Trixie Navarre

This is how I ate my way through The Netherlands. On my last visit to this well loved country, I travelled outside of Amsterdam and into the cities of Den Haag, Delft, Arnhem, and Maastricht. There were museums and city sights that I wanted to see, and all this delicious food came in-between.

From my dose of Asian food in Den Haag’s Chinatown, to my breakfast which lead to being interviewed by the local news, my list of “What I ate in the NETHERLANDS – A Food Journal”.

👩‍💻 To read my list of Amsterdam food → What I ate in AMSTERDAM – A Food Journal

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Fish Stew in Delft

This pretty little orange casserole with matching fish stew was savory and delicious, but the rice on the other hand was a little dry, which was fixed by adding the stew. Other than that this was a great little lunch at Het Konings Huys in Delft.

Het Konings Huys is a very nice restaurant in the middle of town square. When I was there it was a Sunday, and there was a vibrant Sunday Market happening. It was nice to be in the center of everything, and absorb the sounds of the church bells, the people in the Market Square, and the energy of town center.

For city information – A Day in Delft, Netherlands | Discovering Old World Holland

For my Yelp Review – Read Trixie N.‘s review of Het Konings Huys on Yelp

For restaurant information and location, please visit their website – Het Konings Huys

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More Cheese at Cheese & More

This cheese store was very similar to The Cheese Museum in Amsterdam, but was less crowded which was more my speed. It was the same concept with the cheese samples, and again I had no shame. There were many delicious types of Gouda cheese, goat cheese, sheep cheese, old cheese, whatever cheese- it was amazing.

This is one delicious cheese shop in Delft, and they will ship anywhere in the world. I appreciate that you can taste the cheeses before you make your purchase, especially if you are buying cheese as a gift. With that said, I like any of the cheeses at Cheese & More- *hint hint*.

For city information – A Day in Delft, Netherlands | Discovering Old World Holland

For my Five Star Yelp Review – Read Trixie N.‘s review of Cheese & More on Yelp

For cheese company information and locations, please visit their website – Cheese & More

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Sweet and Savory From Bakery Li&U

If there is a China Town in a city, I will find it. More than likely, I will also find an Asian bakery. It is almost like a sixth sense. While in Den Haag, I decided to stay in the China Town area, which allowed me closeness to… Asian Food!

I came across Bakery Li&U and bought a pork bun and a mix eirol; something sweet and something savory. I ate the pork bun walking to the restaurant for dinner, and the eirol in my hotel room. Both were good and I got a bit of the Asian food fix that I needed.

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Posh Brunch – Posh Digs

I do have a soft spot for posh places, I adore them. I always try to check out established, historical places that hold old a bit of old time luxury from days gone by. The Hotel Des Indes in Den Haag was the perfect place to fill that need.

For bunch I ordered eggs well done over brioche toast with bacon. It was simple but presented rather nicely. It was a very lovely way to start the rest of my day, and before hitting the museum in Den Haag.

For my Five Star Yelp Review – Read Trixie N.‘s review of Hotel Des Indes, a Luxury Collection Hotel, The Hague on Yelp

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Grilling at Vlees & Co in Arnhem

My server asked if I was okay with leaving some fat on the steak for flavor. I eyed him and said “I am not that American!” He responded, “Good!” We saw eye to eye on that one. Besides the fat on my steak, my B & B in Arnhem was literally above this cut above steak house. I certainly lucked out because I did not need to go far for my evening meal.

I dined on grilled ribeye with a bit of fat, BBQ leeks, garlic veal gravy, fries, and a salad. Plus, flat bread with an avocado lime cream sauce to start. I was a very lucky girl to walk down stairs from my accomodations, and have this for dinner.

For restaurant information and location, please visit their website – Vlees & Co

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Vietnamese Food at Little V in Den Haag

I asked the lady at my hotel in Den Haag what her favorite restaurant was in China Town, and she said “Little V!” Luckily, it was only a three minute walk from the hotel since I was staying in China Town, to be in the heart of Asian food. Little V was an aesthetically beautiful Vietnamese restaurant. It had an upscale Asian modern feel with a dash of sexy- It was quite the place.

I ordered the Sea Bass which was fresh and cooked perfectly. It had a bit of heat with the red peppers on the top, it was delicious. I ordered the fried rice with tofu which, was a perfect match with the sea bass. Then to top it off, I was given this amazing fresh chili sauce when I asked for a hot sauce. Everything at Little V had big time flavor.

For restaurant information and location, please visit their website – Little V

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Caffeine-Carbs-WiFi at Arnhem Train Station

While waiting for my train out of Arnhem and on to Maastricht, I stepped into Julia’s for a bit of coffee, a pastry, and a comfortable place to sit. I decided on a Pasticciotto, which is a cream filled Italian pastry. It was not bad especially with my cappuccino.

