Okay, so you like Thai food? Got something for you, but be aware: this is not a restaurant like you might expect it to be. So here are some points on the tiniest and best value for money Thai ‘restaurant’ Amsterdam has to offer: ‘Thai Snackbar Bird’ at Zeedijk 77.
#01 Like Mel Gibson said in Braveheart: Hold it!!
First things first: there’s no restroom. So don’t take your pregnant girlfriend there, alright? And don’t you think there is a restroom somewhere in the back, and you could just ask and they’ll let you … No. There is one door in the room and that one leads outside.
#02 Sharing is caring
The place is often packed, and that means sharing tables. You will not be placed at a table for four alone with your BFF and be left to that. The staff will fill those other chairs too. It’s okay, you can totally handle human contact.
#03 Never a long wait
You know how you get to a restaurant or bar, and there’s a line, and you think ‘nah, I’ll have to wait too long’. Not.True. Thai bird is fast, and that means a 10 minute wait can be expected, not half an hour. You’ve got a smartphone, relax.
#04 Enjoy that grub
The food is MF-ing great. It’s quick, affordable and prepared fresh. The Tom Ka Kai is straight forward and tasty, the garlic chicken curry arromatic and gorgiously tender. The rice always sticky and piping hot. Drinks are served in the can, because this place is as classy as a Mac Donalds, but hell can they cook.
#05 On the other side
Mind you, Bird has a real restaurant across the street. Yup, one with restrooms and servants and tablecloths. But no-no, that’s a no-no. Do it real, and sit at that tiny table crammed in between a stranger and the fridge.
By the way, there’s no ‘lunch menu’ here, but food is served as lunch too. So pop in at a less busy time and who knows, you might get a table all to yourself 🙂
