Ku
Reviews written by Ku
I organized a work meeting for about 20 people in Essen, and this was one of the places we went to. We had two children with us. We made reservations and were given a set of tables in a row. In a nice touch, they left some space between tables so that we ended up in groups of 4 or 5, which gave us easier access to our seats and also better conversations, although we were still near enough to see the rest of the group.
There were no objections from any in the group (vegetarians and non-vegetarians) about the food. I am personally a bit spoiled when it comes to Indian food, and so I had to rate this as standard. I was invited to order for our personal table (5 people) and I tried to get a mix of mild and spicy dishes, for instance massala and korma. I found the sauces difficult to distinguish--everything was equally spicy (hotter than a typical korma, and milder than a typical massala).
I organized a work meeting for about 20 people in Essen, and this was one of the places we went to. We had two children with us. We made reservations at this restaurant, and were given our own room and the opportunity to select a set-price self-service 'bar' (unlimited drinks, we all opted for the wine/beer option, which was slightly more expensive).
The owner aims to have a restaurant offering reasonable prices and a cozy atmosphere. It certainly has a different atmosphere than most places. The food was all seasonal and of no specific cuisine type. I feel that it's a good option for people who are used to and appreciate organic and local food, but people who feel differently may not like the food. In our party, most of the non-vegetarians ordered the one meat dish on the menu, and found it a bit bland, and the children complained that the food was too spicy. By contrast, one of the vegetarians raved about her dish and wanted to come back every night, and I liked my mangold lasagne, although I found the portion too small.
Note that they do not accept credit cards. As with most German restaurants, expect some smoking.
I was lured here several years ago by the fact that it is non-smoking (non-smoking is very difficult to find in the Netherlands). Perhaps it has improved in the last few years, but at the time that I ate there I found the food rather bland.
In general I prefer vegetarian food which is vegetarian by design, rather than food designed around a meatless substitute, so I was quite disappointed that these dishes had less flavour than the same dish typically has at a resturant which doesn't specialize in vegetarian food.
I found the food bland and unmemorable, which is unfortunately my opinion of every vegetarian restaurant I've tried in the Netherlands.
Here are some other people's opinions (in Dutch): http://www.vegatopia.com/forum/index.php?board=7;action=display;threadid=6598
I am not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy eating vegetarian food. Also, I have some friends who are vegetarians, and I've found that this is one of the best places in Gouda to bring them, because there are about 10 vegetarian items on the menu (and some which aren't on the menu, like vegetable korma, which can be requested), which is more than most restaurants offer. Options include dishes like vegetable biryani, paneer saag, and other familiar dishes.
I find that it is best to indicate that you would like the dishes seasoned for Indian people, rather than for Dutch people, or the resulting food will be bland. With this detail made clear, this is the best Indian food I've tasted in the Netherlands.
The restaurant allows smoking, as do most places in the Netherlands, unfortunately. There is a non-smoking section but if you are bothered by smoke you might consider takeout.
I ate here a couple of years ago when I was in Portland for a conference, and found myself sneaking back just a day later for another round.
When I first entered the resturant I was not expecting very much, and the prices also gave the impression that the food would only be one step up from fast food. I could not have been more wrong; I would put this among my top 5 vegetarian meals. The food was excellent, and if I am ever in Portland again, I will certainly visit again.
May 11 07
I organized a work meeting for about 20 people in Essen, and this was one of the places we went to. We had two children with us. Our group had both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. We made reservations and were given several smaller tables pushed together. The restaurant was noiser than any of the others we went to.
I ordered several small dishes of different types of sauces which were served with bread. It was listed as an appetizer but was suitable as a main meal as well. I got a selection of 20, and asked them to avoid giving me seafood. This worked out fairly well: I didn't get any fish, but I couldn't finish the dishes. Luckily one of my co-workers helped--he liked the food so much that he finished his own meal, half of two other meals, and more than a third of two more. Everyone seemed to appreciate the food, although perhaps not quite as much as he did!
My main complaint with this restaurant is the smoking. In addition to the normal amount of smoke you get in a German restaurant, which I don't much appreciate, there is the smoke from scented water pipes. We had to open the window for some relief.