Nam Kee

Steamed oysters in black bean sauce, famous since 1981, queue and eat.

The steamed oysters with black bean sauce are the order, slippery, briny, famous enough to get a novel and a film (De Oesters van Nam Kee) named after them. Beyond that: char siu glistening in the window, roast duck on rice, and wonton soup that lands about two minutes after you order it. The Zeedijk original has been running since 1981 and looks it, bright lighting, plain tables, staff who move at speed and don't do small talk. No reservations at this branch, so put your name in and pace the block, or come at an off hour. It's cheap, it's fast, and it's the anchor of Amsterdam's tiny Chinatown. If the wait is grim, the Geldersekade branch around the corner takes bookings and seats big family tables without blinking.

Start with the steamed oysters in black bean sauce, then roast duck on rice.

Photo: Nam Kee