#hungry sheep

The herd quickly noticed that Café Midi’s menu is quite unusual. You can order your regular cup of coffee, of course, but you can also decide to go for a Badaoui (coffee with extra milk and a homemade spice mix) or a Cistresso (espresso with lemon). They also offer different kinds of hot chocolate, juices and smoothies, as well as Firefly, a delicious fruit juice with botanical extracts. The food sounds equally special: all sandwiches have exotic Middle Eastern-sounding names, and the list of ingredients made the mouths of all sheep water. The menu also offers two types of soup and various sweet things.

Baa and guest sheep Franziska both ordered a Firefly Britannica, while Maa picked a crème brûlée hot chocolate and guest sheep James a cappuccino. Maa decided to order the sandwich commended as "the best sandwich in Leiden", namely the Atlas (dark bread with carpaccio, basil-coriander pesto, Parmezan cheese, and pine nuts). Baa ordered a Kautar (tomato bread with mozzerella, basil-coriander pesto, and fresh pommodori), James a Sahara (saffron bread with seasoned chicken fillet, tomato, and alfalfa), and Franziska a Bilal (saffron bread with turkey fillet, mango chutney, and cucumber).

Baa was pretty happy with her sandwich, but both Maa and the guest sheep were not particularly impressed. The filling was on the scanty side, meaning they mainly tasted bread. Dry bread of course is not especially appetizing, and Maa wondered who were in the jury panel that elected Atlas as the best sandwich of Leiden. Her conclusion: probably no Café Midi customers.

There was some disagreement about the quality of the drinks as well: Franziska’s and Baa’s Firefly was interesting (in a good way), but Maa’s hot chocolate was slightly odd and very rich, making her slightly nauseous afterwards. The service was all right but not great, and the atmosphere could have been a lot better, too. The WiFi (for which customers can request a password) did not work most of the time.

Although initial impressions were good, the sheep weren’t especially impressed after their visit to Café Midi. Baa was the only one who felt she’d had a good lunch. Fortunately for the others, the company was great! The quality of the individual ingredients was very good, but the dishes did not meet the expectations created by the menu. Sheep and guest sheep had a good time, but will not return to Café Midi any time soon.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.5

Luckily, De Koets did have plenty of food for these hungry sheep. We all ordered a fresh mint tea (Baa’s traditional drink) and took a look at the menu. Guest sheep Lettie ordered a Toasted ham and cheese sandwich (€ 4,50), Maa chose an Italian roll with carpaccio, Parmezan and pesto (€ 8,75), and Baa chose a Waldkorn roll with goat cheese au gratin and honey (€ 7,50).

It wasn’t very busy in De Koets, so we got our drinks and food in no-time. While Lettie and Maa started to eat, Baa was shocked to find a strangely furry olive on her plate. All the sheep closed in on her plate - except for Ovis who attacked Maa’s food while she wasn’t looking - to examine the olive and to see if there were more furry ones. The waitress came and was equally shocked. She told us that mouldy olives were unacceptable and went off to get Baa a new plate, and promised that Baa wouldn’t have to pay for her lunch. This was a very pleasant surprise for Baa and her student budget, and she was happy to overlook the mistake with this generous compensation. Maa was secretly very jealous of Baa at this point and desperately looked for furry food on her own plate. Unfortunately, Maa’s food was all shiny and fresh and there was no mould to be found.

De Koets is well-known for its good food, and I have to say: it really was delicious. Unfortunately, they do make you pay the big bucks for their quality, which is definitely not a plus for the average student. And although the atmosphere is very pleasant, the place isn’t exactly study friendly due to its lack of sockets, small tables and absent WiFi. You could sit in a corner with a good book and enjoy a nice cup of tea, though.

All in all, De Koets was a very nice experience for the four hungry sheep. Although the prices were high (tip: bring a can with mouldy olives!), the food and the service were great. And because De Koets is very close to the faculty, Maa and Baa will definitely come back soon for a drink or bite!

  OVERALL GRADE: 7.5

After lunch we all ordered something to drink. Maa still hadn’t had her already traditional hot chocolate with whipped cream (€ 2,75)! This time, it was really good: ‘real’, and not heated chocolate milk from the supermarket. Bianka ordered another tea, and Baa chose the freshly squeezed orange juice (€ 2,75), which was also very nice.

So, the food and drinks were great. However, Annie’s may not be suited very well as a place for studying. Not because the tables are too small or because it’s too noisy, but because the atmosphere of studying is just not in the air. Also, there aren’t really any sockets present (or at least, we didn’t find them) for people who might want to charge a mobile phone or laptop.

It was already mentioned, but Annie’s really does have a great reputation - did it live up to the expectations? The prices and study friendliness may not be optimal, but the service, atmosphere, and quality of the food really were very good. A plus also for the toilets, that all had their own mirror and sink. As far as we’re concerned, Annie’s is definitely worth another visit, and everyone living in Leiden (student or otherwise) should go here at least once!

OVERALL GRADE: 8+