With our tummies half-full from the satay, fruits, and fried spring rolls we had at the Wednesday Maastricht Market, we were faced with the next Snack Choice:
Waffles or Fries?
Maastricht does both equally well, so it would have been a difficult decision. Fortunately, an outside influence stepped in to shortcut our decision-making process — my little bro's sudden and intense need to use a toilet!
We sent him scurrying to the Macdonalds beside the famous fries place, only to find out that it had been closed down. Fancy that! I’ve never actually witnessed a Macdonalds close down. This was a first!
To use the restroom at the nearby Burger King demanded a fee of 50 cents. So, we decided to head to Cafe Venezia, where we knew there would be a clean toilet available to patrons. TA-DA! Just like that, a decision was reached. Next stop, WAFFLES!
Cafe Venezia does a mean standard Brussels waffles. They also claim to have the best whipped cream in town! To share, we ordered 2 waffles topped with whipped cream, ice cream, and chocolate sauce (€4.80 each), 1 warm apple pie served with ice cream, vanilla sauce, and whipped cream (€4.70), and drinks.
Our drinks arrived with little complimentary treats on the side - mini chocolate croissants!
The Mann had coffee (€2.00) and Cousin Willem ordered the Fristi yogurt drink (€2.00) of their childhood (they both lived a large portion of their formative years as well as their university days in Maastricht). My fresh mint tea (€2.50) must have had a bad morning. . . it had a rather strange aftertaste, or maybe it was the generous squeeze of lemon juice I’d added. We all agreed that the hot chocolate with whipped cream (€2.50) was the yummiest , but it was the cappuccino (€2.20) that took the Prettiest-Drink-on-the-Table Prize home.
Our drinks kept us occupied for the good 5 minutes it took for our desserts to be served. Lovely warm waffles and apple pie topped with ice cream and whipped cream that would begin to melt in a couple minutes!
The waffle was crisp and light with a good bite to it. It made an excellent base for the generous dollops of creamy vanilla ice cream and luxurious whipped cream. The apple pie was decent, but not the best I've had. I'd say go for the Brussels waffle package. It really embodied an authentic and yummy Brussels waffle package and left some of us silently regretting that we had not ordered one whole waffle per person. ;)
On the way out, I observed the ice cream lady preparing someone else's waffle:
With all that dairy and wheat in us, you can imagine we were rather full by the end of our cafe visit. Nevertheless, it would be highly inappropriate to miss the famous Reitz fries of Maastricht. These fries are widely acclaimed as the best fries in the Dutch Realm and are made in a specialty fries shop located just opposite of the Maastricht City Hall.
I forgot to take a picture, so I googled and found this one. As you can see, it's an old pic. The McDonalds that was beside the fries shop is no longer there. Photo Credit
Each cone is made of a small red-and-white checkered paper cone and a stack of grey Paper sheets to extend the cone into one big enough to hold several hundred grams of chunky fries.
We ordered two cones of fries, one small pack of fries with tartar sauce and a large cone of fries speciaal (the proper Dutch spelling is really with two 'a's).
While waiting for the cones of fries, I took another snapshot of the grand City Hall.
And then some more of the 'permanent' surrounding food stands set up. These are open almost daily, as opposed to the temporary ones that were set up in the square in conjunction with the Wednesday Maastricht Markt. A varied selection of fresh produce, fish, and desserts were provided by the stands. They did not seem to be having a good business day though.
The fries were done! A light drizzle had started, so we hurried to the nearby shopping street Entre Deux. The communal area outside the shops are sheltered with a large glass ceiling. It may be odd to eat fries in such a location, but other locals had gathered as well :)
Fries speciaal comprises a batch of fresh double-fried fries half-buried under a heap of sweetish sauce, mayonnaise, and freshly-cut onions. Very yummy, but not the best choice if you’re out on a first date ;)
As our cones became increasingly empty, Cousin Willem helped us to do the Dutch trick of removing the grey wax papers neatly so that we were left with only the checkered cones in hand.
The drizzle cleared up nicely around the time we finished the cones of fries. Or perhaps we had just been eating at a tortoise-pace.
A time check showed 13:00. Woah! Our caloric intake record in the past two hours was quite impressive. After the fries, there were two things on everybody’s minds: (1) buy some water to cleanse our insides and (2) take a long walk to assist all that food in going down.
We made our way to the Mosae Forum Underground Shopping area, where both a the Dutch discounter supermarket chain Albert Heijn and an awesome Asian Supermarket occupy two lots. On the way, my little bro decided to clown around with a shop's name sign.
While the boys grabbed water for us, I observed the refilling of the orange juicing machine. It's an interesting concept that I've noticed all over supermarkets in Holland and Germany. However, I have yet to try the fresh orange juice produced by such a machine. Perhaps some day soon when I'm not quite so full. :)
Next door to Albert Heijn stands the Asian Supermarket.
This was the first time I had actually entered the store, and I was about to discover some gems!! They stock Singaporean grocery items that I have yet to find in Düsseldorf - Ovaltine, Horlicks, Milo, sambal tapioca chips, and even my favourite Singapore Chicken Curry kit at a reasonable price!
My greed was very real! The Mann saw my sparkling eyes and promised me that we would be back after our walk through Maastricht to get some of the products. What a sweetie! :)
So, armed with our water bottles, we headed out of the store, rode the escalator up, and embarked on our walk at last!!
Part 3 will continue with our walk through lovely Maastricht.
Addresses:
IJssalon Venezia
Nieuwstraat 10
6211 CS Maastricht, The Netherlands
Opens:
Tue - Fri: 09:00 - 18:00
Sat: 09:30 - 18:00
Sun: 13:00 - 18:00
Mon: closed
Contact: +31 43 321 9772
Reitz Fries
Markt 75
6211 CL Maastricht, Netherlands
Opens:
Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10:00 - 19:00
Thu: 10:00 - 21:15
Mon: closed
Contact: +31 43 321 5706
Amazing Oriental
Laag Gubbelstraat 38
6211 CG Maastricht, Niederlande
Opens:
Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat: 10:00 - 19:00
Thu: 10:00 - 21:00
Sun: 12:00 - 18:00
Contact: +31 43 321 0738