Say “Indian food” to most people in the West, and a familiar picture comes to mind: takeout containers, a lot of oil, and a spice level that’s either “mild” or “regret.” It’s cheap, it’s convenient, and — the assumption goes — it’s basically all the same, just curry in different colours.
It couldn’t be further from the truth.
India isn’t one cuisine. It’s thousands of them. The country splits into broad geographic zones — north, south, east, west, and the northeast — and each one cooks with entirely different staple grains, techniques, and flavour profiles shaped by its own climate, history, and culture. Kashmiri rogan josh and Chennai-style chicken Madras have about as much in common as a Neapolitan pizza and a Swedish meatball — they’re both “Indian food” the way both those dishes are “European food,” which is to say, technically true and practically meaningless. Travel across the country and the menu changes completely: steamed momo (dumplings) in the northeast, pork with fermented soybean, tangy tamarind-and-coconut curries down south, delicate mustard-and-fish dishes in the east. It’s a tapestry, not a single dish repeated in different sauces.
This is exactly the reputation Vinoth Govind is working to change from his restaurant, Mad’Ras, on Piet Heinstraat. Walk into Mad’Ras and the first thing you notice is that it doesn’t look like most Indian restaurants you’ve been to. Blue ceramic plates are lined precisely along the tables, copper wine goblets catch the light behind the bar. It reads more like fine dining than the casual spots the cuisine usually gets slotted into — and that’s deliberate.
Vinoth never trained formally as a chef. He was, in his own words, always a foodie. While he grew up in Chennai, he visited his grandparents who had a small farm in Tamilnadu, where feeding anyone who walked through the door wasn’t optional, it was the rule. “If you weren’t going to eat here, don’t bother coming,” his grandparents used to say. That ethic of hospitality followed him into a corporate HR career, one that took him and his wife through Singapore, the Philippines, and other parts of Asia before they eventually settled in The Hague in 2022.
But HR is not the industry for someone who believes food is love. Vinoth spent years on the exhausting, emptying task of laying off hundreds of people at a time, and at some point the pull back toward the kitchen got too loud to ignore. He’d already opened restaurants before, in other countries, each time leaving behind a piece of his heart along with the business. He wasn’t planning on starting another one when his wife’s job brought them to the Netherlands. Then he got lost on a walk one day and stumbled onto Piet Heinstraat.
There, he struck up a friendship with Clarence, owner of the café then known as Bij Clarence, and found himself pulled back into the food world almost by accident. A space on the street had just come free — previously home to a Brazilian fusion restaurant run by João Proença — and after six months of work, it became Mad’Ras.
Vinoth is quick to credit the neighbourhood for what came next. Plenty of people doubted a new restaurant could survive in that spot; others had tried and closed before him. But Clarence and João, along with the wider street community, backed him from day one. He now counts them as family, and it’s part of why The Hague, a city he arrived in almost by chance, has stayed close to his heart.
Mad’Ras keeps its menu tight, but each dish carries its own regional identity rather than blending into one generic “Indian” flavour. The lamb rogan josh — Vinoth’s personal favourite — carries a rich, warming character, and the tandoori prawns arrive smoky and char-kissed, in the northern tradition. And the chicken Madras brings the fire and depth of the south.
Crucially, none of it has been dialled down for a Dutch palate. What lands on your table is what you’d be served in Chennai or Kashmir itself — spice included. That said, if heat isn’t your thing, there’s still plenty on the menu to give you an honest taste of the cuisine without watering it down into something unrecognisable. You will also find some iems unique to Mad’Ras, such as the truffle naan which was inspired by Vinoth’s 13 year old daughter – a combination I had doubts about as truffle is often overused in most restaurants or of poor quality – yet paired with dishes like the butter chicken, it was sensational.
Behind that consistency is a kitchen team of four, all trained in five-star hotels across India, and it shows in the precision of every plate. The drinks list carries the same care. The Mad’Ras Tadka coktail — gin or whisky, lime, sugar, ginger ale, and chaat masala — is light and refreshing, built to stand up against the spiced food rather than disappear next to it. Vinoth’s own love of wine shows up here too, with bottles sourced from further afield than you’d expect, including Georgia and Lebanon, rounding out a drinks menu as considered as the food.
Mad’Ras is the kind of place you find yourself wanting to return to — and to bring everyone you know along with you. It’s comfort food, elevated without tipping into pretension, and Vinoth’s hospitality is evident from the moment you walk through the door. If you’ve been carrying around the wrong idea of what Indian food is, this is exactly where to go to have it corrected. I myself, am of South African-Indian heritage and this place tastes like a mothers embrace.
