Breadtime stories

This late in the evening of the first day of the working week, I could not refrain from sharing with you, dear readers, a breadtime story linked to the pleasurable discovery of one of those places one should always have in the address book and visit regularly for utter palate sanity.

There was a time a bakery in one of the busiest streets in Amsterdam; not a beautiful street, admittedly: the shop windows are full of tacky items on sale, tourists invade every corner and the smells are strong and agressive. In the midst of this typical city chaos near central station, lies a peaceful haven, a harbor of (good) taste, our own Cinderella, discreet and even more attractive for its subdued charm. Bakery Niemeijer has a wide front window that gives every sweet tooth the opportunity to have a greedy peak at the counter laden with goodies: pains au chocolat, croissants, tartes tatins and other sweet things for your tastebuds. 

Perfect for a slow Sunday breakfast (they also serve lunch and high tea), the place offers French bread and pastries in a wide space, sparsely decorated and so representative of the vintage meets factory trend that I somewhat associate with The Netherlands - whether the association is relevant, is another story, but the moment I sat down, I felt that the place was complying with sheer Dutch taste and design. A good and efficient mix in any case, enlivened by a few touches of unsophisticated green (even in the toilets) thanks to simple plants in plain see-through vases. 

The portions are quite small but who would eat more than two pieces of French baguette (well- cooked), a small brioche (so plump and golden that you just feeling like petting it before biting into it - one should not get too sentimental with food anyway, so no hard feelings), butter and marmelade? Well, if I tell you everything is homemade...maybe you would go for second servings and you would be right in doing so.

While the sky outside is deciding whether to serve you sunshine, clouds or a bit of both on your Sunday morning, you just relish every bite and drink a very good latte or cappuccino served in mismatched china for the final touch of harmonious decoration - the icing on the cake...

And they lived happy ever after!