bloem.

a sweet as pie hole-in-the-wall that boasts an abundance of homemade cakes. have i got your attention yet? i found this little gem whilst searching for local bakeries that i would just love to work for and even though this beauty isn't rotterdam based, i knew it would be a worthwhile 15 minute train ride to den haag to investigate. even the boy was keen, perhaps persuaded by the number of drool-worthy photos i downloaded and shoved into his face the night before. we made our way to den haag just after lunch on monday and the weather was nothing short of glorious. nestled along the korte houtstraat only several minutes walk west of central station, bloem is one of the sweetest cake shops i have ever visited. the photos online gave me a cake hole vibe with a less fussy but just as peachy atmosphere. it was love at first sight. i had a big latte in mind but the warmer temps made me opt for an espresso frappuccino instead, and it didn't disappoint. after drooling over the menu and snapping photos for at least 10 minutes, i finally sat myself down on a peach tinted vintage chair that rested upon a heavily mesmerising floral rug. my eyes were literally popping out of their sockets. teacup light shades, vintage furniture, needlepoint decorating most surfaces and life-size reproductions of floral wonderment that can be found adorning the walls of the rijksmuseum had me overwhelmed with joy. the boy went with the incredible looking millionaire's shortbread and was in heaven withion seconds of opening his mouth, with me choosing the best carrot cake i have ever eaten. the two lovely (and lucky) ladies that run bloem checked in with us and stopped for a chat, where i was clearly unable to restrain my excitement. an almond cream kitchenaid sat a-top the mint green cupboards below a myriad of coloured tea tins. it's places like this that make me want to have a space of my very own, somewhere you can feel as inspired as i did that day. i'll be back for more homemade treats faster than you can eat a slice of tasty taart.

bloem is open mon - sat 10am - 6pm and located at korte houtstraat 6, den haag.