Vinoth has since moved back to India; however, he continues to operate the restaurant with his dedicated team. Soon, a new menu will be unveiled — one I’m eagerly anticipating.
Piet Heinstraat 97, The Hague
Open for dinner only, Tuesday to Sunday
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.
What happens when you let Jan Taminiau and Lisa Konno look at the largest fashion and costume collection in the Netherlands? In 2026, Kunstmuseum Den Haag celebrates a special milestone: 75 years of the fashion collection. With this large-scale fashion exhibition, the museum, together with a wide range of co-curators, reflects on the rich, multifaceted, and surprisingly contemporary fashion and costume collection throughout the years. Reflections on Fashion features iconic designs by Iris van Herpen, Coco Chanel, Fong-Leng, Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Jan Taminiau, Viktor & Rolf, Frank Govers, and Karim Adduchi, among others. But, through the eyes of the co-curators, you see them each time in a new and surprising perspective.
Innovative collaborations
This exhibition is realized in collaboration with a wide variety of renowned guest curators, including Jan Taminiau, Tess van Zalinge, Ronald van der Kemp, Lisa Konno, Janice Deul, and KledingCast. Their perspectives ensure new stories, surprising combinations, and a fresh look at the collection.
Each room is designed differently, based on the vision of the co-curators within a unifying design by Maarten Spruyt, inspired by the Berlage building where the collection has been housed for 40 years. The co-curators dove into the depot with great enthusiasm to each devise their own concept and use it to furnish a room. Let yourself be surprised in Tess van Zalinge’s open depot, where the invisible becomes visible. Discover the animations of 18th-century costumes by Alu Studios. Explore the stimulating combinations of ULKUHANBATUHAN, the many shades of black selected throughout the ages by Jan Taminiau, and the forms of protest brought together by Lisa Konno. In Bas Kosters’ space, you contribute to a Gesamtkunstwerk: a safe home for everyone.
From ‘worthless’ to crowd favorite
Reflections on Fashion offers a glimpse into the work behind the scenes of a fashion collection, from the restoration studio to the depot. One of the showpieces of the exhibition is a soft pink Chanel dress from 1926, known from the AVROTROS program * Geheimen van het museum* (Secrets of the Museum ). The dress was discovered as an unexpected find in a collection of fabric remnants, causing a moment of great astonishment. After intensive in-house restoration, this object grew into a crowd favorite online and is now being exhibited for the first time.
Reflections on Fashion brings these kinds of processes to life, offers a fresh perspective on the highlights of the collection, and takes visitors behind the scenes. With an ‘open depot in the gallery’ and the opportunity to follow restorations up close like a true ‘dress detective,’ the making process becomes tangible. For the open depot, Tess van Zalinge selected collection pieces from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries that can be viewed inside and out: from crinolines and corsets to the hidden lining of a gown.
Living collection
From 17th-century showpieces to recent creations fresh off the catwalk: the Kunstmuseum’s fashion collection demonstrates how fashion continues to renew itself and how clothing tells stories of identity, craftsmanship, and the spirit of the times. What began in 1951 as the Netherlands Costume Museum grew within 75 years into the largest fashion and costume collection in the Netherlands, comprising more than 50,000 costumes and accessories. The collection is alive, inspiring, and embraced by a new generation time and again. And that is precisely what was written in the 1950s: that the collection aimed to be ‘a living institution,’ one that ‘stands at the heart of life.’ Reflections on Fashion shows exactly that.
For 75 years, many people have worked on this collection with so much love: collecting, restoring, narrating, and exhibiting. Always from different visions, fashions, and perspectives, with the collection as a constant factor. With this exhibition and the hefty catalogue, we honour the work of all the makers, donors, and colleagues who have worked on the collection with heart and soul. The collaboration with all the enthusiastic co-curators brings a wonderful energy. Also very special: we asked them ‘what is missing,’ and where possible, we are now filling those gaps. All this shows that our fashion collection is loved by many and continually inspires and offers new perspectives, generation after generation. I am proud of that.’ Madelief Hohé, Curator of Fashion and Costume .
