There are few places in the city where you can sit on the water, savor Congolese flavors, and have a DJ spinning in the background—all at the same time. Omoka is one such place. Every Friday and Saturday starting at 5:00 p.m., the floating restaurant Contrast at the NDSM site transforms into something completely different. Same ship, totally different vibe.
Behind Omoka is Akialles, the founder who conceived the concept and brings it to life on Chef Iñaki Bolumburu’s ship. Bolumburu runs Contrast, a restaurant with a modern Basque menu known for its refinement and precision. Omoka is deliberately the opposite. Not quiet and subdued, but loud and lively. Akialles has transformed the ship into a place where Afro-Congolese cuisine takes center stage, complemented by cocktails and music that goes on all evening. Two concepts, one boat: that’s perhaps the most apt way to describe what’s happening here.
The ship itself is well worth the visit. A former cargo ship, moored in the harbor of the NDSM site, featuring a pavilion designed by zU-studio’s. Set against the industrial landscape of Noord, yet within a space that doesn’t immediately give that away. The view across the IJ is wide and open, especially as evening falls and the lights on the opposite shore come on. The combination of the rugged NDSM site and the water below gives Omoka an atmosphere you won’t find in the city center.
Two concepts, one boat: that might just be the most apt way to describe what’s happening here.
For years, the NDSM site has had a reputation as a breeding ground for things that don’t fit elsewhere in the city. Large warehouses, creative initiatives, and restaurants that take up just a little more space than average. Omoka fits right in. You can get there on the free IJ ferry from Central Station—a crossing that takes just a few minutes and gives you the feeling of being in a different part of the city even before you step on board. Once you’re at NDSM, you see the city in a different light. And on that cargo ship, with Congolese cuisine and music you feel more than you hear, that feeling is complete.