I'm just back from a gloriously sunny and wine-sodden five days in Holland staying with our dear friends A, D and A.
We needed a bite to eat away from the touristy centre of Amsterdam where we'd enjoyed a visual feast of Vermeers and Franz Hals at the rijksmuseum, where incidentally, The Milkmaid was my favourite picture:
..... and we happened upon Bagels and Beans. This is a small chain of Dutch cafes specialising in breakfasts and lunches. We heartily enjoyed the 'Everything' juice that included pineapple, orange, strawberry and apple:
The free pot of coffee bean shaped and flavoured chocolate beans were a great added bonus - they were on every table.
The juice was 3 Euros - a tad high, but considering that's the same price as a Coke in a European pavement cafe, not too bad. The bagel was 6 Euros which I thought was fair enough. The waiter was so friendly and disarmingly asked me if I was 'well-known in Holland.' I think he was asking whether I knew Holland well. Free chocolate, smiley waiters, good food and free postcards from a stand for the children to take as souvenirs - a great respite from a frenetic European city centre and great for people on a budget.
We needed a bite to eat away from the touristy centre of Amsterdam where we'd enjoyed a visual feast of Vermeers and Franz Hals at the rijksmuseum, where incidentally, The Milkmaid was my favourite picture:
..... and we happened upon Bagels and Beans. This is a small chain of Dutch cafes specialising in breakfasts and lunches. We heartily enjoyed the 'Everything' juice that included pineapple, orange, strawberry and apple:
The bagels were fresh, packed full of fairly healthy ingredients with some good combos, and not just the average 'cheese and ham' that features heavily on Dutch menus. I chose the smoked chicken, avocado, pesto and pinenut, with plenty of greenery too (particularly enjoyed the large helping of killer cucumbers):
The free pot of coffee bean shaped and flavoured chocolate beans were a great added bonus - they were on every table.
The juice was 3 Euros - a tad high, but considering that's the same price as a Coke in a European pavement cafe, not too bad. The bagel was 6 Euros which I thought was fair enough. The waiter was so friendly and disarmingly asked me if I was 'well-known in Holland.' I think he was asking whether I knew Holland well. Free chocolate, smiley waiters, good food and free postcards from a stand for the children to take as souvenirs - a great respite from a frenetic European city centre and great for people on a budget.
