Restaurant Review - Kimono Almere (NL)

Name : Kimono Almere
Location : Belfort 16-18, Almere (The Netherlands)
Type : All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Prices : €19.80 p.p. (Monday-Wednesday), €22.80 p.p. (Thursday-Sunday)
Opening Hours : 16:30-22:00 (Monday-Sunday)
Contact : +31 36 5303244
Website : http://www.kimono-almere.nl/ (Dutch)



Review : The restaurant is relatively small but pleasant. The walls are decorated with silk kimonos and pictures of geisha, while red lanterns bearing the kanji for sashimi and ramen (neither of which are actually served as part of the buffet) hang over the bar. The staff were all quite amiable and we didn't need to wait long to be served.

The buffet rules are very straightforward. You will be given a checklist which lists all of the items available with 5 columns, or "rounds", and a pencil so that you can tick off the items you wish to order. You are allowed to choose a maximum of 5 items per person per round and once you have finished making your selection, you should hand the list over to one of the waiters or waitresses, who will then process your order. Once the order has been processed, the food will begin arriving at your table within 10-15 minutes and the checklist will be handed back to you so that you can begin ordering your next round (i.e. you will fill out the 2nd column along, and so on). You can keep ordering food until you have had your fill or until your 2 hours are up; most people will begin to struggle midway through their 3rd round, so there's very little chance of you running out of time to eat.

There are quite a lot of dishes to choose from : nigiri sushi, maki rolls, temaki rolls, grilled meats and fish, grilled vegetables, fried noodles, gyoza, soups, and salads. Octopus and squid lovers may be disappointed (neither of these are on the menu) and diners wishing to feast on sashimi will have to order it separately. On the whole, the nigiri sushi were all delicious (especially the salmon and prawn nigiri) but the rice was prone to falling apart before you could move the sushi onto your plate. Take extra care when dipping the nigiri sushi in your bowl of soy sauce! The grilled vegetables and meats were also very tasty as were the maki rolls and fried noodles. The gyoza were quite hearty and were served with a rich, sweet sauce, though the filling was very different to the gyoza I'm used to.

The only items I wouldn't recommend to a fellow diner would be the udon noodle soup, which was served in a very salty and flavourless broth, and the vegetable tempura, which I found far too greasy and prepared with too much batter. Avoid the tempura if you don't want to feel full after a few bites. I made the mistake of ordering it in my 2nd round and found it impossible to finish my 3rd round (I ended up giving my leftovers to my partner).

The buffet prices are quite decent when one considers how much food you can order but keep in mind that the drinks are rather expensive. A tiny 20cl bottle of Pepsi costs a whopping €2.20 so be prepared to spend at least 25€ per person for a meal out at Kimono Almere. Another thing to keep in mind is that you will be charged for food you have left uneaten, so make sure you order only as much as you can eat to avoid unnecessary waste.

All in all, the food is tasty enough, though not exceptional, and is one of the better Japanese restaurants in Almere. Having said that, I would recommend Tokyo Cafe in Amsterdam over this restaurant as the food is tastier and there's a much wider selection of food on offer for roughly the same price.

Restaurant Review - Kimono Almere (NL)