Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
It was while living in Australia, in a tiny mining town, that Clo Darras met her Dutch partner Ziggy Douw. It was there that they heard locals share the story of the Green Birdflower plant — small and unassuming, you most likely wouldn’t even notice it, and that would be a shame, as its leaves are uniquely shaped like a bird. A wonderful reminder to stop and take a moment to look around you, as beauty surrounds us all the time. Ziggy gifted the plant to Clo on a date, so it holds a special place for the couple, and it felt only natural that it would become the name of their now beloved café, Birdflower, located at Professor Kaiserstraat 55.
After travelling the world for 10 years, cooking in different restaurants and learning as much as they could about food and flavour, the couple decided to make The Hague home — where Ziggy is originally from. Clo, being French, made the city her own and felt at home here from day one. With the large expat community, it was easy to make connections, and Clo loved that nature was always around the corner — from the beach to the dunes, greenery can easily be found here.
The couple experimented with a pop-up during Covid, which was a success, and then decided to turn it into a café. This July, they will celebrate the café’s 4th birthday. The menu changes every three months — everything homemade — and they only cook and bake with ingredients that are in season, staying true to nature. This means everything on the menu is fresh and the produce is at its most delicious. Clo is extremely passionate about locally sourced ingredients and supporting the suppliers who care for them, including miso sourced from a Japanese supplier in the city, made from buckwheat rather than soy. She lights up talking about it, and that passion also comes through in the food itself — the pastries are beautifully crafted works of art that tell a story when you eat them.
The menu is made up mainly of pastries and a handful of other items, including some Asian-inspired dishes such as kimchi toast. The kimchi is punchy and bursting with complex, savoury flavour, paired with nutty Comté cheese and sandwiched between soft sourdough toasted to golden perfection, served with a dollop of rich, tangy mayo — all proudly made by Clo and Ziggy. They also offer seasonal drinks like juices and iced teas, and rotate their coffee beans throughout the year — fruitier blends for spring and summer, shifting to deeper, warmer roasts in the colder months.
I tried the vegan pistachio and raspberry cookies — indulgent and chewy, and more than satisfying for any vegan. The chocolate torte, made with hazelnut mascarpone, olive oil and sea salt, was rich, moreish, and my personal favourite. The vanilla cheesecake — gluten-free, with chocolate crémeux and fresh berries — is a decadent, artisanal dessert that combines a velvety, dense texture with rich contrasting layers and vibrant toppings. And Clo’s personal pick? The pain au chocolat, one of the best in the city — it will transport you straight to Paris.
An honourable mention goes to the iced chai latte. As someone of South Asian descent, chai is often botched in Western cafés, so I was thoroughly satisfied with this one and would happily return for it.
Clo is clearly passionate about the hard work that goes into the café, and supporting the local community is what drives her — she wins when they win, a shared joy all round.
Earlier this year, the couple opened a second location — a takeaway spot at Azaleaplein 1K — and for their sit down café, they have plans for some small renovations and a more streamlined menu in the coming months, allowing them to focus on what is truly working: the coffee, pastries and sandwiches.
No visit to The Hague is complete without stopping into Birdflower. And as a reminder — I hope you take a moment to pause during your busy day and look out for the beauty that surrounds you. It’s probably closer than you think.
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and Sheryl Holliday
Venue provided complimentary drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
As a wine lover, the first countries that come to mind when thinking about wine are the classics: France, Italy, South Africa, Chile. But after sitting with Ofran Badakhshani, the owner of De Filosoof wine bar, I learned about the true history of wine.
Wine is a story. Nowhere is that truer than in Persia, the civilisation we now know as Iran, where wine was not simply consumed but revered. Long before it reached Europe, it was woven into the very fabric of Persian life — into its religion, its rituals, and most enduringly, its poetry. The great Sufi poet Rumi used wine as a metaphor for the soul’s journey toward God, describing spiritual ecstasy as being drunk on something far beyond the earthly. Omar Khayyam filled his celebrated Rubaiyat with it, using each glass as a quiet argument for living fully in the present. And Hafez, perhaps the most beloved poet in the Persian tradition, wrote about wine with a provocation that was as much political as it was spiritual — raising a cup, in many ways, against rigidity itself. It is one of history’s more poignant ironies that the country which gave the world its oldest confirmed traces of winemaking — clay jars from the Zagros Mountains dating back over seven thousand years — is today one where wine cannot be legally produced or consumed. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran had close to 300 wineries. Now it has none. The culture remains, pressed into the pages of its literature.
