Monday 17 May 2010

De Prael Proeflokaal

It's only taken me 6 months to notice the opening of temporary De Prael brewery tap. On the ball as usual

I always found Prael's old gaffe quite charming. Unfortunately, there was no chance of it ever becoming a proper pub. It would be hard to find a less accessible spot in Amsterdam. Helikopterstraat was a great address. But the new location has the huge advantage of being within 5 miles of a tram stop. A similar music theme going on here. A piano, ancient radios, a double Bass. Even a Marshall amp. No carpets on the tables. But a carpeted chair. I think that's a joke. It made me laugh, anyway.

Unsurprisingly, there's a full set of De Prael beers. Including two served by gravity. I managed to miss those, despite having snapped the barrels on my way in. I wonder about myself, sometimes. It took John Clarke to point out they were serving beer from them.

Our waiter is a nice chap. And he's very attentive. He warns me when I order a Willy "That's 11%, you know." I do know. That's why I asked for it. But it was polite of him to warn me.

A little snack comes with every drink. That perks up the kids. "Can we have another round, dad?" That's a new one. They usually start whinging about going home three sips into my first beer. This is very civilised.

"How many stars do you think I'll give this place, kids?"

Andrew: "Five."

Alexei: "Ten."

"The scale only goes up to 5."

Alexei: "Eleven, then."

Andrew: "Can I read you notes, dad."

"You're welcome to try. I wouldn't be able to read it if I hadn't just written it."

My handwriting used to be terrible. It's got much worse. I blame computers.

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