My food travels in the Netherlands: Haarlem, The Hague and Amsterdam

Haarlem is a cute historical city, with an old market square that boasts several museums and an impressive church named (imaginatively) Grote Kirk. The city’s proximity to the sea, and Noord-Holland‘s fertile farmlands, means that food in Haarlem is wonderfully fresh and delicious.

After spending the day visiting the flower gardens in Keukenhof (one of my favourite things ever!), we took a train over to Haarlem to have dinner in this beguiling Dutch city. Haarlem is worth a visit if you’re in the area, and of course, remember to enjoy the food.

This is what I ate:

Specktakel

Specktakel is highly recommended on most lists of places to go in Haarlem. The menu changes every season which means you could regularly visit and enjoy something different each time. It also means you won’t get bored.

Sadly I can’t remember what I actually ate, but here are some pictures:

Starter

Main

Dessert

This was a selection of all Specktakel’s desserts and was amazing!

The food was worth the hype and I think the dessert was the best one I had in the Netherlands. Anything which has churros is a winner to me.

The Hague

The Hague is the Netherlands’ administrative capital and the seat of government. It is also home to the most popular seaside resort. We sampled this kibbeling (battered chunks of cod) on the pier overlooking overlooking Scheveningen beach.

Would you say a trip to the seaside is complete without fish and chips? I think not.

Amsterdam

We visited Amsterdam on our last day, before we went to the airport. I’d been to Amsterdam a few years ago and on this occasion we only had enough time to visit the Rijksmuseum.

Whilst there, we tried out the bitterballen, a traditional Dutch dish battered in a crunchy breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey mixture of chopped beef, beef broth, flour, butter, herbs and spices. Bitterballen is traditionally served with mustard.

Best. dish. ever.

I had such a great time eating my way through the Netherlands and came home feeling very full. Very much looking forward to my next trip now!