Borrel

Ah, the calm before the storm. ... The Oranje storm that is! While rain is in the forecast all day, you can dry and cozy (if not a bit anxious!) inside with us for the game between the Netherlands vs. Japan today!

We'll open our doors at 2:30 p.m. for the kickoff at 4 p.m. As nervous as I am about the game, I'm almost as nervous about when we open up for the first Dutch international matchup. As you can see, we're a small place and the setup might be a bit less than ideal for a highly anticipated event. But we do what we can with the space we have (if only we could somehow magically expand into an airplane hangar for these events!).

Continuing to get reservation requests (way more than past tournaments!) but with our setup it only makes sense to do first come, first served. So apologies in advance if you're not able to get in. Our friends at Sauce () are right across the street at 1376 Danforth Ave. and will be opening at 3 p.m. to provide an Oranje-friendly screening experience! .to, .to and are all Oranje-friendly venues around the city as well!

Hope you enjoy the match wherever you're watching and hope we'll have many more Oranje matches to come! HUP! HUP! HUP!

AANVALLEN (attack)! A huge thanks to Daniella Van Weringh for thinking of us on a recent visit to the Netherlands and bringing us back these Loeki de Leeuw football-themed streamers to add to the atmosphere just ahead of the big game tomorrow!

To those who don't know him, Loeki de Leeuw made me actually look forward to commercial breaks as a child! In between ads, there would be these short stop-motion skits that, at least at the time, were hilarious! Loeki's always had a special place in my heart since then so it feels like good luck having him grace our back wall for the tournament!

And looks like we'll need a bit of luck. De Nederlandse Elftal had a rough couple of friendly matches ahead of the tournament and face a tough group in the opening round. ... But bring 'em on! So excited for the opening match tomorrow! Open at 2:30 p.m. for the 4 p.m. kickoff. It's first come, first served. If we're too full, our friends at Sauce () right across the street at 1376 Danforth Ave. will be opening at 3 p.m. to provide an Oranje-friendly screening experience!
.. Also open today at 4 p.m. for regular service! Tot gauw! HUP!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Thanks to the Toronto Star for including us in their World Cup feature. ... I guess I always figured if I was going to make the front page of a newspaper, it would have to be in a silly orange outfit!

OK, I imagine many of you are focused on the big Canada match at 3 p.m. but we are open at 6 p.m. if you need some Dutch comfort food and a drink post-game. Open at 4 p.m. tomorrow and at 2:30 p.m. for 4 p.m. kickoff on Sunday for Netherlands vs. Japan! HUP!

Goeiedag! Thanks to everyone who came by for Metal Monday last night. We had a small but very spirited crowd and it's always so much fun to host. Got something fun lined up for June's edition, which will also be our last Metal Monday ahead of our summer break in August. So be there!

Another monthly event that we're seeing the last of ahead of August is the rijsttafel! We have two back-to-back Sundays of rijsttafel happening on May 31 and June 7. We still have one seating left for this Sunday, so if you're interested in attending, email us at borreltoronto@gmail.

Back at it on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. for regular service. Hope to see you soon!

Goeiedag! Hope you had a great weekend. Thanks so much to everyone who came by for our first Stroopwafel Sunday of the year yesterday! It was a lot of fun to press fresh stroopwafels on our front deck. And hearing from many of you how you could smell it from blocks away (and the smell was inoffensive!) was awesome! While the weather may have put a damper on our brunch service, Alison was super busy making stroopwafels right up until 3 p.m. So thanks again for keeping her busy!

A reminder that tonight is our monthly edition of Metal Monday. Looking forward to cranking the stereo and playing some heavy tunage! It's a bring-your-own-vinyl event so bring whatever you're craving to hear for a spin or choose something from my small but growing collection, enjoy a drink (including $6.66 pints of Avling ... and a variety of other options as we have helping us out behind the bar so you don't have to put up with my uselessness back there!), a snack and good times. Hope to see you tonight from 6 p.m. onward!