We could be on the set of the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, except it’s a party bar in the sand dunes in Bloemendaal aan Zee, on a seemingly endless stretch of beach, and we’re consuming nachos, frites and large jugs of Sangria. It’s Holland, so of course that sweet smelling haze floating past the plastic palm trees sure isn’t from vapes. We’re on a beach bar crawl heading south to Zandvoort, with an old friend we haven’t seen in over twenty years. We’ve been curious about the contents of the large satchel he carries everywhere since we first met up this morning. No longer.
Much as we love Amsterdam, we’re ringing the changes on this trip and staying nearby in Haarlem. The vertical step-ladder-like staircase leading to our rented apartment that apparently is typical of most old Dutch houses, was a complete surprise when we arrived yesterday and I immediately regretted the large suitcase we’d crammed with everything from shorts to sweaters and puffer coats to deal with Holland’s unpredictable climate. Today will be a case in point as 25 degree sunshine in the pirate hideaway will become 11 degrees and rain on our way back to the apartment from Zandvoort.
Our friend starts talking about a place with a Cuban beach bodega vibe not far from here, so we head there next for mojitos and tapas as the sun goes down on the North Sea and Sabrina laughs heartily at the locals’ attempts to dance samba and salsa. Luckily she seems to be content to sit on the judging panel and doesn’t ask me onto the floor.
Next day, as limpid sunlight changes to drizzle and dark skies we take our time exploring Haarlem, with its maze of low rise medieval streets and grandiose Art Nouveau architecture. We start at the imposing 1902 built Grand Café Brinkmann on the Grote Markt, where we nurse our hangovers with a traditional Dutch breakfast - an ‘Uitsmijter 1879’ consisting of three fried eggs, ham, gouda, tomato and pickles nesting on a bed of fried bread, which will more than tide us over until we can find the perfect canal-side Moules frites later.
Uitsmijter 1879: Serves 1
This dutch classic gives even a ‘full Scottish’ breakfast a run for its money. Perfect for when you know you are headed for lunchtime drinking, or as a super-easy morning after cure. I struggle a bit sharing this dish with you, as it scarcely qualifies as a step by step recipe, but here goes.
Ingredients per serving:
1-2 teaspoons butter
3 large eggs
2 slices of bread (your choice)
2 slices shaved boiled ham
2 large slices cheese (preferably aged Gouda)
2 sliced pickled gherkins
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Melt the butter in a frying pan or skillet and fry the eggs. Once the bottoms of the eggs are set, take the pan off the heat, place a lid on the pan and allow the eggs to steam until the top has firmed up. If you prefer your eggs more thoroughly cooked, flip them over and fry until the yolk is done to your liking.
Top the toasted or fried bread with the sliced gherkins, fried eggs, ham and cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
One of the joys of these few days is that we have been able to travel everywhere by train. Our old friend lives in Amsterdam but rendezvousing with him on the fly has been easy as it’s a few stations away, and the marvellous monstrosity of Amsterdam Centraal has become a regular meeting point. He is showing us parts of the city we have never visited before and on our last evening together we cruise his regular ‘brown bar’ haunts in the De Pijp district, before fuelling up on Turkish Mezze, for the trip back up the line.
We’ve stocked up on aged Gouda for the journey home tomorrow on the Eurostar to London, where we’ll disembark at St Pancras station, Amsterdam Centraal’s red brick Victorian Gothic cousin.
In Italy we eat the classic "cornetto" and espresso for breakfast (in Venice we call the cornetto "brioche"), but I secretly love a continental breakfast with buttered jam toasts, eggs, cheese and black German coffee 🤫
You can imagine my surprise when the Dutch posting was not about Indonesian food — A favorite. However, you’ve just given me a breakfast recipe that I could eat weekly and not just after the occasional holiday. 😋