Peukie

There's a fascinating - to me, at least - tension at the very heart of Peukie, the beach club we're visiting today. Its name means cigarette butt, and it's a bit of a vulgar word. The beach club itself, however, is incredibly stylish: here, nouveau riche meets Thai chic, with Moët & Chandon and Buddha statues vying for being the most present decoration element. Situated right in front of one of the main entrances to the beach, the road leading past the Kurhaus from one of the main stops of the trams to the northern beaches of Scheveningen, it can be sure to attract a large crowd. Because of this, however, there are also many people who would rather avoid it, subscribing to the old prejudice that if something is very popular, it can't be good. 

A girl  is preparing the terrace for the day, putting menus and ashtrays on tables, and I ask her if the place is open already. She tells me the kitchen isn't, so I ask when it will open. She leaves to ask, then returns to tell me it is open already and we can sit anywhere we want. She brings the menu and soon after that, a very cheerful waitress arrives to take my order. I take the set breakfast, then Billie Stormzy demands my attention. He's taken a book with him and now he wants me to read it to him. And again. And again. 

He loves books, with a passion. The competition is stiff, but I'd say that within our household, Billie Stormzy is the most fanatic about books. He never tires of bringing us books to read to him, loves to sit by himself leaving through his many books and if he's sad or in a bad mood, proposing to read a book together is a sure solution. Of course, he has other hobbies as well - playing football has always been there and he's surprisingly good at it for a 1,5 year old. Recently, he's taken up gardening too, endlessly watering plants in the little courtyard next to our house.

I've ordered a latte macchiato with a double espresso in it and because I've not been too enthusiastic about coffees served at beach clubs recently, I've asked for a shot of caramel in it, to neutralise the coffee if it isn't too good. What is brought to me, however, is quite nice indeed. As usual, Billie Stormzy enjoys spoonful of milky foam that I scoop from my coffee. The sky is completely blue, it's hot but there's a pleasant breeze, and it's relatively busy - but not too busy - at the beach. On the sound system, it's different varieties of house music, from club to trance to tropical, all very summer-at-the-sea. Billie Stormzy and I are moving to the beat together as we sit and watch the people walking by - I picked a table at the little pedestrian road connecting the beach clubs, an ideal strip for strolling, for seeing and being seen.

The set breakfast as described on the menu promises nothing special: "various breadrolls, various sweet and savoury toppings, scrambled eggs". What is brought, though, is very much beyond this simple description. Two plates chock full of stuff: half an English breakfast, with scrambled eggs, bacon, and mini sausages; various slices of salami, ham, chicken filet, cheese and what not; tuna salad, salmon, bits of salad; a basket with slices of toast and breadrolls - it's extremely good value for €12,50.  It's also immediately clear I won't be able to finish this lunch - it's simply too much and if I would have any criticism of today's offering, it would be that: a bit too much is wasted.

Billie Stormzy enjoys some of the egg, nibbles on a bit of cheese and then asks for a slice of bread with butter. First, I think he wants to take the plastic cup with butter home, because what he says sounds like 'house'; then I realise he is trying to say 'cheese'. Apparently, the plastic cup reminds him of plastic containers with liquid cheese in them. I butter a piece of toast and he munches happily on it. While we eat our breakfast, Peukie is slowly filling up. People lounge on the terrace, most of them sipping coffee. The crowd seems fitting: young, wearing Armani or Tommy Hilfiger t-shirts with large brand logos printed on them; they're sitting in couples or small groups, checking their smartphones or checking passers by.

 When we're finished eating (although our plates are certainly not empty yet), it's clear that Billie Stormzy's getting tired, so I pay and we leave. 

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