No time to cook? Fresh Cooked is the solution

While I love eating out, cooking and choosing what to make at home is sometimes a struggle. And hitting the supermarket after a busy day at work is probably close to the top of everyone’s list of least favourite activities. If you have a similar problem, Fresh Cooked could be the answer. This tiny takeaway on the Brusselsestraat, with its handful of places to sit, is a nice family business where a mother–daughter team are dedicated to serving healthy, delicious and balanced meals during working days. To make things easier for customers, Fresh Cooked accepts orders in advance – specially for those who know the moment their alarm goes off in the morning that there’ll be no time to set foot in the kitchen.  

The weekly evening menu consists of three main courses, including a vegetarian dish, and two soups. At lunchtime there are takeaway salads and soups. On my first visit, I opted for the Indian pumpkin soup full of curry, ginger, pepper and pumpkin, seasoned with fresh herbs. Though many places serve delicious pumpkin soup, only few will add extra touches and turn them into a stylish dish like this one. The thick soup was topped with crème fraiche and coriander and was, together with a crispy baguette, more than enough to fill my stomach. The Indian touch added a soft base and reduced the sweetness of the pumpkin. On my second visit, I went for a huge broccoli quiche filled with soft Roquefort cheese, eggs and red onions. I was expecting just a piece of a light quiche, but to my surprise I was served with a full pie. I was suspicious about the red onions – I really don’t like them – but since they were baked and layered through the quiche I could barely taste them. My partner went with spaghetti mixed with tomato sauce and four enormous meatballs. It was a fairly basic dish, where you got exactly what you’d expect based on the description – but then in an oversized portion accompanied by a well-seasoned salad.

Fresh Cooked also pays extreme attention to detail; for instance, they serve all dishes with orange napkins matching their orange logo and yellow kitchen. The welcoming environment will make you feel as though you’ve walked into the family kitchen, where you can inspect how all the dishes are prepared. I look forward to visiting this place more often.

Kate Surala

-> Fresh Cooked, Brusselsestraat 93, http://freshcooked.nl/