 I'm not a coffee lover, but I'm always fascinated by how simply and quickly my Italian housemate, Elena, makes her cup of coffee every morning. ☕
Many a time, I'm stirred from my sleep by the sweet-smelling aroma of the coffee she's brewing in the kitchen located right next to my room.
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 It's been just over a month now since I came back to the Netherlands - which means that I got to celebrate my birthday here again this year! 😊
What's more, this year I had something new to celebrate - I decided to move to the Hague! 😃  On a recent trip to Chiang Mai province in the northern area of Thailand, my friends Sue and Yuden took me to the night market for some shopping.
We were walking through the rows of stalls when Sue directed our attention to an ice cream stand located at the back of the market. But this wasn't just any ice cream stand - it was an ice cream stand selling Thai-rolled ice cream.  A while back, I had a sweet-tooth craving, and started the hunt for a café in Hua Hin where I could enjoy a slice of cake. I asked a few people from school for suggestions, and the name Bliss Café kept coming up.
So I decided to try it out, and together with my friends Woo & Choden, we went to Bliss Café & Restaurant one evening for a late lunch/early dinner.  It’s always a risk trying something new in a new country - especially when it comes to food. I’m particularly rigid about sticking to what I know for a couple of reasons.
For one, my stomach is sensitive, and I never know how my body will react to certain spices or different mixtures of ingredients. Secondly, if I try something and end up not liking it, it might put me off trying anything else that’s unfamiliar to me for the duration of my stay in a foreign place. Nevertheless, I was eager to try out a variety of Thai meals during my stay in the country, and I’m glad that I did. Here are my recommendations of some that I think you should try when you visit Thailand.  I have to admit: when I first heard of Mama Rocks, my first thought was, "What kind of a name is that for a restaurant?" Nevertheless, I was intrigued by it and was eager to try it out. 😊
 Pannenkoekenhuis (Pancake House in English) is a small restaurant in Leiden that serves the largest pancakes I've ever eaten in my life! 😯
The first time I tried one of their pancakes was a few weeks after I had moved to the Netherlands. By then, I'd already made the decision to step out of my comfort zone in terms of food and try something new every now and then. So I chose to have a savoury (as opposed to my usual sweet) pancake fried with bacon, cheese, mushrooms and onions. But after trying that combination, I decided that sometimes it's best to just stick to what you're used to. Lol. Eager to wash the bad taste of my first experience out of my mouth (quite literally 😄) , I decided to try yet another pancake at Pancake House, but this time I decided to go for a sweet one... So one Spring evening, my rommate Paula and I made our way there after class.  My friend Noor recently introduced me to a small café in Zaandam city called 't Groene Pandje (It's Green Pawn in English).
It's Green Pawn is a café that looks more like a little, green house from the outside, but the inside fits the description of an eating establishment quite well. Right at the front, there's a long wooden table that seats about 8-10 people, and the cutest little light-bulbs hang right above it. We sat at the back, though, where lamps are used for lighting instead, and where there are smaller tables that seat a range of 2-6 people each.  Last weekend, I finally tasted dumplings for the first time at the Chinese New Year Festival!
It's been a while since I had the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year. The last time was in 2008 - in Central London - and I was super excited to be able to relive that experience here in The Hague, Netherlands. 😊 |
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