- Marjolein
8 x CULINARY HOTSPOTS THE HAGUE Foodbloggerstour 2018
A week ago Anne-Marie from My Happy Kitchen and I organised the second edition of the Foodbloggerstour The Hague. During this tour we show 18 foodbloggers the latest foodie hotspots in The Hague.
We had an absolute blast and we could say we were able to show them the creme the la creme of The Hague:
Anne & Max Kerkplein
Dok Cookware
Hotel Indigo
Tapisco
De Bonte Koe chocolade
Betjeman & Barton
De Vegetarische Slager
Glaswerk
We started at Anne & Max where two enthusiastic entrepreneurs welcomed us. This 'during the day' restaurant is situated just behind the 'Grote Kerk' where there weren't a lot of good places to have a cup of coffee or lunch. During the sunny days they have a perfect terrace and the decoration of the place is really welcoming. Their menu is characterized by BIO, Fair-trade, Fresh and natural and is the same at all the 13 branches they have in The Netherlands. So whether you want to eat a smoothie bowl for breakfast, have a chai latte with a piece of blueberry coconut pie, a panzanella salad for lunch or some veggie 'bitterballen' with a glas of Sauvignon Blanc.... Anne & Max Kerplein is you place to go.
Kerkplein 4, Den Haag
The second place on the list is a true foodie shopping paradise! DOK Home of Cooking is the best cooking shop in the Hague area. Open 7 days a week they are there to answer all of your cooking needs. Whether it's a new knife of a baking tin. The newest edition of Ottolenghi or a Big green egg BBQ.... Dok has it all. They regularly give cooking demonstration in their kitchen in the middle of the shop in the beautiful shopping arcade: De Passage.
Passage 19, Den Haag
The next stop is my absolute favourite hotel in The Hague: Hotel Indigo. In this former bankbuilding you go back in to the 20's with lots of Art Deco elements, marble and amazing lamps. On the other side it is a very modern hotel and they combined these old elements with new and modern decoration. A lot of their inspiration came from the old guilder banknotes which had the best design ever. You can sleep in one of their beautiful rooms, eat in in their Brasserie Stocks & Bonds (review in Dutch) or get a drink in their mind-blowing Gold Bar. When you go down in the building you go to the former gold safe and order your cocktail here. It's even possible to book a conference room in the largest bank vault. What an amazing place! Soon more about this bar and the hotel on Foodies Have Arrived!
Hotel Indigo - Brasserie Stocks & Bonds - Gold Bar
Noordeinde 33, Den Haag
After Michelin star restaurant Calla's, BIT Grill and Café and Restaurant Oogst, chef Marcel van der Klein thought it was time to open a new restaurant. He was missing a place where you could eat high quality tapas or petiscos (Portuguese tapas). When this former bank building (yes again a former bank) came available Marcel saw the perfect opportunity to establish his Mediterranean idea. And what a good idea! No albondigas and tortilla here. Only high quality and high taste dishes. We got to taste the zarzuela, a shellfish soup with some dried olive powder. What an amazing taste! You can read my full review of Restaurant Tapisco but you can also just reserve a table immediately. They are open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week.
Kneuterdijk 11, Den Haag
After three glasses of alcohol and all the savory tastings it was time to satisfy my sweet tooth. The best place to go then, is a chocolate shop! This brand new hotspot is called De Bonte Koe chocolade and already has branches in Schiedam, Rotterdam and now in The Hague. It is based in a former butcher shop and there are some nice historic referrals to this such as a chocolate carved cow and chocolate hams. But most of my attention goes out to the many different chocolates and bars on the counter. What about the white one with rose or the dark chocolate with gin? And my favourite bar? That's absolutely with 'Haagse Hopjes'!
Korte Poten 57, Den Haag
What goes well with chocolate? Tea! My frequent readers know Foodies Have Arrived is a big fan of Betjeman and Barton tea (review in Dutch). It's the absolute best tea you can get in The Hague. Tea sommelier Jessica gave us a green tea tasting and told us all about the different kinds of green tea and how the taste is defined. Apart from he 200 (!) different teas they sell at Betjeman and Barton it is also the perfect gift shop with many festive foodie gifts and of course some...tea.
Denneweg 25 & Aert van der Goesstraat 1, Den Haag
How can a cow farmer become a Vegetarian Butcher? Well after the swine flu and the mad cow disease Jaap Korteweg decided to invest in a organic and animal friendly kettle, but the day he had to take his animals to the slaughterhouse, he decided to become vegetarian. However he still missed the meat taste and decided to create meat substitutes with a meat kind of bite and texture. It became a big succes and his products of 'De Vegetarische Slager' are available in many different countries. In their new restaurant we were able to taste two new products that are now available at Albert Heijn. The Roockworst that goes perfectly with all the Dutch 'stamppotten' and the Nacked Chick burger. This lookalike chicken burger was my favourite! You can taste the products of the Vegetarian Butcher at their restaurant 'De Vleeschlobby'.
Hooikade 4, Den Haag
After all this eating, tasting and walking we had some sightseeing to do but this time by boat. The Hague is great to see by boat and for us it gave us some time to relax. As the last stop of our Foodbloggerstour was not in the city centre but at the Binckhorst, a former industrial area which is slowly transforming into a residential area. The newest place which you just have to visit is Restaurant & Winebar Glaswerk. I became an immediate fan the first time I came here and ofcouse wrote a review about Glaswerk. However they now have a new menu and Chef Bas mad my taste buds blush with the best steak tartare I have ever had. He combined perfect sliced meat with smoked vanilla oil and unions pickled in raspberry vinegar and beetroot. I really hope I will be able to have a full menu here soon! An absolute must-visit in The Hague!
Fokkenkade 14, Den Haag
Many thanks to all the different entrepreneurs we visited with all the different foodbloggers and a special thanks to Anne-Marie from My Happy Kitchen for organising this together. I am looking forward to edition 2019!
