After my utter boredom last weekend, I decided it was time to do something about it and ended up with a full diary all week. I am now knackered. I’m sure there’s a happy medium in here somewhere – I just can’t seem to find it. One of my social engagements was a long-overdue trip to de Waaghals, a vegetarian restaurant I’d been promising to go to with my herbivorous colleague for months.
We arrived straight from work at 6.30, but there were already a few traditional Dutch types tucking into their dinner at 6 o’clock sharp. The lighting and décor was a little stark and ongezellig, and the acoustics and proximity of the tables were such that we felt compelled not to gossip, but we were – after all – there for the food.
To start, we had something that looked like bitterballen but clearly weren’t. Actually, they were quite a lot nicer than bitterballen. In texture, they were more like arancini, but then with grated carrot and kernels of corn in addition to the rice, and lots of gooey cheese. They came with a dipping sauce that was basically tzatziki. It was simple, but good.
Things went downhill from there. The main courses worried me just from reading them on the menu. My dish featured (in no particular order, because the presentation – or lack thereof – was such that I have no idea which the key feature was supposed to be): a luke warm, rather limp slice of something resembling an omelette containing apples and chestnuts; a pile of green beans with chopped tomatoes and boiled egg; half a kohlrabi stuffed with something nutty; and two brown-coloured sauces, one that tasted faintly of mushrooms, the other of meat (somehow). It was a mess – both to look at and to taste.
My colleague’s dish was slightly better presented, but fared no better in any other respect: two flabby onion rings; a piece of fried bread that called itself a blini; an earthy grated beetroot salad with the added ‘bonus’ of a large chunk of ungrated beetroot skin stuck to its side that someone had forgotten to remove; assorted mushrooms, parsnips and carrots; and a tian of some bulgar-like substance that featured hazelnuts. She was not impressed.
We looked at the dessert menu, and then decided to get the bill (€30 each) and try our luck down the road instead. I can’t very well review a place just on its desserts, but if you’re ever passing the Chocolate Bar in the Pijp and fancy a sweet fix, order the Killer Chocolate dessert for just €6.50. It rocks.
Next time, we might skip de Waaghals and head straight to the Chocolate Bar instead.
