There was a time in my life when I used to go to a restaurant almost every week to enjoy food. It was that phase when I used to cook at home. At that time I liked to go out, discover new restaurants, and try delicious food every week or every other two weeks. But, now I don't enjoy food from outside anymore because there is a major reason behind it. I am a picky eater but obviously, that's not the case as I am open to trying different cuisines. After coming to the Netherlands, I ate almost every day outside food and still relied on outside food because in the place where I am staying, cooking food is not allowed. As we are not allowed to cook and we don't have a kitchen to cook, our food is provided by the shelter organization. Initially, I used to go to dining for food but later, I couldn't eat that food anymore so have to buy/order food from the outside. So, my life kinda depends on take-away which not only cost money but also unhealthy. I don't have other choices right now because we are not allowed to buy any cooking appliances because of some rules and specific reasons of the shelter. So, now I don't enjoy outside food.
The entire situation seems weird and sad but I accepted it. Because I have a choice to eat in the dining which I don't do so I found an alternative option and I don't complain about it. I just miss making home food. Food from outside is obviously expensive but so far I have been managing it. I maintain a budget for outside food and I mostly avoid going to fancy restaurants or cafes. When I travel, obviously I like to explore food still but for daily life, my food budget is completely different. It's a part of my refugee life.
A couple of months ago for personal reasons, I went to Den Haag HS. Den Haag HS is a little bit far away from the Hague Central but still, it's a nice place. There is a street full of cafes and restaurants; mostly turkish and BBQ restaurants. The price of the food is comparatively cheaper there than in Almere (my city). In Almere, unfortunately, we don't have good restaurants and you will easily find tasteless food. Only a few typical restaurants are in Almere. But in Den Haag, you will find a large variety of food.
Anyway, we were 4 people so after finishing our work, we decided to have our dinner before going home. The good thing, the four of us have similar kind of tastes and we prefer similar kinds of food. I was open to any kind of food and after seeing different restaurants, we finally decided to go to a Surinamese Chinese Restaurant called "Nieuw Peking". When I saw the word "Peking", I instantly decided that I was gonna try the Peking Duck dish.
"Nieuw Peking" - Surinamese Chinese Restaurant
I tried both Chinese and Surinamese cuisines before but separately. They both are really different from each other so the combination of these two cuisine was a unique experience. Chinese food is more of stir fry and uses different sauces including soya sauce. On the other hand, Surinamese foods are mostly curries, use different spices, and little bit sweet. The curries are more similar to Indian curries (obviously spices are different). So, Chinese food doesn't have curries.
The restaurant is not far away from the train station of Den Haag HS in fact when you leave the station, you will easily find the restaurant. The restaurant has a reservation process and most of the people go there based on reservation. We were lucky and when we were there, it was not even lunch or dinner time so we were welcomed to have our dinner there. They also have take-away services but only in Den Haag.
When we entered into the restaurant, it was pretty empty but most of the tables were reserved. We found a corner table for four. The restaurant was clean and nice, very simply decorated following Chinese style. Lantern style and shaped lamps were hanging over our heads. They were made of bamboo material and seemed quite elegant. I was happy that the interior was not a typical Chinese restaurant because the ambiance is normally dark in the typical Chinese restaurants that I have visited so far. I personally, liked the location of the restaurant, daylight was visible through the glass window.
I don't think these candle holders are Chinese style, they are more like Turkish-styled decor. What do you think?
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The pantry area seemed clean and all the women were working there. They mostly speak their own language and Dutch; the waitress who took our order could hardly speak English. Soon, the empty restaurant filled with guests reserved guests, and they ordered food so quickly without seeing the menu thoroughly. It seemed like they knew what to eat.
We were given both Dutch and English menus and yes, we ordered so much food. Obviously, we were four so each of us ordered dishes and decided to share with each other. I was hoping that we gonna eat Surinamese food but we ended up ordering Chinese food. So, what is the secret behind the names Surinamese and Chinese restaurants? So, some Surinamese dishes were separate from the menu but this was a fusion food restaurant combined with Chinese - Surinamese Cuisine.
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Soon our table was filled with different items and the smell was wonderful. We ordered Peking duck with fried rice, Chicken Surinamese style, soup, chicken with vegetables, and noodles.
I separately ordered dumpling soup (Chinese cuisine) with chicken and it was so delicious. One of us ordered Saute Soup (it's Surinamese soup I guess because Surinamese people eat this soup a lot). We didn't order any appetizers, so after finishing the soup, I directly jumped on the main course which was Peking duck with rice.
I love Peking duck, they are so juicy and the meat is so tender. The sauce is also good with fried rice. This rice was made in both Chinese and Surinamese styles, it was not typical Chinese fried rice. I tried Peking duck both with rice and fried noodles and I loved it. But my preference was Rice with Peking duck. I tasted chicken with vegetables and it was nice Chinese-style vegetables. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how the chicken was cooked.
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We were given a pickled cucumber and carrot with sauces as well as different types of chili sauces separately. We finished our food soon and a large portion of food became leftovers so we decided to take the rest of our food as takeaway. The portion was big and we couldn't finish eating everything. Overall dinner for 4 people cost 75 euros which was pretty cheap compared to other restaurants. So, the food cost per person was below 20 euros which was actually a reasonable cost for dinner in the Netherlands. The portions of each dish were satisfactory and we had enough food left over in the end.
The Peking duck, soup, Rice, and Chicken with Vegetables was actually delicious.
Do you like such kind of food for dinner?
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Priyan...
I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...
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