Beachclub Zeezicht

It's a grey morning and we have a bit longer to cycle now that we've arrived on the other side of the Scheveningen Pier. Beyond the Kurhaus, we enter a bit of a dodgy street with poorly kept kebab places and other eateries. There's a sense of delipedation here, with the place ran down in a big city way that is unusual for Scheveningen. Things feel smudgy here and I'm hesitant to leave the bicycle. There's no way to take it though, as from here you need to descend stairs to arrive at the Boulevard. A few years ago, this part of the boulevard itself was also quite past its prime, but the old concrete and brick buildings here have been torn down and replaced by interesting architecture: quite clearly contemporary, yet at the same time with lots of little call backs to the early nineteenth century, with early art deco elements that seem to refer to Scheveningen's origins, around that time, as a beachside resort. The boulevard here is now sprawling, with lots of restaurants and shops, that unfortunately had to close almost immediately - or even before - they could open properly, because of the pandemic.  

We descend further to the beach, alongside the Pier where there is still a construction side. Then, we enter what really is one of the weirdest places around her: Beachclub Zeezicht. The walls covered with graffiti art (the container in which the toilet is located is covered in bare buttocks) are the least strange thing here. The furniture is mostly your regular beach club terrace gear (lounge couches, tables, chairs), but throughout the enormous terrace, there are also lots of unexpected elements: weathered chesterfields, scooters turned into minibars or tables, and most strikingly of all, dozens of shop window dummies, in different stages of being undressed.They stand around on the terrace, sit at some tables, there's even a small group sitting on the roof of one of the buildings of this large beach club. It gives the place an almost eerie atmosphere, especially when - as we are today - you are only one of the very few real human beings around here. The minimal house playing on the sound system adds to this - it's a very good, but also spooky mix. On almost all tables, gas fires are on, but we sit down at a couch in a corner of the terrace where this is not the case - this seems safer, given Billie Stormzy's age. However, there is still a comfortable warmth coming from the other gas fires, which is welcome because the weather is rather grey and chilly.

I order the set breakfast (€15) as well as a latte macchiato to wake me up a little. When it's brought, it does just that, but it does nothing to change my mind about the notion that it's difficult to get a coffee at the Scheveningen beach that is anything but mediocre.  A few more visitors to Zeezicht have arrived, but Billie Stormzy and I are mostly engaging with a small, cheeky bird that keeps hopping on our table.

When breakfast is brought, it is large and in line with what is promised on the menu: smoked salmon, fried eggs and bacon, cheese, ham, jam and butter as well as several slices of bread as well as a bread roll. There's a nice bit of  salad too, with capers and shrimps, all nice and fresh. It's a good, tasty breakfast for a reasonable price. Billie Stormzy samples a bit of cheese and egg, but is mostly interested in a slice of bread with butter. Meanwhile, the little bird entertains us by coming by every once in a while to check out if there's any crumbs it can snatch.

I like Zeezicht, I really do. It takes guts to stand out like this at a place where just keeping everything middle of the road would easily get you a lot of customers anyway. It's right next to the Pier, after all, and there must be high numbers of people just passing by.

It's time to leave. I manage to get the attention of the very laidback waiter and pay. He thanks me extensively when I give him a tip (it's well-deserved) and cheerfully waves goodbye when we get up to walk back to our bike. Billie Stormzy runs enthusiastically in front of me, and I have to hurry to keep up with him.  

Also on Breakfast at the Beach: Jump back in time to when I visited this place with Rihanna Gaga in 2017