Bark

Like most reviewers I found this restaurant via Unilocal!And the first picture I can across was their seafood platter, aka Fruits De Mer.
I attempted 2 bookings, one via Facebook which didn’t seem successful, so to be on the safe side I also booked in via Seatme on the restaurant website. When I arrived they had no note of either booking, but I didn’t have to show my email confirmation as the waitress seated me anyway.
Now, I’m sure I read that it was a casual restaurant, however, although I was quite dressed up for my birthday, and for certain the youngest (and only single customer), with visible tattoos, I felt a little out of place.
I ordered a glass of the Prosecco Spumante, delish and reasonably priced at € 3.75 a glass. After pretending to peruse the menu (I knew EXACTLY what I wanted) I enquired about the difference between the Assiette and Plateau Fruit De Mer, and was told it was just size. Now, pay attention those who suffer from «Eyes bigger than your belly» syndrome, if you’re eating alone the Assiette will most likely be more than sufficient. If, like me, you doubt the portion size of a € 42 seafood platter, or you’re sharing between 2 – 4 people, order the Plateau.
Along with some if the most beautiful crusty bread I have ever had, and a tasty side salad, I was given the tools with which to battle my meal. I started to wonder if I was having dinner, carrying out surgery, or building a battleship. However, when my two tier platter arrived, I knew I was going to war.
The top tier was my «Royal» section; half a lobster and 4 oysters, accompanied by a shallot and red wine vinegarette. Although I’m a huge lobster lover, and I know a dish like this is generally chilled, like other shellfish/​crustaceans, I do prefer it served warm. I enjoyed it very much, but still felt it could have been cooked a few more minutes, as some of it seemed almost raw.
The bottom was 4 portions of allll the shellfish, including king prawns, clams, scallops, whelks and sea snails. The prawns were extremely tasty, especially when dipped in the accompanying Marie Rose dip. The scallops had a slightly smokey taste, although I think my pallet prefers them served warm. Clams, which seemed to be of varying types, were a first for me, and I was not disappointed. Whelks, nice, but not as tasty as Betty’s from The Barras, and the sea snails were passed to my (at times, often sickeningly over affectionate and most likely adulterous) neighbours. They seemed to enjoy the horrid looking creatures.
All in all, despite my fear that I would be conquered by a bunch of cooked and chilled seafood, I won the war and cleared my plates.
My only complaint was I wasn’t given a bowl of lemon water to dip my paws in in between, and was only offered it when I asked to be directed to the washroom. Other than that the staff were friendly, the bill a reasonable € 62 (though I did start to doubt when I left that the biggest number on the bill wasn’t the last, and the extras below may have to be added to the total) and I would definitely return, though hopefully with a companion next time!

This place is open late, so if you get in late, great place to go. We went there for lunch and the food was very good. We had a smoked salmon sandwich and leg of rabbit. The rabbit was cooked perfectly, also a delicacy in season. The wine selection was good and not overpriced. Another great place to eat while in Amsterdam.

After checking in to our hotel, we were starving and it was late. We found Bark through Unilocal and thankfully they were still open. I ordered the salmon pasta and my hubby ordered some salad dish. The salmon pasta was delicious! I practically licked the bowl clean. Now I cannot confirm nor deny whether the food tasted superb because I was starving or because it was that good. Service here was fab. They also have free wifi!

For a city with jumping night-​life, I was surprised by the dearth if quality restaurants that are open late in Amsterdam. Luckily my Unilocal app directed me to Bark which is open most nights until 1230am.
Bark is an upscale casual restaurant with an extensive seafood offering. I had the salmon appetizer which was prepared several different ways (including one served in pannekoek!) which was very tasty. For my main I broke from the seafood theme and went with the lamb, which was well prepared. If you are a lobster fan you’ll probably be happy at Bark as there are over half a dozen different variations on the menu. Service was quick and friendly and this being Amsterdam there was a perfectly translated menu in English.

As it is right near the Concertgebouw and we had tickets to the Philharmonic, we decided to try Bark for dinner. My husband made a resie for 6:45. They had quite a nice area for seating outside, but all the tables were taken by the power elite who had probably just got off of work.
I was a little disappointed that with a reservation that they didn’t have a seat for us outside as it was a beautiful, warm night. It’s a seafood restaurant which seems to specialize in oysters. As I was not quite in the mood, I decided to try their scampi. Problem is, I didn’t order the scampi. I order scampi wrapped by white fish on potatoes and cabbage in a basil sauce. In the end, it was pretty tasty, but I really was looking forward to a plate of large scampi, so was disappointed… my own fault as I misread the menu. The lobster bisque I ordered wasn’t really a bisque. It was more brown and tasted very much like «ocean».
My husband had the dover sole which was buttery, tender and exceptional. I hear it is a highly sought after dish here in Amsterdam.