First morning in Amsterdam and I really fancy an omelette from Omelegg. It has great reviews, looks cosy and is a very convenient five minute walk from my hotel.
I message my friend and tell him the plan ‘Good recon!’ He replies, ‘I’ll see you there’.

Half an hour later I am standing in a queue in a very narrow laneway opposite the cafe. The line is made up mostly of tourists who have read the same reviews as me. We shiver in the morning chill and crane our heads longingly towards the entrance, breathing in as a truck the size of the lane trundles it’s way by us.

I send another message ‘It’s quite a big queue, what is your ETA?’.

A response arrives promptly, ‘10-15 minutes’, perfect. I register the delight of the people a few meters ahead as they gain entrance. The queue moves forward, so does the time, and I move with it.

Twenty minutes have now passed and I am at the front.

‘How many?’ The waiter asks.

‘Two, my friend will be here any moment’.

She motions me inside and I am seated at a small table facing the door. I can see the queue shivering outside. My friend on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen.

I decide I have to stall. I don’t want to start without him, he said he would be here… but eventually I begin to feel too awkward. I finally order a coffee and a croissant to nibble at slowly while I wait for him. Because nibbling on a croissant at a omelette place is definitely less conspicuous…

Nibble nibble, I delicately break apart the pastry as I watch the queue from the warmth of the rustic wood interiors. Chicken art and sculptures adorn the walls and surfaces. I haven’t managed to order my omelette yet, but if nothing else, this place knows it’s focus.

I message again ‘look at the menu’s, they’re wood!’…. ‘So many omelette’s to choose from, excited!’….’Where are you? It’s been forty minutes, are you okay?!’… ‘Alright, I’m really hungry, I’m gonna go ahead and order, you can catch up’…. ‘Dude, it’s been over an hour, are you coming?’… No response.

I watch a new batch of tourists shivering on the sidewalk, and the ones behind me in the line eat and leave. I’m paranoid that the waiter thinks I have an imaginary friend and is judging me. I’ve taken up this table for longer than I should. I order the Sucuk (€8.95) Omelette with spicy beef sausage, onion, mushroom, chilli flakes, bell pepper and feta. It arrives promptly and I am so happy to see it. I really like how they haven’t mixed the ingredients into the egg, but rather folded the omelette over them like a sort of crepe(ish) egg sandwich. It is beautifully cooked, the sausage is flavourful with a kick and the perfect balance for the creamy feta. The mushroom are hearty, the peppers sweet. It’s delicious. The perfect advertisement for picking one thing and doing it well. If I lived in Amsterdam I would happily shiver in the cold to have this again.

Three quarters of my omelette eaten and my friend wanders in.

‘Where on earth have you been?’ I ask.

‘Sorry’ he replies ‘I fell asleep again’.

‘Well, do you want to order an omelette? It’s delicious…’

‘Na’ he shrugs, ‘I don’t really eat breakfast’.

 

Get ready to get your egg on! You can visit the Omelegg website HERE