de geheimen van kam yin.

I haven't done this in a while, but I just did: look at a menu and order what you're hungry for, even if it flies in the face of what you think a restaurant might be good at.

After an afternoon of "brainstorming" near the Zeedijk (pictured above) with some (well, go ahead) "colleagues", I ended up at Kam Yin on the Warmoestraat.

I know it's not supposed to be awesome or anything, but listen: there had been some beers involved in the brainstorming; I was hungry; I didn't have much money; and Kam Yin was packed with clientele that looked 100% Chinese and/or Surinamese.

Actually, backtrack: the real problem was, I had very much wanted to go to Nam Kee for their dry Sichuan chicken thingie that I'd had a couple of years ago. I'd been thinking about it on my way over to the Zeedijk, and by the time our meeting was over I was pretty sure I could almost taste it.

Trouble, continued: Nam Kee was closed for renovations. Yes, I'm sure I could've gone next door to New King and probably gotten the same or better, but there was a long line snaking out their door onto the garbage-strewn sidewalk (apparently/hopefully it was garbage night on the Zeedijk).

So, I gave up and headed home. And then I walked past Kam Yin. Which was packed, but there was no line. And then, faced with the choice of a 20-minute walk home without Chinese food or a 20-minute walk home with a head reeling from some numbingly spicy-ass Sichuan peppercorns, I went inside.

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Once seated, out of a menu of 814 items, I ordered one of 5 Sichuan dishes, the Sichuan chicken (8 euro). I'm sure you know where this is going.

Rather than say anything bad about Kam Yin, I'll blame myself for this one. It was edible, sure, but what was on my plate had nothing to do with Sichuan food. It was 100% pre-made goopy Chinese food that can only be satisfying after several beers and the application of various chili sauces.

And this is my fault, for sure. The best smells coming out of the kitchen were 100% Suriname food. The sign outside says "Surinamese/Chinese food". What I did was the equivalent of ordering a roti at Nam Kee, and why would I do that? I wouldn't.

At Kam Yin, the service was lightning-fast and friendly. The prices were right. Lots of people seemed to be enjoying their Surinamese food. If there's a next time, I ignore the stomach, respect the head, do what makes sense, etc etc etc.

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