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Canterbury Tales was a lucky find whilst I was looking for a place to have a drink and a snack with my toddler whilst my older girl was busy preparing for a dance recital. We had a couple of hours to kill before my wife would meet me and we would do a kid swap so that I could get to work (and she would be finishing...).

Anyway, this was the first place that looked pretty decent... although, the tagline "possibly the coziest..." was a little strangely uncommited!

The Space

The cafe is set in a pretty trendy area of Den Haag, nearby the incredibly interesting Weimarstraat of Den Haag wth it's artistic communities and interesting shopfronts.

Like most places in The Netherlands... the room space is long but a touch narrow in comparison to other countries. However, they layout of the tables and seating is such that you don't feel cramped. Always a great thing for a restaurant/cafe... there is no point cramming in more customers if it just makes for a decidedly un-cozy atmosphere!

... in keeping with the 'cosy' idea... the decor is full of wooden furniture and leather couches, with some really old style room adornments to round out the decor. It's really quite a relaxing and nice place to be in... and a stark contrast to the busy and stark white modern settings of newer chains.

There is also a little library of books and board games to pass your time...

... and most importantly for parents, a little play area for the little ones!

The Menu

It really should have twigged from the name of the cafe... and also the byline... but the place is run by and targeted to the English/expat clients that have a bit of a concentration in this area of Netherlands.

So, it is a lot of cakes, scones, cofee and tea that is one offer. All with that English way of presenting things... that unique sense of humour that is often quite misunderstood (or found to be frustratingly vague) on the mainland of Europe.

The Food

Initially, I ordered a cappucino for myself and a freshly squeezed orange juice for the little one... accompanied by a really nice lemon cake. As always, when you find a good coffee place... you have to remember it... and this was a decent coffee! (likewise, the orange juice was pretty good!).

The cake was nice and moist, and the lemon icing was a hit with the toddler... it's weird to be saying... make usre you eat the cake to a childl!

So, as I mentioned, I was waiting for my wife to do the child swap... such is the life of two freelancers...

... and so, I made sure that she had also a cappucino (and another orange juice for the toddler...) waiting for her when she arrived. Also, a scone (which she loves...)... traditionally served with clotted cream and jam!

The Experience

The atmosphere of the cafe is great... and the location is perfect if you are in this area. It was pretty quiet when we were there (in the mid afternoon)... but you could see it was popular with the locals in the area, with many of them greeting the staff (or vice versa) personally. It is a little bit off the main street, which meant that it wasn't heavily packed... as most people seemed to go for the cafes on Weimarstraat instead (which serve worse coffee....).

Tbe staff were nice... and the coffee was pretty good, as were the cakes/scones. The place is ideal for young families with the little play area... and also the clientele consisted of many families with young children.

This cafe is a nice little gem in the residential area of Den Haag... a nice find for the area, and a place that I will visit more often... as they serve much better fare than the places on the main street!