It's a brisk, cold morning and I'm pushing the pram towards the boulevard. It's quite late already, so I'm hungry. Billie Stormzy has been awake since a quarter past six, so I'm quite tired. It helps, therefore, that the sky is spotlessly blue, and there's a cold but not unpleasant breeze blowing over Scheveningen this morning. Mornings, these days, are like a military operation - they need to be well planned beforehand and meticulously executed for everything to work as it should. So, in the evening I prepare Billie Stormzy's big sister's lunch, put the breakfast on the table and - if I'm working - prepare my own bag. Then, when we wake up, a quick succession of taking a shower, make sure the girl has her breakfast, gets dressed and brushes her teeth. And if I'm working myself, I also need to have breakfast myself, feed Billie Stormzy, get him dressed and write something in the notebook that we use to communicate important issues to his daycare.
When I'm not working, Fridays are a bit more quiet. The girl doesn't have to take a shower on Fridays, because she takes swimming classes in the evening. I don't need to have breakfast because I will go and have breakfast at the beach later on. And I don't have to get Billie Stormzy ready for daycare. After bringing Billie Stormzy's big sister to school, we either walk to the boulevard straight away, or if we are visiting a place that opens a bit later, we go back home for a bottle and a tea. Today, Billie Stormzy went back to sleep after taking his morning bottle and only woke up at half past ten.Then, we made our way to the beach, calling at Grand Café Binnen.
Having just slept, Billie Stormzy is active and cheerful. He laughs delightedly when I pick him out of the pram and take of his coat. We're the first customers at Binnen and the young waitress is still getting the place started, turning up heaters and lighting candles. Binnen is clearly recently decorated, because it's design is very 'now': lots of wood everywhere and live plants all around, pillows with ethnic patterns and globe shaped lamps. Combined with the orange colour of the canvas covering that is the roof of a large part of the restaurant, there is a strong 1970s vibe to this place. On the soundsystem, there is a pleasant, very beach-y mix of Buddha Bar-style lounge music and surf rock with lots of reverb on the guitars. It suits the view: the boulevard, beach and sea in front of us, with the Pier to the right. To the left, a window looks straight into Crazy Pianos, with a red painted naked showroom dummy with a lampshade instead of a head.
I order the deluxe breakfast (13,90), which takes some time to arrive. While waiting for my food, I play with Billie Stormzy. We bop a little to the beats of the songs on the soundsystem and he's a pretty happy baby - all giggles and smiles as we move to the music together. The breakfast takes a while before it arrives. The assorted breads announced in the menu are mostly toasted white bread, as well as a bread roll and a croissant. There is an impressive amount of large slabs of French white cheese, some smoked salmon, ham and cheese, the typical small packages of nutella, sprinkles and jam to put on the bread. The egg is on its way, the waitress tells me - and again it takes a while before it arrives. I then have to remind the waitress that, according to the menu, there should also be some fresh orange juice on the table, and she quickly gets me some.
Given the competition around here, the breakfast is slightly expensive, althought the fresh orange juice is really fresh (which is not always the case) and the French white cheese and smoked salmon are a nice addition. Given that by now it's well past eleven and I haven't eaten yet, I find it quite easy to eat the whole lot, putting the cheese, white cheese, salmon and ham on different slices of toast and finishing with chocolate sprinkles on the breadroll and nutella on the croissant. There's a few lettuce leaves which I eat together with the salmon, a dried out tomato slice that I put on one of the toast slices together with some cheese, and a slice of cucumber that I give to Billie Stormzy. He happily sucks and munches on it. One time it falls and he starts crying unconsolably until I put it back in his hand. By the end of the breakfast, the slice of cucumber is completely ragged, and Billie Stormzy has lost interest, throwing it away to start munching on my fingers instead.
By now, he's getting tired again and he's in no mood to stay much longer. I get up, pay and then put on his coat and lay him in his pram. By the time we get home, he's fast asleep.
When I'm not working, Fridays are a bit more quiet. The girl doesn't have to take a shower on Fridays, because she takes swimming classes in the evening. I don't need to have breakfast because I will go and have breakfast at the beach later on. And I don't have to get Billie Stormzy ready for daycare. After bringing Billie Stormzy's big sister to school, we either walk to the boulevard straight away, or if we are visiting a place that opens a bit later, we go back home for a bottle and a tea. Today, Billie Stormzy went back to sleep after taking his morning bottle and only woke up at half past ten.Then, we made our way to the beach, calling at Grand Café Binnen.
Having just slept, Billie Stormzy is active and cheerful. He laughs delightedly when I pick him out of the pram and take of his coat. We're the first customers at Binnen and the young waitress is still getting the place started, turning up heaters and lighting candles. Binnen is clearly recently decorated, because it's design is very 'now': lots of wood everywhere and live plants all around, pillows with ethnic patterns and globe shaped lamps. Combined with the orange colour of the canvas covering that is the roof of a large part of the restaurant, there is a strong 1970s vibe to this place. On the soundsystem, there is a pleasant, very beach-y mix of Buddha Bar-style lounge music and surf rock with lots of reverb on the guitars. It suits the view: the boulevard, beach and sea in front of us, with the Pier to the right. To the left, a window looks straight into Crazy Pianos, with a red painted naked showroom dummy with a lampshade instead of a head. I order the deluxe breakfast (13,90), which takes some time to arrive. While waiting for my food, I play with Billie Stormzy. We bop a little to the beats of the songs on the soundsystem and he's a pretty happy baby - all giggles and smiles as we move to the music together. The breakfast takes a while before it arrives. The assorted breads announced in the menu are mostly toasted white bread, as well as a bread roll and a croissant. There is an impressive amount of large slabs of French white cheese, some smoked salmon, ham and cheese, the typical small packages of nutella, sprinkles and jam to put on the bread. The egg is on its way, the waitress tells me - and again it takes a while before it arrives. I then have to remind the waitress that, according to the menu, there should also be some fresh orange juice on the table, and she quickly gets me some.
Given the competition around here, the breakfast is slightly expensive, althought the fresh orange juice is really fresh (which is not always the case) and the French white cheese and smoked salmon are a nice addition. Given that by now it's well past eleven and I haven't eaten yet, I find it quite easy to eat the whole lot, putting the cheese, white cheese, salmon and ham on different slices of toast and finishing with chocolate sprinkles on the breadroll and nutella on the croissant. There's a few lettuce leaves which I eat together with the salmon, a dried out tomato slice that I put on one of the toast slices together with some cheese, and a slice of cucumber that I give to Billie Stormzy. He happily sucks and munches on it. One time it falls and he starts crying unconsolably until I put it back in his hand. By the end of the breakfast, the slice of cucumber is completely ragged, and Billie Stormzy has lost interest, throwing it away to start munching on my fingers instead.
By now, he's getting tired again and he's in no mood to stay much longer. I get up, pay and then put on his coat and lay him in his pram. By the time we get home, he's fast asleep.
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