It’s not often that I get excited about going out to eat before 12pm. Mainly because, now that we’re mostly vegetarian, English fry-ups are off the cards and mostly because (as I’ve mentioned before) Dutch people don’t really “do” breakfast/brunch.
Which is why they usually leave it to foreign expats to come in and set up awesome brunch spots around the city. One such place is Bakers and Roasters, in the De Pijp neighbourhood of Amsterdam, started and run by a New Zealand / Brazilian couple.
Scott scouted it out online a couple of months ago and once I heard that it had a New Zealand influence, I was sold. I only too eagerly salivate whenever I remember the amazing brunches we ate all over New Zealand. Those Kiwis have gotten early day meals down to a fine art.
Aside from the usual breakfast suspects including sausage and bacon, the thing that impressed me most about the menu was its creativity. A typical vegetarian breakfast usually consists of everything a regular breakfast would, except with fake meat substitutes or some extra veggies. Not so at Bakers and Roasters, whose vegetarian breakfast is a combination like no other. Complete with halloumi cheese, avocado, thick slices of toast, two eggs any style, breakfast potatoes, garlic spinach, creamy mushrooms and a homemade chilli jam, it’s truly a sight to behold.
The breakfast was a good size (something a girl with my greedy traits is always appreciative of) and every bite was mouthwatering. The chilli jam complemented the creamy avocado and brown toast perfectly and was just one of the stars of the plate. Despite not being a huge mushroom fan, these were cooked with rosemary and melted in the mouth. Halloumi and avocado, being two of my favourite things in the world, were just the icing on the cake. There were clean plates all around.
Despite being fit to burst after that extravaganza, I couldn’t help but eye up the cake display and notice a delectable chocolate chip peanut butter cake in there. It was calling out both of our names and seemed a fitting end to breakfast as peanut butter is totally breakfasty, right?
It was soft and had big chunks of chocolate in it. The frosting was creamy and thick and the peanut butter flavour came through perfectly. I only wish I hadn’t been so full so that I could have enjoyed it even more. Oh well, an excuse to go back, order another pretty coffee and order another slice, I guess.
- Eerste Jacob van Campenstraat 54
- Open Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4pm; Sat and Sun 9.30am – 4pm
- bakersandroasters.com
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