Travel&Spice: S01E10

Cheers to a Brew with a View…

Hola foodies/travellers!

Presenting Episode-10 of Travel&Spice for your dose of spicy travel exclusively on Lyf&Spice, where travellers share interesting stories about their favourite meal, restaurant or food encounters.

The 10th episode has been contributed by John Franklin of From Real People. What do we say about him? Well, he is a slightly greying middle-aged blogger whose mission is to champion small, local businesses to help travellers put money back into the local economy rather than lining the pockets of shareholders.

 

Over to him…

The world is a wonderful place.  I love exploring new places, meeting new people and finding wonderful restaurants. In the harbour of the Dutch city of Rotterdam I found what can only be described as the most perfect restaurant in the world.  What makes Vessel 11 so very special is its amazing Hot Tug.  This amazing idea consists of a hot tub, shaped like a boat with an electric motor that you can sail around the waterways of Rotterdam.

As long as you go with people you are happy enough to sit in close proximity to whilst half naked, it’s an awesome experience.  Apart from the designated driver, all the shipmates can enjoy a few the drinks from Vessel 11’s bar while you sail the canals of this amazing city.  You certainly get lots of attention and feel a bit like rock stars.  I lost count of the number of times we had our photo taken during the course of our voyage.  There’s even part of the canal system where you end up in front of a bunch of restaurants.  On a busy day, you certainly attract a lot of attention.

In addition to the wonderful Hot Tug, Vessel 11 is a great place to get some really tasty English food as well. I’m a huge fan of their Beef Wellington sharing platter for 2, it really tastes perfect.  They also do a wonderful classic fish and chips as well as a Lancashire hot pot. The desserts are pretty special as well.  Who doesn’t like apple crumble and custard! For a true piece of Scottish nostalgia, you need to try the deep-fried Mars bars.  It’s also a great place for breakfast as well.  Take your choice between a full English, Eggs Benedict or even rum porridge. Whatever time of day you visit and whatever you choose to eat you won’t be disappointed at Vessel 11.

The icing on the cake on board Vessel 11 is their own range of beer.  The best way to try their selection of 5 different beers is by having their taster tray.  My personal favourite is their Classic Red Ale, a pint of which you can see in the ‘Brew with a View’ picture taken while I was in the Hot Tug.  Their other beers include a lovely light Golden Blond, a Weizen, an IPA and a wonderfully velvety Session Stout. All of them taste very different from each other and they make the great food on the ship taste even better.  Vessel 11 is a wonderful place to eat, drink and make merry – check it out if you are ever in Rotterdam and you won’t be sorry.

What an interesting story that was! Bookmark it peeps… and make sure you head there soon. Meanwhile, catch some riveting anecdotes on their Facebook page.

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