Scally's Lunchroom

At the very beginning of the main street of Scheveningen village, there's Scally's Lunchroom. Squeezed in between a laundrette and a Subway's, located in a space that looks more like a shop than restaurant, it's easy to miss it.  But inside, they very much managed to create a very British - or rather, English - atmosphere. Brown, faux medieval pillowed chairs, paintings of the Lady Di and the royal family on the wall, and George Michael duetting with Elton John playing. The latter turns out to be a coincidence, however: the radio is apparently tuned to some '90s station, with Gloria Estefan and other pop tunes of that time following. Later on, the music moves into even earlier territory, with Careless Whisper making an appearance as well. George Michael and Lady Di - you can't get more British than that.

I order - obviously - a full English breakfast (€11,90). Rihanna Gaga wants an apple juice, but there is none. The friendly waitress, who speaks with a beautiful Somali accent, suggests hot chocolote milk and Rihanna Gaga agrees to that. When it is brought to the table, the waitress says she left it lukewarm, so that the little one can drink it immediately, which I find very considerate of her.

There's a thick, milky foam on top of the chocolate milk, which Rihanna Gaga likes very much, eating it with a spoon. Meanwhile, I drink the coffee that comes with the breakfast, and we share the orange juice that is part of it as well. The breakfast is made by the waitress while we wait. It's everything an English breakfast should be: Eggs, beans in tomato sauce, sausage, potatoes, mushrooms and toast. Rihanna Gaga picks a slice of bread and egg, but is too busy caring for her doll to eat it right away. I eat while she plays cheerfully. She runs around the lunchroom, where we are the only guests, dancing to the music, petting an imaginary cat, singing and generally having a good time. The full English breakfast is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I've heard people call it  a 'heart attack on a plate' and it is, of course: greasy, full of the wrong kind of calories. But every once in a while, I find it very nice to start the day like this.

It's very much a Monday morning. Outside, the weather is wet and grey. I'm in a terrible mood because of life being quite shitty at the moment. But Rihanna Gaga is happy and that helps. I have another tea and try to enjoy this shared moment despite everything. The tea is good and that helps - true happiness lies in life's small pleasures. If I'm not mistaken, the beach clubs will return in two weeks.