Meneer Chocola

About four years ago, my girlfriend and I went for dinner at Beachclub Buiten, a favourite of ours at the time. October was drawing to a close and the beach clubs would soon decamp. 'Where should we go now?', we asked the waiter. He recommended Meneer Chocola to us, a place that had just opened at the main street of the part of Scheveningen called Scheveningen Dorp - where the old fishing village was located.

I understand why the good people at Buiten would like Meneer Chocola: the place has exactly the same laidback surfer vibe as that beach club. Lots of wooden decoration and pictures of waves, surfboards on the wall and people with bleached hair all around. No flipflops, though - it's definitely too cold for that by now (although the Scheveningen surfing crowd is a tough bunch: on frisky November mornings you can still spot them going to the beach in their wetsuits, boards under their arm, sometimes barefeet). It's difficult to tell who works here and who's here as a patron. When Rihanna Gaga and I come here this Saturday morning, the place is packed. The patrons are a nice mix of surfers and afficionados (I might count myself among the latter: I like the lifestyle and clothing that comes with the sport, but wouldn't know what to do if you'd put me on a board - I've already sort of decided to let Rihanna Gaga make up for this by having her take surfing classes as soon as possible, but then, I've also decided I want her to partake in the Eurovision Song Contest so I need to train her for that as well; I'm joking (but not really)), and although there is clearly an in-crowd, the place is equally welcoming to newcomers.

Since I last visited this place, a few years back, it hasn't changed much, although the café next door now seems to be an integrap part of it. When we enter, we are passed by a small group that quickly occupies the last free space available, but we are then ushered to the café, which is still empty. Rihanna Gaga has already spotted a large chest with toys and runs up and down between our table and the chest, covering our table in a a series of treasures: cars, musical instruments, airplanes.

I want to try the vegan bean burger, but they've run out of that, so I  order a Cajun Chicken sandwich instead, together with a latte macchiato. Rihanna Gaga wants an apple juice. We make some music together with a small drum and shakers while we wait for the sandwich to come. It arrives quickly and looks delicious. There's the sandwich with avocado, bacon and chicken, and alongside it, tasty crisps and salad is placed. It's all very fresh and not covered in dressing at all (a plus as far as I'm considered). Rihanna Gaga loves the chicken, despite the fact that there is clealy some tobasco poured on the sandwich, and the avocado and bread are to her taste as well. She refuses, however, to try the bacon, which is a pity really as I know she actually likes it. The sandwich tastes very good, as does the latte macchiato. 

In the meantime, more people have poured into the café part and there is a very pleasant buzz now. Rihanna Gaga and I chat about our plans for the rest of the day (she wants to go to the petting farm and the beach) and we enjoy our time together. The chicken pox are gone and I don't think she minded them so much. The really bad itching only lasted for a day or so (and then it was very bad), and she didn't have a high fever at all. The plus side was that my mother came over to take care of her while we worked and they had a great time together. She likes her new daycare a lot, but I think nothing beats spending the day with her grandmother.

We're both enjoying the place so much that we decide to get an Oreo cheesecake after the sandwich, which tastes equally good. Rihanna Gaga tells me she wants me to read her some books (she's spotted two Miffy books in the chest) and I tell her I will do so after she's tidied up - so we bring the toys back to the chest together and she gets the two books. After we're done eating the cheesecake, I read the books and then it's time to go. Rihanna Gaga is clearly ready for her afternoon nap.