Mossel & Gin

What a concept! One that I’ve wanted to try for a while now, but with a partner that kinda hates everything-ocean-related and a vegan chick in my closest friends group…well, not a match made in heaven. But finally, I’ve grabbed my best friend Irina and went to discover the famous Mossel & Gin.

First of all, the place has a beautiful location, right in the middle of Westerpark. The terrace is huge, and you’ll probably want a spot there, since the music inside can be a bit club-y…not something I usually want with my meal. Make sure to reserve a spot in advance.

Mossel & Gin are pretty Corona safe, with QR codes and online menus making it super easy to get straight to business. Keep in mind that it can get busy, so be patient waiting for your mussels. Drinks come pretty fast though!

We’ve started off with 2 large G&Ts…the house specialty, of course. I’ve had the Peach Basil Infused, and my friend got the Mango Infused one with a chilli pepper. Pictured below is my 2nd drink: the Strawberry Infused Gingerbeer G&T. The drinks taste great, but I don’t think they’re very boozy. Could do with an extra shot of gin for €12.

If you’re not sure what to choose, try out their half G&Ts and make it a tasting experience!

About half an hour later (which I think is decent, by the way) we got the mussels! I’ve chosen the Truffle ones, after staring at the menu for half an hour and questioning my own existence. Irina went with the Roquefort. These 2 also come as highly recommended by fellow reviewers, together with the Thai ones, so we were pretty excited.

The Truffle mussels were really, really good. To my surprise they came with a soft boiled egg on top, and to be honest, there are few things in life that make me as happy as a runny yolk all over my food. I’ve enjoyed every bite, ’till the last…5? The portions are HUGE. When ordering something as light as mussels I’m always slightly worried I may go home hungry. Not the case here, I can tell you that.

My friend was also happy with her Roquefort (blue cheese) choice. So happy that she in fact managed to finish it all, which is pretty impressive. Of course, this isn’t an option for anyone, as it’s quite a strong flavor – but if you know you’re a blue cheese lover, these are pretty damn good.

Next to the mussels, we got bread and seaweed butter, but you can also go for fries. My palate was failing pretty miserably that night, as I spent ages trying to identify what’s in that butter that makes it delicious. Seaweed! It’s beautiful seaweed. Now on to trying to recreate this at home.

Mussels & Gin love their holy liquor so much that they’ve put it in mayo; and ketchup. We’ve left with a tube of Gin Mayo and one of Gin Ketchup. Since I can’t really stand ketchup (fight me), I took the mayo, and enjoyed it on all sorts of food since then. It’s pretty addictive.

All in all, the place was everything I expected it to be. In a good way! It’s not cheap, with all mains costing €20. You do have other options if mussels aren’t your thing and your friends dragged you there or anything. They have fancy little bites like lobster croquettes or shrimp bitterballen. I’d go back whenever cravings hit!

Value for money: 7

Food Quality: 9

Location: 9 (Gosschalklaan 12)

Service: 8

Website: https://www.mosselengin.nl/