Reflections on Fashion looks back and forward with optimism. Co-creations, never-before-seen items, and new additions to the collection provide surprises. A feast for the eyes, and moreover, a celebration of fashion and special stories. An ode to 75 years of fashion history, and to the inspiration that fashion can offer. Margriet Schavemaker, General Director
Public program
The public program of Reflections on Fashion seamlessly aligns with the presentations and collections of the co-curators in the exhibition, offering visitors a multifaceted and in-depth experience. For instance, they can attend a demonstration of tying the angisa by Tailors & Wearers, receive an in-room explanation of the kotos from the collection, and enjoy a historical fashion show presented by the Dutch Costume Society.
In addition, several Female Gaze tours are on the program, during which various co-curators guide visitors through the exhibition and bring the collection to life from their own perspectives. These personal approaches offer new insights and invite reflection on fashion, heritage, and identity.
For those who want to get creative themselves, workshops have been organized by DeSteek and others, and there is a maker table with designer Bas Kosters. The program is further enriched with two panel discussions, in collaboration with Patta Academy and KledingCast. The full program, including dates and participants, will be announced shortly.
Reflections on Fashion is on view from July 4, 2026, to January 3, 2027, at Kunstmuseum Den Haag.
Images: Sherika Rooplal-Clappers
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.
From the outside, the name gives nothing away. Café Marlo has no direct meaning, but it carries a sound close to the Japanese word maroyaka – meaning soft, warm, or mild. Walking in, I can confirm: the name fits perfectly.
This is The Hague’s newest Japanese café, and it is not what you might expect. There is no sushi here, no elaborate omakase, no long tasting menus. What Café Marlo offers instead is something far more personal: the food that Japanese people actually eat every day. The kind of food a mother makes. Nourishing, light, honest food that is good for your body.
Start with the matcha. Café Marlo uses two types – ceremonial grade for hot drinks and Shizuoka which pairs better with milk for everyday drinks. If you know your matcha, you will taste the difference immediately. If you don’t, this is a very good place to start learning.
The must-order, is the fruit sando. A Japanese fruit sandwich sounds like something that should not work – and then you take one bite and understand immediately why it has become a cult item across Japan and, slowly, across the world. Soft milk bread, lightly sweetened cream, seasonal fruit. It is simple in the best possible way.
For something more substantial, the onigiri is your answer. Café Marlo focuses on fresh, handmade onigiri served warm – which is how it should be eaten. If you have been reaching for sushi as your go-to Japanese option, consider this your gentle nudge to try something closer to what actually fills Japanese tables at lunchtime. Rice, filling, nori. Healthy, satisfying, completely unpretentious.
Café Marlo sits on Hooikade, and the location alone is reason enough to visit. The canal-side setting, the cobalt blue door, the sense that you have stepped somewhere slightly removed from the rest of the city – it makes the whole experience feel like a small escape. The kind of place you find yourself wanting to return to on a slow Tuesday when you need something that feels good.
The owners are genuinely lovely. You feel that from the moment you walk in – there is a care here that goes beyond the food, a sense that this café was opened because these two people truly love what they do and want to share it.
Café Marlo is located at Hooikade 1, The Hague. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. Find them on Instagram
Go for the matcha. Stay for the fruit sando. Leave feeling, as the name promises, warm.
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.
Visitors to Molenvlietpark can now get acquainted with the rich history of the area in an accessible way. Information boards (in Dutch) have been placed along the walking route through the park that give visitors a glimpse into the archaeological research that took place here during the construction of the park and the Rotterdamsebaan.
The archaeology walk was officially opened by Alderman Bruines (Archaeology and Heritage) during the National Archaeology Days. “Archaeology tells the story of our city. With this route, we make visible that the history of The Hague lies not only in archives and museums, but also simply beneath our feet,” said Alderman Bruines.
A dive into history
The new route takes visitors past various locations in Molenvlietpark where archaeological finds have been made. The information boards tell the story of ancient landscapes, settlement history, and remarkable discoveries from the past. Furthermore, using QR codes, visitors can digitally travel back in time and see what the area looked like during different periods, from prehistory up to and including the Second World War.
All information is based on archaeological research and finds made at this site. In this way, the hidden history of the area is made accessible to a wide audience.
Remarkable finds from the Roman period and the Middle Ages
The oldest archaeological remains found in the Vliet Zone date back to the Roman period. Archaeologists from the Municipality of The Hague discovered more than ten Roman farms here. In addition, many thousands of objects were excavated, including pottery, animal bone material, metal objects, and natural stone.
Notable finds from the Roman era include a silver ring with the inscription AMO TE VITA. This classical Latin text can be translated as: ‘I love you, my love’. Furthermore, a silver hoard was found consisting of six silver bracelets and 107 silver coins. In addition, there were 350 nearly complete roof tiles, including one with dog paw prints.
