Our visit to Beachclub Mood Beach starts with two disappointments. First, I'm told that the kitchen only opens at 10:00 - somewhat surprising, since neither website or menu makes mention of this. Then, when I decide we'll wait half an hour and I order the set, I'm told that is only served to two people or more - again, there is no mention of this on the menu. It's not that I don't understand - I absolutely do get that opening your kitchen at 9:00, or offering a set breakfast for only one person might not be worth it. However, some more clarity would be appreciated.
That said, the very friendly waitress is really nice about it, all apologies and friendly smiles. She was also very welcoming when we arrived, helping us to find a sheltered spot where the wind would not reach, and immediately lighting the gas fire when we'd picked one. I like Mood Beach. Squeezed in between the very middle of the road De Golfslag on one side, and slick party spot Peukie on the other, it has atmosphere in spades. Its small central building is smartly constructed, surrounded by covered verandahs, all executed in driftwood chic that has a feel of being both very random and well-designed at the same time. It creates a pacific atmoshpere, complemented by pots with palm trees all around the terrace. That atmosphere clashes decidedly with the dull, grey Dutch weather this morning. It's windy, rainy, and chilly and makes one wish the cafes and restaurants would be allowed to open their indoor spaces again - but according to news reports, we still have to wait about a week for that.
I'm tired, so I order a coffee the way I usually have it: a latte with oatmilk and an extra shot of espresso to wake me up. I only have one coffee a day and prefer to have it really strong. Originally, I'd decided to have the pancakes instead of the set breakfast, but then I change my mind - I'm slightly worried Billie Stormzy might not be able to enjoy himself for another hour, which for a toddler amounts to an eternity. Since we have to sit at the covered verandah to make sure that we're dry if it starts to rain, he can't play on the beach. So I change my order to the one thing to eat that is available before the kitchen opens: an apple pie and a blueberry cheesecake. Together they're €9,50, which is the same price as the pancakes, an although I'm not a sweet tooth, I definitely enjoy sweet snacks together with my coffee.
The reason I'm tired is that Billie Stormzy woke up twice last night and when it's cold I always have trouble getting back to sleep. On top of that, yesterday was a stressful day, filled with meetings that gave me headaches (it's the time of the year when I have to calculate hours for the entire staff to come to a reasonable task allocation, which involves an unreasonable amount of excel-sheets and shifting around small tasks to ensure people don't end up working more than what they're supposed to, then deciding on the temporary staff we need to hire to complement our core team). Then, when I travelled back to The Hague from Groningen, the train was first delayed, then cancelled. I had planned to arrive at 18:00 so that I could have dinner on the table by 18:30, still on time for my partner to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time. At first, the solution seemed to be to get something from the snackbar on the way home, but there was a long line there so when I got home at 18:30 I still had to get to cooking immediately. To my own surprise, I put a good pasta on the table 15 minutes after I arrived, but I still felt terribly rushed for the rest of the evening - although I had a nice time watching telivision with my daughter. We've started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, an amazing looking cartoon from the early 2000s we both really enjoy.
Then this morning, after bringing my daughter to school, I want back home and sat at the dinner table, Billie Stormzy on my lap, alternatingly reading my own book and reading him books - his favourite activity. We both had a cup of tea in front of us and it was nice to have a bit of a quiet time before we went out into the stormy weather on our bike. No we sit here and enjoy some more peaceful times. Billie Stormzy is in a very good mood, all smiles and chats. He wanders around a bit, then sits on my lap, his head resting on my chest, enjoying our time together.
The cakes are brought and taste quite nice. The apple pie is made with a generous amount of tasty apple, which I share with an eager Billie Stormzy. The blueberry cheesecake has a topping of equally tasty blueberry jelly - my only criticism is that both cakes are slightly too greasy to my taste, but it actually makes for a nice - if somewhat heavy - breakfast. The coffee is good as well - making Mood Beach the first beach club since The Fat Mermaid (if you come from the south) serving a reasonable coffee. It's not of barrista quality, like the one at The Fat Mermaid (which so far would really be the only one ont he beach that I could recommend to coffee afficionados), but unlike some of the other coffees around here it does not taste like what comes out of the machines at my job and is actually worth the €4,50 it costs. After deciding he's had enough of the apple pie, Billie Stormzy wants me to feed him some of the milk foam from the coffee. Then, he wants me to follow him for a walkabout. I tell him I want to finish my coffee and he gets a bit whiney about that, wringing his hands and pulling a tearful face; then he decides it's not worth it and goes for a walk by himself.
"Let's go", I tell Bilie Stormzy, and he enthusiastically shouts: "Yes! Bike!", then sets off. I follow him as he runs along the path connecting the beach clubs in the direction of where our bicycle is parked.
Also on Breakfast at the Beach: Jump back in time to when I visited this place with Rihanna Gaga in 2014
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