On this trip to Den Haag, I made a conscious effort to take photos of my meals. As I’ve mentioned before, I love popping into supermarkets and trying to immerse myself in local life — observing what people eat and, with a bubbling sense of excitement, picking out something interesting to try. It’s about getting to the heart and soul of a place, and earning those quietly brag-worthy brownie points: “Look, I’ve found something you won’t see in a travel guide.”
First things first — Dutch-Indonesian fusion food. It was a real forehead-slapping moment when I arrived in the Netherlands and strolled past a string of Indonesian eateries. All those years of slowly working through history textbooks, just to earn an “A” on my report card — and for what? How could I have forgotten that Indonesia was a prized Dutch colony for hundreds of years?
Ingredients like sambal and ketjap (what Malaysians call “kicap”, meaning soy sauce) are by no means foreign to this outspoken and, at times, rather brusque nation. Nasi, rendang, satay sauce — a whole array of South-East Asian flavours that made me smile so widely my lips nearly reached the corners of my eyes.
You can easily find restaurants like this — similar to the economic rice stalls, or nasi kandar shops, commonly seen in Malaysia.
Photos from top to bottom: the dishes were cooked and kept warm in stainless steel trays. Everything pairs well with white rice, and all you need to do is point at your choices — much like ordering at an ice cream shop; packets of kroepoek (prawn crackers — what Malaysians call “keropok”) are great as snacks, or in this case, appetisers; paos and kuihs — South-East Asian breads and pastries made with rice flour; and lastly, my rendang chicken rice. I know this lunch box may look somewhat off-putting, but it was undeniably good. Prepared and cooked by Indonesians living in the Netherlands, the flavours did not lie.
The second thing — those sleek glass doors installed on supermarket chill cabinets. The first time I saw them was in an upscale supermarket in Den Haag, and I assumed they were simply part of its interior design. But then I noticed the same feature in HEMA and Albert Heijn.
I found plenty of paprika-flavoured snacks that I simply couldn’t resist buying. Kronkels Paprika was an entirely otherworldly crisp.
^ A liverwurst, which can be directly translated as “liver sausage”. It is a pâté-like Dutch sausage that can be spread on bread. I chose the pork version but didn’t enjoy the taste. It has quite a pungent, porky-liver flavour (I’m not entirely sure that’s the proper way to describe it, but I’m certain you’ll understand). A small portion of liverwurst is also relatively high in fat, so I wouldn’t consider it something for everyday consumption.
But these two! If you remember my My Old Dutch pancake post, you’ll recall speculoos — a peanut butter-like spread made from caramelised gingerbread biscuits. The ones below are sprinkles called “hagelslag”, which literally means hailstorm. This is a staple of the Dutch breakfast table — typically scattered over buttered bread or toast, and available in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours.
Source of bottom two pictures: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/12/eating-sprinkles-the-dutch-way-hagelslag-on-bread.html
My routine during that week in the Netherlands was simple: a trip to the gym, followed by a quick, healthy lunch (with the occasional snacks and chocolate as treats), before heading out to explore the city. My meals — whether lunch, tea or dinner — usually looked something like this: Gouda cheese, slices of ham, hummus… nothing over the top or fancy.
The supermarkets had a very good selection of beers and tarts — which I certainly didn’t ignore (why sweat if I can’t indulge in food?!). But I did feel slightly disappointed that the Dutch don’t seem to place much emphasis on lunch. Sandwiches are the popular choice, and that’s about it. It was surprisingly difficult to find a casual lunch spot in Den Haag, so bread and Gouda, strawberries and fresh orange juice became my best friends.
One of the things I truly enjoyed that week was getting freshly squeezed orange juice at the press of a button. Bliss.
Dungelmann was a great place to go when I fancied something different. I loved their veal meatballs, and the pasta wasn’t too bad either!
^ A very touristy me — in comfy jumpers and trainers. Sunglasses and a big smile are everything.
The final little pleasure was breakfast. I stayed at an NH Hotel in Den Haag, and the cereal bar came with goji berries. Do you know of any other hotels that do that? I hadn’t — at least not until I stayed at NH — and no prizes for guessing I polished off most of the jar. Oh, and with chocolate sprinkles? Yes please, every day.
Hope you enjoy a casual post like this. Happy Saturday! (And happy work day for me. Hooray.)
With love x