This history is personal at De Filosoof. Ofran, who grew up in Amsterdam, originally studied philosophy and was later offered a role at Delft University — unpaid, as it turned out, which prompted him to think seriously about his next move. Beyond philosophy, what did he know deeply? Wine. And so he began to explore how the two might come together. In 2014, he started hosting art history and philosophy discussions shared over a glass, bringing together a small community of intellectuals that grew steadily over time. Of Persian descent himself, Ofran introduced this community not to French or Chilean pours, but to wines from Bulgaria, Moldova, and Greece. There was hesitation at first — these were unfamiliar regions, unfamiliar grapes — but over time, Ofran earned their trust, and the wines spoke for themselves. Restaurants in The Hague couldn’t fully tell the stories behind bottles like these; most owners know France and Italy and little else. And so what had begun as a gathering became a destination. De Filosoof wine bar opened in 2019.
Built from the ground up by Ofran, his girlfriend, and his mother — the three of them doing much of the work with their own hands — the bar had barely found its feet when Covid arrived. When the world eventually quietened down, they opened their doors fully, and something quietly remarkable happened: different cultures began to flock in. Brazilians, Turkish, Dutch — strangers sitting side by side over a shared glass, the noise of the outside world briefly held at bay. What Ofran has built is not simply a beautiful bar that serves delicious wine and food. It is a space where background becomes secondary, where the common ground is a well-chosen bottle and the willingness to be curious. At a time when many world leaders are pushing division, De Filosoof makes a gentle case for the opposite — that we can sit with our fellow humans, talk, and remember that at the end of the day, we all carry the same hopes for ourselves and the people we love.
With over 500 wines available by the glass — many sourced from conflict zones including Lebanon — there is something quietly radical about the place. It almost makes you wonder what could be resolved if more of the world’s decision-makers sat down together over a good bottle.
De Filosoof hosts regular events each month: new wine launches, performances by Persian musicians, tastings, and evenings centred on literature and art. I attended the launch of Château Heritage’s new Brut — the first sparkling wine from Lebanon from a house currently ranked 33rd best in the world. Bursting with crisp green apple, juicy pear, and zesty citrus, it is exactly the kind of wine you reach for when there is something worth celebrating.
Food is very much part of the experience too. Small bites are on offer, and I tried Ofran’s mother’s famous aubergine dish, Burani — fresh tomatoes served with yoghurt and coriander. It was fragrant, light, and completely at home here. The Kufta followed: spiced meatballs with ginger, paprika, and warm spices, slow-cooked in a fresh tomato sauce. With my eyes closed, I could have been somewhere else entirely — somewhere much warmer, and further away from the Dutch cold.
So, can world peace be achieved over a glass of wine? That may be a loaded question and one we cannot answer simply. But after seeing so many different people come together to enjoy brilliant food, wine and art, it does make you think.
Check out De Filosoof’s website and Instagram for information on future events. De Filosoof can be found on Molenstraat 16.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and De Filosoof
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
I believe there are very few things a good cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake can’t fix. I happened upon Adore Cake Atelier while scrolling through Instagram one day and knew I had to make my way there as soon as possible to satisfy a cake craving that had been building for a while.
The owners, Daria and Anastasia, are two young and enthusiastic Russians who came to The Hague around eight years ago and connected on having similar backgrounds — only to later discover they had both attended the same university in Finland several years prior (talk about fate!). The two clicked and a lovely friendship blossomed. Anastasia was working in corporate with baking as a hobby, while Daria was a home baker, and around two and a half years ago they decided to turn their shared passion into something real. The dream of opening a café was no longer just a dream.
The initial idea was to have a smaller takeaway-only space, but they decided to go big. If it scares you, then you know you should go for it — that was their philosophy, and the pair bravely took on the daunting process of setting up their business even though they were nervous. Finding the right size, neighbourhood, and space was no easy task, but just as luck would have it, they found their spot at Kepplerstraat 125. Daria recalls sitting in that very space years earlier — it was a lunchroom back then — and envisioning a café of her own. Well, the universe was clearly listening, because that same spot is now what she proudly calls her work home.
