Sitting at the Zwetheul a few months ago I was talking to a couple who were very much into fine dining. They were interested in the fact I was going to have a goodbye to Rotterdam top 10, looked puzzled when I told them that we were currently sitting in my number 10 and were positively shocked when I listed the full top 10. This was in the list at number 8, 2 places above the Michelin star Mecca. Deserved? Yep. The food here may not be as inventive or as sublime as a top restaurant, the service is not in the same class and the decor is poor. It does though serve warm chicken from the spit and while only a small part of the population appreciates Michelin style dining, everyone enjoys chicken and chips. And I mean everyone: foreign workers who don´t speak a work of Dutch or English, students looking for a warm meal, the police (who always know the best take aways), families looking to feed the kid, businessmen in suits with fancy cars, the old, the young, the kids who have been sent by their parents. Most people just come for the take away, but sit down at one of the uncomfortable seats, take your time and you´ll see the whole spectrum of life pass you by. Ok, the last meal was not quite up to the standard of previous visits - the chicken had been resting too long and was a bit overcooked, but the chips were great, the wine was cheap and 2 course came to 18 euros. I´ll miss the Zwetheul and the other fine dining places a lot, but I´ll miss places like this a whole lot more. |