Visiting Kuierkos

Aweh, guys!

So, Hubby has been missing garage pies… you know? An Engen pie encased in foil, slipped into a paper bag and with a coke on the side. Steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom, Cornish, sausage roll, the much reviled cheeseburger pie… He mentioned it early on in our adventure here in the Netherlands and I didn’t think too much of it… but he brought it up again. This time it was specifically pepper steak.

The Dutch don’t seem to do pies the way South Africans expect them. A dough lined piece of foil, a saucy filling and a flaky upper crust aren’t much the order of the day. That being said, there are definitely sausage roll type options referred to lovingly as broodjes with a usually drier filling. My favourite is cheese and ham but saucijzenbroodje rules the roost with an encased sausage meat and sauce (currysaus is definitely popular), but it isn’t pepper steak.

So, Hubby decided that a visit to a South African eatery called Kuierkos, that was only recently established 5 months ago, was in order, with the belief that a pepper steak pie would be found on their premises. This required a trip to Haarlem, an art centered district just outside of Amsterdam with an absolutely awesome cathedral with a green dome and eye popping architecture at every glance. Unfortunately, my phone battery was low, so I didn’t get any pics, so another post is definitely called for but Hubby lent me his phone once we had stopped driving.

We found Kuierkos on a quiet street with plenty of paid for parking (everyone knows how I feel about parking in the Netherlands) and made our way inside. We were very warmly greeted in Afrikaans and we were offered drinks. I requested a Stoney gingerbeer which was not even a problem and Hubby got a coffee which arrived with a ROMANY CREAM! Dreams were coming true today.

Their menu is quite limited but definitely focused on South African delicacies and I thought it was very reasonably priced. I was able to order a biltong quiche but alas, they didn’t have pepper steak pie! Hubby didn’t even seem distraught as he eyed their chicken pie in their case of lekkernye on the way in.

My quiche was tender and savoury with a delightfully crisp base and a cheesy topping. It smacked of onion and a gentle undercarry of biltong. It also came with a side of blatjang (chutney to the layman) for me to add a sweet and sour element at will. It could have been Mrs Balls (a South African kitchen staple) or it could have been homemade… either way it was excellent! Hubby also immensely enjoyed his chicken pie and not a scrap remained on his plate. We also may, or may not, have ended our lunch with a slice of carrot cake to share. It was better than Hubby’s gran’s and that’s saying something!

During our time waiting for food (which didn’t take long) we chatted with the lovely people running the place. They were so happy to gesels (chat) with us about our experience so far and gave invaluable advice about life in the Netherlands. They were also happy to do it in English (I understand Afrikaans very well but speaking it is another matter!) The coffee shop section was very light but cosy at the same time, with actual South African magazines, a sky light and an open back section to let the air in on these warm summer days.

Once we were done, we asked if we could settle the bill at the front so that we could choose some treats for home and this wasn’t an issue. We picked out a nice pack of boerie, some fizzers and a can of hot and spicy Koo chakalaka with which we would drench our burnt pap (the only way to do it – even if it ruins my pot). You can also get South African favourites like Rooibos, selected Simba chips, Oros and most importantly biltong and boerewors. The ladies at the till asked more about us and it even turned out that we knew some of the same people.

It was really a lovely, homey experience and it is definitely worth a visit. Die Spens might have all the products you are missing, but Kuierkos has the people you are missing. Definitely worth a visit!

You can visit Kuierkos at Bloemendaalseweg 104, 2061 CP Bloemendaal on Fridays (10:00-18:00) and Saturdays (10:00-17:00) for coffee visits or visit their website at https://www.kuierkos.com/ to order