With a charming corner entrance and plenty of space inside, the café has a welcoming, calm atmosphere. The best sellers are the blueberry and poppy seed cake — tart, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet — the honey cake, a beloved Slavic recipe and a labour of love, made up of several thin, caramelised pecan layers sandwiched with a tangy, rich frosting (my personal favourite), and the raspberry red velvet. I also tried the mango and passion fruit cheesecake, which was smooth and creamy with the perfect jiggle.
They have recently introduced weekend breakfasts with both Danish and Nordic-style options, ideal if you’re in the mood for something savoury. The drinks menu features seasonal creations, with current offerings including a pistachio latte, raspberry mint tea, and a coconut vanilla iced latte. They also love dreaming up creative limited-edition cakes — a Bridgerton-inspired creation was on the menu when Season 4 of the hit series launched recently. Keep an eye on their Instagram for the next special treat.
The duo also take custom orders for birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions, as well as last-minute cakes for those forgotten anniversaries. And if you’ve ever wanted to learn the craft yourself, they offer cake decorating workshops too. With a terrace also on the way this spring, there’s never been a better reason to pay Adore Cake Atelier a visit. Open everyday except Tuesdays, add this spot to your upcoming weekend plans to satisfy your sweet tooth craving.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers and Adore Cake Atelier
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
The following story and photos were shared by a member of our community and are published as submitted. We welcome community voices and experiences from across The Hague. To share your story, please read our submission guidelines.
Uprooting one’s life in search of new beginnings comes with expected challenges. Language barriers and differing social customs are usually at the top of the list for most—this has certainly been the case for me. What I didn’t expect to grapple with quite as much, however, was how deeply I would miss the local cuisine from my home country.
A few months after my big move, a colleague and I bonded over our shared South African roots. Whenever we spoke about the motherland, our conversations more often than not revolved around the dishes we missed or wished were available on menus here. After several of these mouthwatering exchanges, my colleague had the brilliant idea of inviting me over for dinner. On the menu? Boerewors rolls and milk tart. It doesn’t get more South African than that, does it?
I looked forward to our little gathering with giddy anticipation. My boyfriend—who just so happens to be a chef—couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. “Broodjes and wors? You two are having a dinner party with broodjes and wors?” he asked after I showed him a picture of a delicious boerewors roll smothered in caramelised onions. His chef’s brain simply couldn’t justify my excitement over such a simple dish.
He offered to whip up something more elaborate to bring along to dinner, but more wasn’t needed.
How could I explain to my very Dutch boyfriend the role of the boerie in South African society? The alluring smell of braised onions from street vendors lining the sidewalks. Its omnipresence throughout life—from childhood to old age—at school events, sports days, church bazaars, fundraisers, braais, and more. I realised then that it wasn’t so much about the food on the plate, but the nostalgia it evoked.
I began to notice how I missed certain foods at certain times. It’s no coincidence that my mind drifts toward roasted chicken and potatoes on Sundays more than any other day. It’s the quality time with family during Sunday lunch that I truly long for—the noisy chatter as I stuff a second helping of potato bake into my mouth, trying not to make eye contact with my dog who’s hoping to score a treat from the table. Even just a “taste” of that feeling is enough to make me bypass a chef boyfriend’s home-cooked meal and head straight for a boerewors roll or even a simple chicken mayonnaise sandwich.
Curious, I started asking other expats about their experiences and realised I wasn’t alone. Everyone had stories to share about the foods they missed and the lengths they went to keep those culinary traditions alive—painstakingly sourcing ingredients to recreate the flavours and aromas that once filled their childhood homes. Some spoke about substituting hard-to-find ingredients with local alternatives. I thought of how I had smuggled a few jars of butter chicken spice into my luggage on my last trip home. It became clear that my culinary catch-ups with my colleague were far from unique.
One expat told me she travels from Scheveningen to Arnhem every other week just to cook up a storm with friends. The commute, she said, was a small price to pay for a taste of home.
Hearing these stories brought me a sense of comfort. Even with the best support systems, emigrating to a foreign country is hard. And on the days when things feel heavy—or when you simply miss home—it helps to know that something as simple as a familiar dish can soothe the soul.
