Mama Makan Indonesian Kitchen – Evocative Indonesian-Inspired Restaurant and Bar

This hip yet relaxed city lobby bar and Indonesian-inspired restaurant in the Dutch capital offers sexy & spicy signature cocktails and aromatic sharing plates which all add up to a recipe for a great night out, writes Andrew Forbes.

When I think of Hyatt Regency properties I think of smart business hotels; I don’t necessarily think of a destination bar or restaurant. Yet the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam has its finger on the pulse and has created a smart and hip lobby bar and restaurant that’s attracting locals and visitors alike.

Drunken Botanist

At the Mama Makan Bar design plays an important role with the lobby feeling like a green urban oasis, with its award-winning verdant vertical gardens, and exotic wall coverings of palm fronds. The botanical theme continues with the fabulous cocktails at the bar inspired by Amy Stewart’s ‘The Drunken Botanist’, that details the intoxicating array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits that are used in drinks.

It’s the perfect complement to the exotic bar and restaurant menu – cocktails are made with fresh herbs, exotic spices and homemade syrups. I tied the ‘Lemon Grass’ cocktail which, as you might imagine features the aromatic, citrus flavoured grass, amongst its botanic, together with ginger liqueur and spices. Its tropical smoky, spicy flavour is remarkable and makes you feel like you’re drinking healthily.

Talking of which, the homemade Indonesian-inspried dishes from the kitchen of Mama Rosmina fuses Indonesian home-cooking with the sophisticated aspirations of the Dutch capital.

Sitting at the bar try the Nasi Campur Bali; a tasting selection of assorted Balinese meat, chicken, seafood with vegetables, steamed rice and authentic regional condiments.

It’s the perfect excuse to order another cocktail, which if course I did. I went for the ‘Ginger’, one of the lucrative products of the Dutch spice trade and the protagonist in this cocktail of tequila, passionfruit and cucumber.

For a sociable evening of dining, leave the lively bar and its pool table ad cool tunes, and head to the adjacent Mama Makan Restaurant. The menu is perfect for sharing; be adventurous and order lots of plates for a fun, colourful, spicy and delicious evening.