Delivery review: the takeaway meal from Thai snack bar Bird
During these crazy corona times, restaurants are closed, so we’re happily dining out at home. Fortunately, many new and unusual delivery and takeaway restaurants have joined the scene. And we’re going to test them for you. That way, we can keep eating well while supporting our beloved hospitality industry. Today: Thai snack bar Bird in Amsterdam.
Queuing for food may happen in New York, but in the Netherlands we generally don’t do that. Except at Bird. There’s always a queue outside here, with people wanting to grab one of the few tables or pick up the delicious food. For more than twenty years, this has been a fixture on the Zeedijk, a street with plenty of other Asian establishments.
None, however, has quite as much appeal as Bird. This is thanks to the fresh food wok-fried in the tiny kitchen, the efficient chain of command and the excellent value for money. In these viral times, we avoid the queues, but fortunately you can now order for delivery at home too.
The delivery
Just before the corona era, I had already tried a Bird delivery. Despite the short distance to my house, the container was upside down in the plastic bag and the red curry had leaked out. “I’m going to report this to the restaurant; this really isn’t acceptable. They need to put foil over it. Idiots!” the delivery driver ranted in an affected voice. For safety reasons, this time I chose the pad thai with beef and fish cakes, to prevent a Thai tsunami. They are delivered by a boy on a scooter who rings his bell incessantly and complains about the rides being too short. Once again, the container is upside down in the delivery bag.
The menu
The fish cakes are served on a pile of coarsely chopped vegetables, which looks unexpectedly appetising. And they taste good too. Fresh and not at all rubbery, as fish cakes sometimes can be. The sauce is provided separately, neatly in a sealed container.
The pad thai comes with a separately wrapped lime and chopped peanuts. The rice noodles have a satisfyingly firm bite, the ménage à quatre of sweet, sour, savoury and salty is as perfectly balanced as a Thai pepper shaker, and the generous pieces of beef are deliciously tender and juicy. This is pad thai as this national stir-fried dish is meant to be.
Should Bird join us more often?
As a resident of the Red Light District, I often visit Bird, and I’m already delighted that Bird can now come to me. And as far as I’m concerned, they can fly by more often, because no one can wok like they can and the prices fit the snack-bar label: 7 euros for the fish cakes and 14 for the pad thai. Only the packaging deserves a little more love. Delivery can be ordered through the various well-known platforms.