Summer Jacobs holds an Honours degree in English and has a rich background in journalism, where she spent years interviewing fascinating individuals and sharing their stories. An avid traveler, she recently relocated from South Africa to Den Haag, bringing her passion for storytelling and global experiences to a new chapter in life.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
Born out of a love for a New York classic, Netherlands Bagels opened on Korte Molenstraat a few years ago when the original American owner couldn’t find a decent bagel anywhere in the city.
Tucked away on a quiet street, you can expect freshly baked, boiled bagels, homemade drinks, and an all-around wholesome atmosphere. The space feels earthy, warm, and unpretentious — an ideal post-walk stop or low-key meet-up spot.
The menu (which is also 100% halal) features loose bagels in a variety of flavours, including the Everything bagel, cheesy jalapeño, and sesame, alongside salads and sweeter options like blueberry and raisin. You choose a filling — such as salmon and cream cheese or chicken club — then pick which bagel to pair it with. I tried the Bodega (cheese, beef bacon, and scrambled eggs) on an Everything bagel: filling and chewy, just as any good bagel should be. I also tried their sweet bagel, which changes daily — on this occasion, a cinnamon flavour. Both were hearty and flavourful, delivering a taste of New York that will satisfy even the most dedicated bagel enthusiast.
The space was sold to the new Ukrainian owners last year, who have since added desserts to the menu — think honey cake, cheesecake, and cookies. On a sunny day, I’d highly recommend grabbing a takeaway and heading to the nearby Palace Gardens. Pick up some drinks, make it a picnic, and you’ve got a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon in the city.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
Venue provided complimentary food and drinks during Sherika’s visit for this feature. The Hague Online retained editorial control, and the views expressed are the writer’s own
In the Zeeheldenkwartier, you’ll find the charming café, Petit by Sam. Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, owner Samita Raheja moved to Amsterdam when her Dutch partner wanted to return to his home country eight years ago, she seized the opportunity to expand on her love for baking and opened Petit, initially as a takeaway-only concept. When the couple later relocated to The Hague, Sam decided it was time for a fully operating café.
At the time, vegan and gluten-free options were hard to come by in the city, and the few places that did offer them often relegated a dry, uninspiring banana bread to the back of the counter as an afterthought. Sam knew she could do better. She wanted to give the community baked goods that anyone could enjoy — and so Petit by Sam opened its doors in October 2023.
Walk in and you’re greeted with a warm smile and a display of gorgeous handmade cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats at the counter. An added delight is the open kitchen at the back, where you can watch bakers Jessica and Michelle in action. Jessica has been by Sam’s side since the very beginning, with Michelle joining the team more recently.
What does Sam love about the city? The slower pace compared to Amsterdam, the sense of community, and the way people here are looking to connect more deeply with one another. In a time when the world feels so divided, Sam spotted an opportunity to make her space a place of genuine connection. On the first Tuesday of every month, she hosts a parent meet-up, for moms and dads to connect over raising kids and every Thursday evening is reading night, where people can curl up with a book and enjoy the company of fellow bookworms. Latte art classes, cookie decorating workshops, and more are also on offer.
Opening a new café comes with its challenges, and in the early days some customers were unsure of the higher prices of the baked goods. But Sam was committed to the quality and standards she had grown up with in Switzerland — and now everyone is glad she stayed true to it. I tried the carrot cake, which looked almost too good to eat: a light, fluffy sponge with frosting so creamy and soft you’d never guess it was gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. The chocolate chip cookie is another favourite, somehow achieving that essential chewy texture every great cookie needs.
Parents can relax while kids enjoy the play corner, and the café is dog-friendly — making it the perfect stop on a daily walk. The terrace has just reopened and new seasonal drinks are coming soon, right on cue as the weather warms up.
Petit by Sam is located on Prins Hendrikstraat 106 and open seven days a week, and also takes orders for celebration cakes for birthdays, weddings, and other special events.
Images: Petit by Sam
Do you have a story about your own café, restaurant or bar in the city? Reach out to sherika@thehagueonline.com to possibly be featured.
Sherika Rooplal-Clappers is a contributing writer for The Hague Online, covering culture, lifestyle, and local events. With a passion for storytelling and international perspectives, she highlights the people, places, and experiences that make The Hague a dynamic city.
