With the arrival of the LBV Cafe, living the  good life in The Hague has never been easier than at La Buena Vida! Now introducing our delicious Italian paninis at our own La Buena Vida (LBV) Cafe.

English Rose Cupcakes

The path to LBV Cafe, began the day we opened our doors almost two years ago as a small international culinary shop with an Italian espresso bar. A woman came in ordered one of our Segafredo cappuccinos and asked if we also served sandwiches, I smiled and said we only had croissants. Since that day we have fielded almost daily requests for a lunch menu. We expanded our offering last year to include yummy gourmet cupcakes from English Rose Cupcakes, which have been a huge success…Danielle’s  red velvet cupcakes continue to be the most popular favorite!

The Italian Panini just seemed like the logical choice. Since our neighborhood shopping area De Fahrenheit, already has a plethora of lunch options such as: De Freule with her special “dish of the day”, Bagels & Beans with their fabulous bagel sandwiches, or the historical Koeman’s Snack Bar with their huge outdoor patio and great broodje kroket, just to name a few.  We also have Thai Food, a Greek restaurant and Indian Food….but the tasty and popular panini were not to be found.

According to Wikipedia, the definition of Panini:

Panini are small, filled bread rolls, which are sometimes toasted. They are Italian in origin, but now found in other countries.

In Italy, panino (Italian pronunciation: [paˈniːno]) is the word for a sandwich made with a bread roll. Sandwiches there are customarily made from a roll or loaf of bread, typically a ciabatta or a rosetta. The loaf is cut horizontally and filled with salami, ham, cheese, mortadella, or other food, and sometimes served warm after having been pressed by a warming grill. A toasted sandwich made from sliced bread is not called ‘panino’ but ‘toast’ by Italians, and is usually filled with prosciutto and a few slices of cheese, grilled in a sandwich press. 

So due to popular demand we now offer three gourmet panini options (and one simple cheese toasty for the kids).

 The Caprese:  fresh foccacia bread with olive oil,  sliced tomato, mozzarella cheese and fresh    basil, grilled to perfection.

 The Parma: fresh foccacia bread with olive oil, sliced prosciutto, shaved parmigiano reggiano  and fresh basil, grilled to perfection.

                                                   The Pesto: fresh foccacia with pesto, sliced turkey, and fresh basil, grilled to perfection.

The next time you are seeking a healthy, tasty fresh lunch alternative, drop into La Buena Vida and try out our LBV Cafe menu. You may also want to inquire about our upcoming LBV Cafe “Summer International Dining” series of events: private parties with wine and international food pairings of distinction. You may follow our schedule by joining our Facebook Group:  LivingLaBuenaVida and “Liking” our Facebook page Living La Buena Vida. (This way you will obtain invitations for these popular events with limited seats).