Freely accessible
The walk past the archaeology boards is freely accessible and suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of The Hague.
On 26 June, The Hague was filled with love. On this popular wedding date, no fewer than 41 couples said “I do” at various wedding locations across the city. The Hague provided a festive backdrop for couples, family members and friends. There was a good chance of spotting a radiant newly married couple, complete with bridal bouquets, celebratory outfits and big smiles. Several newlyweds were seen around the Spui in particular.
June remains a popular wedding month
June has traditionally been one of the most popular months to get married, but 26-06-2026 was especially sought after this year. The date brought together several appealing elements: a striking sequence of numbers, a summer atmosphere and, this year, a beautifully sunny day.
Couples across the city
The three municipal wedding locations, the City Hall on the Spui, the Old City Hall on the Dagelijkse Groenmarkt and the Escamp district office on Leyweg, formed the heart of this special wedding date. Ceremonies took place at these locations approximately every 45 minutes.
In addition, The Hague offers many so-called “free locations” where couples can get married or enter into a registered partnership. These were also widely used on 26 June. At various iconic places across the city, couples exchanged their vows, from the beaches of Kijkduin, Noorderstrand and Zuiderstrand to special locations such as a brewery or society venue.
Alderman Bredemeijer serves as one-off wedding officiant
For Alderman Hilbert Bredemeijer, it was also a special day. At the beginning of the afternoon, he officiated a wedding in the wedding hall of the City Hall on the Spui, also known as the Ice Palace. It was a festive and personal moment in his final days as Alderman for Services. For this occasion, he was specially sworn in once as a Special Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships, known in Dutch as a Buitengewoon Ambtenaar van de Burgerlijke Stand, or BABS.
A busy day for wedding officiants
The Hague’s wedding officiants were also working at full capacity on 26 June, with some officiating several marriages and registered partnerships. Despite the busy schedule, their enthusiasm, care and dedication helped ensure that each couple enjoyed an unforgettable ceremony.
Text: Gemeente Den Haag
Translation to English: The Hague Online
Photo: Alderman Hilbert Bredemeijer was sworn in once as a BABS and married a couple at City Hall.
No summer is complete without good ice cream, or better yet, gelato. But the latest spot to open in our city is no ordinary place. Don’t expect the usual flavours like plain vanilla or strawberry. Instead, tap into how you’re feeling and let that guide you. Perhaps you’re new to the city and need a fresh start, or you’re going through a challenging period in life right now and need a reminder that there is still light to be discovered even in the darkest moments. Well, Soul Be It has a flavour and a space for you.
This spot – and the woman behind it – has a special story. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Karen SL Huang moved to The Hague about nine years ago, after spending her whole career in the high-pressure world of advertising and later, marketing. She always had a dream to open her own gelateria since she was a child, and this feeling persisted until, around two years ago, she made the decision to really go after it. Now, Soul Be It is open for everyone to enjoy – a meeting place for friends to catch up, with a record player playing softly in the background and books on mindfulness scattered about.
I was really touched by the passion Karen has. She’s not trying to churn customers in and out of her store quickly; instead, she wants to bring three things to the city that work together: emotions + flavours + connection. The sleek interior feels like an extension of Karen’s own home – and an extension of yours, too. When she saw her customers sitting down, enjoying the gelato and reading some books, this was when she knew her dream had been realised.
It was hard to pick a favourite from the flavours, so instead, I’ll share the story behind a few of them. Fresh Start – to signify that every day is a chance to start over: a sorbet made up of pear and mint. The burst of freshness was undeniable, with an almost savoury feel, and the flavour could even work as part of a palate cleanser between courses.
A Light Unto the Darkness – a reminder that even during the hardest moments in life, there is often a silver lining if we remember to look for it. The taste of dark chocolate comes together in a gorgeous richness without being too bitter, with a hint of orange zest that cuts through.
Rosemary, Greek yoghurt, pink peppercorn — Gezellig is built on a taste you never knew you needed. The flavour takes its name from the Dutch expression for cosiness and warmth, and kumquat compote pieces round it out with a surprising sweetness.
Beyond the storytelling, there’s substance too – most of the ingredients are organic, and Karen is looking to increase that even more. Everything is freshly made every day. You’ll want to come back often, not only to try the new flavour of the week, but also to chat with Karen and have a moment to yourself, with a friend or family member.
Soul Be It is located on Heulstraat 25, walking distance from the Binnenhof
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.
