(photo © kiwidutch)
We came back from our quick trip to France and spend the next week and a half cleaning out the fridge and freezer of fruit and veg. since shortly we will be in the United States for a longer holiday. Eventually the offerings at the back of the last freezer drawer dwindle down from homemade thaw and heat meals to pasta sauces and chili’s until finally we were confronted with the last packages.. frozen blocks of homemade chicken and vegetable stocks.
Next we look at tinned goods in the pantry cupboard… excellent, I have some confit du canard, (confit duck) knackworstjes (soft tinned sasuages) tinned corn, beans, pasta and rice etc, so for a few days we make meals out of strange assortments of store cupboard goodies. They look a bit uncomfortable together but taste reasonable enough. Because 95% of all vegetables we usually have on hand are of the fresh variety, it doesn’t take too long to exhaust the limited pantry supply.
Now I realise that the only vegetable we have left in the house are tinned peeled tomatoes (which are technically a fruit anyway for the precise amongst you) and in recent days we starting to ramp up the packing, dragging suitcases out of cupboards, hunting for the packing list, getting bits and pieces out of the piles of dry laundry and stepping over small piles of items set out neatly, ready to be checked off the list (when I find that rotten list).
The kids have been attending various activities all afternoon, Hubby arrives home after collecting them just minutes after I get in from work, He puts his head to the large cupboard we use as a pantry, removes it after a quick perusal and suggests that we all head out to the Pirata’s Restaurant: a most excellent suggestion, the chore of packing is put gratefully on hold and we head out the door…
The Restaurant has revamped the menu since we were here last and whilst a few of their most favourites remain, there are a few new items on the menu that we decide to run past our taste buds…
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
(photo © kiwidutch)
Hubby orders: Tournedos van de grill met gebakken champignons en sjalotten en friet ( fillet steak, grilled with mushrooms, shallots and fries)
(photo © kiwidutch)
I order Lamskoteletten met geblancheerde courgette en een Provençaais aardappeltaartje (Lamb chops with blanched courgette and potato in the syle of Provence.)
(photo © kiwidutch)
We both have Creme Brulée for dessert.
The lamb chops were very nice, not the best I have ever had but most certainly not the worst by any means. Maybe growing up in New Zealand with access to some of the best lamb in the world has made me particularly picky on that account. Hubby said that he enjoyed his Tournedos too.. and we both enjoyed the Creme Brulée a lot. It had a touch of vanilla that was an exact work of brilliance… not too little, it was enough to be definite and to savour but not over the top. I will be look forward to ordering the Creme Brulée again.
As usual the children played happily in the Children’s area and since they had been at activities the whole afternoon where nibbles had been supplied in abundance , they declined a meal now, preferring the play area. The Staff understood, didn’t mind at all that we were not ordering for the kids and were friendly and helpful, as they have been each time we have been so far.
All in all this made for a relaxing evening meal, where the kids were happy and we were too. We have recommended Pirata’s to a number of friends and they have told us that on the days they went that they were also impressed, the food, play area and attitude of the staff all ticking the right boxes… and that’s excellent feedback for anyone who for business or pleasure, or both, enjoys making food.
(photo © kiwidutch)
Pirata’s Familie Restaurant ,
Groot Hertoginnelaan 206 (Corner Groot Hertoginnelaan & Conradkade) Den Haag (The Hague), The Netherlands. Website address: http://www.pirata-denhaag.nl
