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Experience modern, Amsterdam-inspired flavours at the only dedicated Dutch eatery in Victoria at Mokum on Sydney Road in Brunswick. Mokum is a sentimental nickname given to the city of Amsterdam and it has come to mean ‘safe place’, which is exactly what this venue aims to be – a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcomed warmly and made to feel at home.
Why should you drop in for a meal at Mokum? Here are three good reasons:
What’s your most popular dish/drink:
The whole menu is quite unique for Melbourne as we are the only place in the city (the whole country even) dedicated to Dutch cuisine.
We are particularly proud of our bitterballen, these are traditional Dutch croquette balls filled with beef and a spiced roux - they are traditionally served with mustard and translate to 'bitter balls' not because they are bitter but because they are designed to accompany a bitter drink such as a beer or jenever (Dutch gin).
In Holland these are often made using veal and meat makes up about 30% of the contents, we like our meat meaty though and slow braise beef brisket overnight before pulling it apart, mixing it into the roux and then rolling them up into crumbed balls.
Our filling ratio is more like 80% delicious slow-braised beef and is quite an experience. In addition to the beef bitterballen, we also employ similar techniques to make our vegan-friendly mushroom bitterballen.
What is your point of difference?
As mentioned, we are the only eatery in all of Australia dedicated to Dutch cuisine. We don't just serve traditional old-style Dutch food though.
Our name 'Mokum' is a nickname given to Amsterdam reflecting the welcoming nature of the city and how people from all walks of life throughout the centuries have been welcomed to make homes for themselves within the city.
This has had a massive impact on the culinary scene of Amsterdam and our menu celebrates that with the inclusion of flavours and dishes from the Surinamese, Indonesian, Antillean, Turkish and Moroccan communities calling Amsterdam home today.
We also have one of the largest beer lists in Australia with more than 100 different beers available at any one time to choose from, most of these from Belgium and the Netherlands following centuries-old recipes and some with worldwide reputations for excellence, our beer list reads like an encyclopedia.
In addition to the unique beers, we roast our own coffee beans, bake our own cookies and cakes and even make uniquely flavoured liqueurs to use in our cocktails or enjoy on their own.
What is a fun fact that not many people know about the restaurant?
I (owner Albert Sikkens) was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch father and Australian mother, I moved to London and grew up there but returned to Amsterdam multiple times a year for my entire upbringing.
Since the age of about 8, I have been in love with Dutch street food and already dreamed of one day bringing these foods to an international audience.
Most of my adult life, I have worked in the hospitality industry, starting in bars in London and Amsterdam before moving to Melbourne to manage restaurants 16 years ago. Now, finally I have an opportunity to realise my childhood dream and share the food I love with my local community.
I decided to call my venue Mokum to reflect the welcoming nature of Amsterdam and hope that everybody who visits feels welcome and the 'gezelligheid' (a Dutch word without a direct translation but means something along the lines of: warm, cosy, enjoyable).
