Kartika serves good Indonesian rijsttafel (multi-dish sampler of spicy meats, vegetables, rice, and…read morenoodles). I don't have Indonesian food where I live, so was excited to try this in Amsterdam. I thought the dishes were all flavorful and gave a good mix of meat, vegetable, and rice dishes. The individual servings were small, but filling enough because of the heavy coconut milk used in most dishes.
1 star off: The attitude of the waitstaff was abysmal. First of all, their website does not offer reservations and they rarely answer their phones. So my family and I arrived at restaurant opening to get a table. The first thing they said to us was "Do you have a reservation? If you don't, I can only give you a table if you get out by 6:30PM." in a stern way. We said okay. The group that came after me also raised the issue that no one at the restaurant answers their phone for reservations. The waitstaff did not respond to that, but begrudging seated them.
1 star off: While we were ordering food, the waitstaff noticed that my son had a water bottle with him, and proceeded to give him a lecture that water bottles are not allowed and that we have to order water from them. He is a teenager...he does not know he was supposed to conceal his water bottle at this restaurant. We all ordered drinks, including water, but the experience left my family feeling unwelcomed.