Have you ever experienced having to blink three times in a restaurant because you didn't know where to look from excitement? I have. In fact, I recently encountered it in my hometown. Utrecht is in bloom. We are evolving. One cool place after another is opening its doors, and young entrepreneurs see plenty of opportunities to wipe away the eternal brown pub image of Uutje. It’s their time to shine, and they are right. So it can happen that you walk along the Oudegracht, take the stairs down, enter a former wharf cellar, and suddenly find yourself in a tropical jungle, with more plants and bamboo than they can handle at Burgers‘ Zoo, tropical Tiki vibes, a DJ playing Coco Loco music, and cocktails that you know the only way home is drunk. Enter: the Rum Club. From the same owners as The Streetfood Club, so it was a fact that this was going to be a party. They have been open for just over a month now and are already the talk of the town. I understand why. Not only because of the aloha vibes, but also the food that comes flying by on gigantic food platters, that disgustingly delicious and very treacherous rum, and the staff who run around like crazy to keep up with it all. Because yes, that is also the only downside to Utrecht: there isn’t much really hip stuff like this yet. So when something opens, you can assume that the lines are out the door. What do you take? Start with the Aloha Platter, then the Feast Platter, and if you really want to go coco loco, treat yourself and your entourage – this is a place where you are not alone – to a Sweetie Platter or rum tasting. Anyway, the Rum Club then. Rrrrrrrolling home.

Image: Instagram Rum Club Utrecht