Indisch Geluk
Where? Indisch Geluk (The Hague, Netherlands) Map Menu
When? Thursday June 25, 2026
Who With? Andrew
Food Style? Indonesian
It comes as a surprise to most people that Indonesian food is quite prevalent in the Netherlands, thanks to colonisation back in the 1800s. Moreover, I've heard it's comparable to what you can find in South East Asia, so I'm super keen. I'm also super keen to never have traditional Dutch food again, so there's that. And on top of all this, it's Andrew’s birthday, so we’ve gone for something quite special indeed: rijsttafel, or “rice table”.
The rijsttafel is an impressive display of different Indonesian foods, with the intent to show off a variety of colours, flavours and textures. Depending on the restaurant, the kind of dishes and the number will vary; some of the lavish ones will have more than forty, but today we have a modest twelve. The menu is a funny mix of Bahasa and Dutch, like "sambal goreng boontjes" so I'll need to manually translate everything. There's a bowl of coconut rice and another one for steamed rice, and then our selection of dishes is:
- Ayam bali: Bali chicken
- Sambal goreng boontjes: Sambal fried beans
- Udang peteh: Shrimp with petai beans
- Saté ayam: Chicken satay
- Sambal goreng tempé kering: Fried sambal tempeh
- Sajour lodeh: vegetable curry with coconut milk
- Tumis brocolli: spicy brocolli
- Blado telor: spicy hard-boiled egg
- Daging semur: Javanese beef stew
- Tahu boemboe roedjak: spicy tofu
- Orak arik: sauteed shredded vegetables scrambled with egg
- Roedjak manis: sweet rojak - vegetable and fruit salad
Appetiser
Keropok: prawn crackers and sambal
We got some keropok to start with - a nod to our childhoods.
Mains
Rijsttafel: rice table
Soon after, the rijsttafel arrives. The presentation is spectacular, and it smells classically Indonesian. It’s a huge amount of food, and the waitress methodically explains each dish, as well as the condiments. Some of them are surprisingly spicy, given the Dutch aren’t known for their spice tolerance. The sambal does skew a little sweet though, and I would have liked something a bit more acidic or fresh than the tiny plate of cucumber to counterbalance the heavy flavours, but this is otherwise an excellent meal, and I am thoroughly satisfied. Definitely the best meal I've ever had on Dutch soil.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:30pm on Wednesday July 8, 2026 :: 0 comments :: 
Persepolis
Where? Persepolis (Antwerp, Belgium) Map Menu
When? Wednesday June 24, 2026
Who With? Me
Food Style? Iranian
Poor Andrew has sustained a back injury and doesn’t want to leave the hotel for dinner, so he’s going to order in and I’m going to explore Antwerp. Honestly the last few days, I haven’t been feeling like Belgian food or Asian food, so the best alternatives have been Greek or Middle Eastern. This place is very close to our hotel, so it’s convenient for a quick, small bite, and then if I’m still hungry, I can grab some Belgian waffles for dessert. Belgium has been pretty expensive so far, especially after converting to Canadian dollars.
Snack
Instead of bread, I get an assortment of crackers and pretzels, as well as some butter. I’m not sure if I should be eating these together.
Mains
Kubideh: Oriental style minced lamb
This is definitely the best value meal I’ve had in Belgium. The lamb is tasty and succulent, but it could use some herbs and a yogurt sauce to give it a boost. There’s a lot of rice, probably too much for me to finish. The portion of salad is decent, but it could use a bit more dressing. On the whole though, the dish feels clean and light, which is perfect given how heavy all the food has been recently.
Posted by Jeremy at 6:46pm on Wednesday July 8, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Le Pré Salé
Where? Le Pré Salé (Brussels, Belgium) Map Menu
When? Tuesday June 23, 2026
Who With? Andrew
Food Style? Belgian
We're in Brussels, where we've just seen the King and Queen of Belgium welcome the Japanese Imperial Couple at the Grand Place. It's time for lunch and I've chosen a Belgian restaurant famous for its mussels, though it also serves other local specialties like meatballs, stews and croquettes. Interestingly enough, the road we're on has many Korean, Japanese and Indian restaurants, and it surprises me that Brussels is more multicultural than I thought it would be.
Mains #1
Cote de Porc: pork chop with Blackwell sauce
Andrew opts for the pork chop. It’s a bit tough but tasty. The Blackwell sauce - whatever it's made of - is very acidic, and I’m not entirely sure it goes well with the pork.
Mains #2
Moules de Zélande: Mussels with Garlic Sauce
Definitely the better choice here. It’s so aromatic and flavoursome with all the herbs and celery enhancing the broth. I’m having a great time soaking it up with the frites and bread. I get to the bottom and there’s an odd shaped mussel that doesn’t open, but then I realise it’s actually a stone and it’s the reason the broth has maintained its heat so well during my meal. They're not particularly cheap either, this bowl cost €26.90 or close to CAD$44.
Posted by Jeremy at 6:19pm on Wednesday July 8, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Brasserie Beaulieu
Where? Brasserie Beaulieu (Luxembourg City, Luxembourg) Map
When? Monday June 22, 2026
Who With? Andrew
Food Style? French
I’m in Luxembourg, an interesting country in terms of cuisine. Heavy French and German influence, but still distinct enough that it has some specialities of its own. Despite it being landlocked, I see fish on many upmarket restaurant menus and I don’t know how much I trust that. In any case, we’re outside the city center, close to where the main train station is. It was easy to get here; public transit is free for everyone in Luxembourg, but food in general is expensive. This restaurant deals more in French food, which is fine, given the food I had in Frankfurt was a huge step down from what I had in Italy. I’ve gone for a burger and Andrew’s getting the hangar steak.
Mains
Beaulieu Burger
The burger is really solid. Full of flavour and cooked perfectly juicy, “a point”, which is the French expression for something around medium rare. Lots of cheese oozing everywhere. I really appreciate the salad after all that beige German food. The fries are served with mayonnaise and I maintain that it is the superior condiment to ketchup. Overall, good but the bill was a whopping €29 (CAD $49)!
Posted by Jeremy at 6:00pm on Wednesday July 8, 2026 :: 0 comments ::
Kaffeehaus Goldene Waag
Where? Kaffeehaus Goldene Waag (Innenstadt, Frankfurt, Germany) Map Menu
When? Saturday June 20, 2026
Who With? Me
Food Style? Pastry and Coffee House
The last time I was in Germany, I could not for the life of me find a bakery that sold Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - or as it’s known in English, the very famous German gateau, Black Forest Cake. What I did find was some hipster deconstructed version that was very disappointing. A Black Forest cake should be light and fluffy, with a tangy cherry taste and bitter finish from the kirsch liquor. Finally, now that I’m in Frankfurt, which is moderately close to the Black Forest, I’m going to have one. I’ve spent all morning walking around half the city to find a place and finally I’ve found one by Frankfurt’s famous cathedral. This place also does Kranz, the Frankfurt crown pastry, which I unfortunately did not get the chance to try.
Dessert
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: Black Forest Cake
This is fantastic. The texture is sublime, like I’m eating a cloud. It’s so aerated and moist, even the cream doesn’t feel heavy. The cherries in the lower layer are deliciously tart and the kirsch is very prominent - so much so that the lady at the counter had to warn me that there was alcohol in the cake, to which I very happily nodded in acceptance. This was definitely worth the effort and I would very happily come back to Frankfurt just to eat this cake again.
Posted by Jeremy at 5:44pm on Wednesday July 8, 2026 :: 0 comments ::