Strandpaviljoen Veronica

It's raining slightly as we cycle towards the boulevard. The clouds over our heads are dark and grey, but in the distance, over sea, there's a more sunny sky. While the last few days the weather has been beautiful, today started out very rainy. Indeed, it's still drizzling when we arrive at Strandpaviljoen Veronica, the first - or last, depending on where you're coming from - of a cluster of four beach clubs slightly to the side of the busiest part of the Scheveningen boulevard. It's still the summer holiday, and Billie Stormzy's sister and my partner are out to see a film in The Hague. It's still the summer holiday, and Billie Stormzy's sister and my partner are out to see an early film in The Hague, while the two of us go for breakfast at the beach.

You wouldn't say so, judging by its name, but Veronica is the place to go if you want to eat Thai food at the beach. They really do a decent curry, if memory serves me well - it's been a while since I tried their dinners. You also wouldn't immediately say so judging from appearances: if I'd have to give a short description of what Veronica looks like, I'd say it looks very much like a traditional beach club: slanted

roof over a wooden construction, painted in attractive light blue and yellow, wooden lacquered furniture like you can find in any restaurant in the Netherlands and touches of black decoration. If you look closer, though, there's Thai touches everywhere: golden statues, buddhas, little ornaments...

There's a sign by the door instructing visitors to clean their hands, but the little pump with sanitizer doesn't work. When we enter, we're the only customers. Apart from a waiter folding napkins, there's nobody there. We sit down at a table with a couch, but Billie Stormzy doesn't feel like sitting down. Right after the soft-spoken, pleasantly mannered waiter has taken our order - the set breakfast and a tea - he wants to go to the floor to crawl around. I let him, but follow him around to make sure he doesn't do any damage. The good thing about doing this blog mostly about breakfasts, is that there are often very few other patrons, meaning Billie Stormzy is less likely to get on other people's nerves, or knock over their drinks. I brought a ball that he plays with a little, but he's mostly just racing around the beach club - it's quite incredible how fast he can move while crawling.

There are ballads playing on the stereo, big power ballads both in English and in Dutch. This adds to the mood set by the grey, leaden sky - somewhat melancholic, yet cozy. First my tea and the orange juice that comes with the breakfast are brought, the waiter makes sure to put them on the table well out of reach of Billie Stormzy, which is exemplary of his waiting style: quiet but effective. Later, the rest of the breakfast is brought as well: two warm bread rolls, cheese, ham, a croissant, jam and butter, and a boiled egg. It's basic, but the orange juice is fresh and on the whole the breakfast is much like the waiter: unassuming, but it does what a breakfast has to do. There's two bits of cucumber and some tomato. I give the cucumber to Billie Stormzy, who starts munching on it with gusto after finally having settled down on my lap. I eat the bread rolls with both cheese and ham, then finish the boiled egg with a bit of salt. Finally, I put the jam on my croissant and enjoy it with the tea.

We're no longer alone. An elderly coupe have arrived with their tiny dog. They seem to be regular customers and immediately head for the table containing newspapers and magazines. He picks a newspaper (sensationalist rightwing broadsheet De Telegraaf, as it happens), she takes a gossip magazine. They seem to be cheered up a lot by Billie Stormzy, making faces and waving at him. He doesn't really react, but is just his cute little self, with his blond curls and broad smile. The woman says to the man that my breakfast looks good - "how come we did not know there is a set breakfast at this place?" she asks. "I never really checked," he answers. Still, they end up picking something completely different. I pay, and as we leave, the waiter says goodbye with a smile. The couple waves at Billie Stormzy when we close the door behind us.

Also on Breakfast at the Beach: Jump back in time to when Rihanna Gaga and I visited this place in 2014