In conclusion, I may
mention that I have failed to discover the restaurant where George
Osborne gave his "great dinner" to the Bareacres a few days before the
battle of Waterloo. Thackeray records that as they came away from the
feast, Lord Bareacres asked to see the bill, and "pronounced it a d----
bad dinner and d---- dear!" Probably the place, therefore, is extinct;
for happily the double pronouncement can nowadays be seldom applied to
any of the restaurants mentioned in this chapter.
H.L.
CHAPTER V
HOLLAND
Restaurants at the Hague--Amsterdam--Scheveningen--Rotterdam--The
food of the people.
The Hague
At the Hague, the capital, the best restaurant is Van der Pyl's, in the
centre of the town, situated on the Plaats, where the cuisine is French
and excellent, and where there are admirable wines in the cellar. A good
set luncheon is served at this restaurant for the very moderate price of
one florin (1s. 8d.); but it is wise to order dinner _a la carte_, and
to give them some hours' notice. The manager is M. Anjema. It is
advisable to secure a table near the window, especially in summer. Some
of the best wines are not put on the wine-list.
In former years the proprietor of Van der Pyl's was possessed of a
puritanical conscience, and would not allow any two people to dine alone
in his private salons.
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