Inhabitants from Rotterdam have had to wait a long time for a good metro connection to ‘their’ beach. Now it is possible to board at Coolhaven station and pass the gates of the brand-new Hook of Holland Beach station thirty minutes later. Only a few metres then separate you from the summery sandy beach and the salty seawater.
As it turns out, our regular lunch address has sadly ceased to exist. Dechi Beach has left like a silent friend, without saying goodbye. The laid back atmosphere of the restaurant where I usually ordered an irresistible ‘fish trio’ (which was not on the menu) has given way to the no-nonsense concept of R Port.
We decide to take a seat some distance away from the open door. Only after a while does someone realize that there are customers in this far corner. The menu welcomes us with the salutation: ‘Rusty motherfucker, good to have you here!’ It takes a long time before we can place our orders: a ‘Don’t leave it to salmon else’ (Italian roll with egg, smoked salmon, cream cheese, onion, capers, honey mustard dressing) and a ‘Living the green life’ (coarse sliced bread, avocado mash, walnuts, quail egg, radish and pomegranate seeds). While waiting, we get a behind-the-scenes peek at the beach bar’s ‘open kitchen’. In clear terms, the owner urges his staff to hurry: ‘Table three has been waiting 20 minutes for its sausage!’
Next to us, a family with children is settling down. For a moment, we consider whether to warn them about the long waiting times and decide not to. The parents keep their spirits up with a whisper challenge, the level of which is dropping by the minute (‘Mummy has a fat arse’). Meanwhile, the large terrace is filling up considerably and a large group of people also makes its appearance in a side room. The owner pops up in the kitchen, where he demonstrates how to pace himself, impatiently claps his hands and single-handedly serves drinks on the terrace, closely watching his staff. As the young man who comes to bring us the long-awaited lunch apologises for the delay, the owner calls out to the waitress who is having a chat with some guests: ‘Keep working, you’re not here for fun!’
The ‘Don’t leave it to salmon else’ is tasty and the ‘Living the green life’ is also devoured with relish by the looks of it.