14.5 €
With this chimichurri after the Aguachile, we started to wonder if this was a real Southeast Asian fusion restaurant. We didn't see many Southeast Asian elements.
The combination of chimichurri was quite good, but the flank steak itself was not that tasty - it was too chewy. This is a common thing we usually find in Dutch restaurants. The quality of beef is not as good as in other countries.
Bao Soft Shell Crab
Mango gel, Cucumber, Spicy Mayo
9.5 €
At this point, we already realized that the Bao would arrive with just one piece. It was not Momofuku nor Ippudo. Thankfully, the soft-shell crab was easy to cut, so we could share.
We also thought about ordering one more, but thinking about the time we had to spend waiting for the dish, we thought it would take too much time for a bao, which was not something totally new.
The Bao bun was quite good, but it just made us more hungry. Then the table next to us got something big, so we ordered again - Peggy Gou Kip.
The menu listed a Korean-style Dakgangjeong (닭강정) dish with Gochujang sauce, which was supposedly named after Peggy Gou. However, it should be noted that Peggy Gou is not a household name in Korea for her musical achievement - while K-pop sensations BTS and Blackpink are, along with emerging acts like New Jeans and IVE. Hence, it was quite interesting to see her name attached to a Korean dish.
Peggy Gou Kip
Gochujang & Spring Onion
13.5 €
Simply, it was a Korean style Dakgangjeong (닭강정) with Gochujang sauce, which bears Peggy Gou name. While Peggy Gou never is a household name in Korea - BTS is, Blackpink is, now New Jeans, IVE are but not Peggy Gou- but it is always interesting to see the level of fame she is on here in Europe.
I requested for extra spiciness by adding more gochujang, and the kitchen did not disappoint, making the dish even more spicy with extra sauce. The taste was perfect with a good spicy and sweet combination. Although it was a usual Gochujang-based dish that can easily be found in Seoul, the restaurant picked up on the taste correctly.
Overall, the restaurant did not approach all the ingredients in a complex way, but in a straightforward way. Compared to other so-called Asian fusion places, they fully understood what these Asian ingredients were and how they could be used. In that way, Branie was quite interesting and meaningful compared to others.
Initially, the restaurant charged us 202.85 Euros for all five dishes, which came as a shock, but they later found out they made a mistake and adjusted the bill to around 80 Euros. Afterward, we headed to Biscuit Baby to fill up on some hearty Southern food.
All in all, Branie was a decent spot for Amsterdam standards, but it's worth noting that it wouldn't stand out in cities like LA, New York, Tokyo, Singapore or Seoul. If you happen to be from one of those cities, it's important to adjust your expectations accordingly and keep in mind that you're in Amsterdam, not your hometown.
Branie Amsterdam
Ten katestraat 26a huis, 1053 CG Amsterdam
Phone: 020 331 1388
Thanks for reading.
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