A belated birthday dinner at Laus - Maastricht

For my 21st birthday my boyfriend and I made a small trip to Maastricht to do some shopping and afterwards went for dinner. My actual birthday was in March though, due to Corona we weren't able to do something special or go out for dinner to celebrate it. So, since most borders are open again and also all shops and restaurants, we decided to go to Maastricht for the day.

We went to an Italian restaurant called Laus which is situated in the city centre but in a more quite street. I had passed this restaurant a long time ago and it had been on my "restaurant to do" list since then. We first set outside as it was a pretty hot day and the outside seating area also looked very cosy. We ordered some aperitif; rosé for me and a limoncello spritz for him. We also asked for some appetizers, but they unfortunately didn't have any. Though after a few minutes the owner gave us some focaccia bread with olive oil (he also gave this to other customers).

When it started raining and once our drinks were gone, we went inside for our dinner. The interior was done very nicely; with the help of a glass ceiling, green-painted walls and palm leave wallpaper the inside seating area felt like an outdoor garden. The only thing I didn't like were the couches we were seated on. They were really outdated and falling apart (see picture) which gave of a really cheap impression even though the rest of the interior didn't. I also liked that they displayed all kinds of Italian products alongside the walls.

Moving on to the food. My boyfriend took the Menu (€33,50) which included:

• A salad of eggplant, paprika, shallot, caper, olives, truffle pecorino and dry cured ham

• Cod fish with lemon and herb salsa, seasonal vegetables and roseval potatoes.

• Tiramisu

I went for Mozzarella di bufala con pomodorini (€13) as a starter and Tagliatelle al tartufo (€20) for my main course.

The mozzarella dish was very good, you can always make me happy with a simple mozzarella and tomato, though I would have preferred a little bit more tomatoes. My boyfriend wasn't a big fan of his dish though, he did like it but it just wasn't his cup of tea. I took a small bite to try it out too. My impression of it was; a fresh twist to an ordinary Melanzane.

For my main course I ordered one of my favourite dishes; Tagliatelle with truffle sauce. Again, you can always make me happy with truffle. It was a very big portion and the truffle was also very much present in the dish, which I liked. If you compare the portion with what you pay, the dish is well made and definitely worth its price. Again, my boyfriend wasn't as satisfied with his dish. The fish was well prepared and tasted good but the potatoes on the side were the complete opposite. They were way too small and also didn't look good. They were very dry which was probably the result of them spending too much time in the oven.

Lastly, my boyfriend got his tiramisu. This was to his liking, contrary to the rest of his meals. It was well made and good in size.

Overall, my own experience was pretty good. My food was good and definitely enough to fill my tummy. I also liked the vibe of the restaurant; the interior and also the outside seating area. My boyfriend had a good time too, but wouldn't return any time soon as he did have some issues with some bits of his food.

A bientôt!

Bisous