It did the trick before I hopped on the train and on to the next city. 🚉

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Incredible Eats at Kroller-Mueller Museum

I am an advocate for eating at cafes inside museums in New York or Europe. Any other city, it can be a hit or miss. Some of the best dishes, desserts, and coffees that I’ve eaten while traveling were at a museum cafés. While I was visiting the Kroller-Mueller Art Museum in the Netherlands, I decided to have lunch at their outdoor canopy café, and ordered a couple of incredible dishes.

The smoked salmon served on a cornbread roll with garlic cream cheese, and vegetable toppings was stunning. When I ordered it, I did not expect it to come out so ‘Extra’! I also decided on the oven roasted potatoes with garlic and herbs, and it was a perfect bowl of potatoes. They were crispy along the edges, and served hot which was nice since it was chilly outside.

👩🏻‍💻 For full blog with photos → The Kroller-Mueller Museum – Second Largest Van Gogh Collection!

For my Five Star Yelp Review – Read Trixie N.‘s review of Kröller-Müller Museum on Yelp

For Museum information and location, please visit – Kroller Muller Museum

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Coffee, Tea and Me

Sometimes when you drink a cup of coffee or tea, you find yourself in the most interesting of places. Over the years, I have taken food or drink photos with a background only to remember where I was. I was photographing with film rolls and digital cameras before I yelped, or before I blogged. I just wanted to remember…

Some of my coffee and tea POVs (Point of Views) with the loveliest of views. Moments that we may forget, but are triggered through one single cup. ☕

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Lunch and Lessons in Dutch

While sitting at Van Burren in Maastricht, I looked at the Dutch menu and saw “Uniensoep”, and my mind read “Onion Soup”. I know it was quite obvious, but I was happy that I read it calmly and not flustered. I asked my server if it said “onion soup” and she said it did. I giggled, and told her that I was happy with myself that I figured it out, and she gave me that Euro thumbs up. Now typically you are given an English Menu Card, but I wanted a small challenge.

Now this was a very creative Uniensoep, and a very delicious one. Instead of typically serving the melted cheese covered bowl as is, Van Buuren topped it with a bread stick and onion rings. Just those simple touches will make a big visual difference.

As for the flavors, this was a very tasteful soup. The cheese was the best part as it was softer than the typical swiss style cheeses. I asked my server what cheese was used, and she said that it was an ordinary gouda, but she pronounced it “Gow-Da” or “How-Da”. I had no idea what she said, but after some googling I realized it was, Gouda. I have been mispronouncing it for 30+ years.

I have eaten my share of Croque Madame’s with the egg over hard, as I am allergic to runny eggs, over the last couple of decades. This tends to be another familiar go-to sandwich that you will find in both the US and Europe. It is simply a grilled ham and cheese, topped with an egg. Traditionally a slight layer of béchamel sauce is spread on to the sandwich, which makes it quite scrumptious.

Van Buuren is a wonderful place to grab a bite and a drink, and is located outside the Old Cathedral in Maastricht.

For restaurant information and and location, please visit their website – Van Buuren Maastricht

For city information – Maastricht, Netherlands | Love at First Sight.

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Stroopwafles

Have you ever lifted a bag of Stroopwafes? They are quite heavy, and all I could think when I grabbed a bag was, “This heaviness is going in me- whatever- it’s happening!” They do not look heavy, but there is a nice caramel layer in-between the waffles. They are meant to be put on a hot cup of coffee or tea, then the heat melts the caramel.

Stroopwafels can be found in any store throughout Netherlands, including small convenience stores. In the U.S. you can find them in specialty stores like World Market or European grocery shops.

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Last Breakfast and an Interview on the News

As I was eating this beautifully laid out breakfast at my hotel, I was pondering how to get out of the Netherlands. I had a train ticket leaving Maastricht and into Bonn, Germany, but a transportation strike had just started. I figured that I would take the bus to Aachen, Germany where I was to change trains to Cologne.

After eating this lovely meal, I walked to the station, and there were no busses nor trains to be found. There was the local news crew, who spotted me toting my luggage though. They asked if they could interview me about the strike, but would run Dutch sub-titles to translate my English. Sure, why not? Let’s make this trip even weirder. I was interviewed, and to this day have never seen that news footage. I had already taken €110 taxi ride into Aachen, and caught my train to Bonn by the time it aired.

Now on to the food, this well plated breakfast on a simple wood board was served to me at my hotel, Stadsherberg de Poshoorn. I loved how everything was separated, compartmentalized, and presented. It was a simple breakfast of breads, spreads, yoghurt, granola, and charcuterie.

👩‍💻 For my list of Amsterdam food → What I ate in AMSTERDAM – A Food Journal

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Food is the ingredient that binds us together…

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📸 All photos are taken by me and are my intellectual property – Trixie Navarre