Café Trust

"Come as you are, pay as you feel"

"The first perfectly sunny day after weeks of just rain!" exclaimed an animated lady two tables to my left. Outside the café window I could see bright blue skies. They were accented with white streaks of cloud that floated lazily above a bustling Albert Cuyp market. Every day the streets are crammed with market stalls selling all sorts of magical, iridescent bits and baubles, the crowd being driven forward like cattle by the natural flow visitors pushing from behind. Few strayed from this path. Those who did peek behind stall curtains to catch glimpses of the obscured storefronts might be lucky enough to stumble across 210 Albert Cuypstraat, a delightful place known as Café Trust.

Café Trust facade

I watched this scene unfold inside the café: a volunteer walked up to a lady's table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He affirmed the lady's remark with rivaled enthusiasm, "Yes! And see how all the wonderful light comes inside through the window." The two began a conversation, as though they were friends. While rude waiters are a stereotype of Europe, the volunteers here were angelic. During the hour I was there, the café staff had gathered in the kitchen for a group hug. Here, the café staff were your friends---friends who came with a genuine smile, a good conversation, and lip-smacking food.

Café Trust is a restaurant-café with the concept "Come as you are. Pay as you feel." Hugo, one of the volunteers, explained that it originated as a group of friends who met in friend's a living room to discuss how to live a happy life. These friends started a café to spread their message. As they state on the café website:

"To trust is To Rely Upon Source Totally. It’s a flow, a unique balance that gives us the strength to let go and jump. Hold on to nothing at all, live in the moment, deeply knowing that all needs will be met at the right time. This self is forever complete, safe, joyful, loved and loving. It seeks to share rather than to get; to extend love rather than to judge.  A chance to remove the blocks which keep one from being joyful and loving all the time."

What is notable, however, is that the café did not feel didactic. There was no "propaganda" plastered over the walls. The lessons of happiness, love, and trust were experienced indirectly and abstractly through the ambiance, the food, and the friendly Trust staff. The message remained subtle.

Interior of Café Trust: art and comfort.

Artsy Ambiance

This homey café provided comfort and artistic inspiration on every surface, from the tables to the walls to the ceiling. One wall was covered in pastel-colored patterned tiles that reflected the light streaming in from the giant storefront window, filling the café with a warm glow. Light bulbs hung down from the ceiling, mimicking the symbolism of a light bulb over one's head when arriving at an idea. Books about philosophy and spirituality were placed on the café tables. Black and white artwork that adorned the walls combined the typical with the whimsical, such as a painting of a mug filled with black coffee, but speckled with heavenly bodies. The message is consistent; even the artwork is "pay as you feel." A sign next to the paintings elucidates:

"Coffee Space. Delicious brains is a focus of Kim Demane. A future world from the past, where minds are drained by the speed of a train. A fear to let go in a forest of thoughts, with no control. In a society with the speed of a microwave. Make sure to fly with all imagination. Be inspired and let your Brain free."

The only element that was jarring was the music. Although faint, the songs of Holland's top pop music radio that consisted of American pop ballads was a distraction from the otherwise eclectic ambiance. While the visual aspects of the café were delightfully cohesive, the only aural feature---the radio music---threw the hippie aura into imbalance.

A unique feature of the café environment was that the kitchen was separated from the café seating area only by a small counter where visitors ordered. Volunteers wearing Trust aprons could be seen milling around a kitchen that could very well be your grandma's cottage kitchen. The kitchen was simple and quaint, without the overbearing stainless steel appliances you find in most restaurant kitchens that seem industrial and large-scale. The emphasis was on transparency, openness, and simplicity. 

The menu is written on a 6-foot tall piece of brown butcher paper taped next to the counter. Aside from the typical coffee and espresso, Café Trust offers fruit juices, sandwiches, salad, and dessert. Each dish has a winsome name such as "Over the Rainbow" fruits salad and honey mint dressing," "Skinny Budhha" homemade granola, and "Hello Sunshine" Dutch pancakes. The menu could be a poetry piece. I walk up to the counter to order "Down the Rabbit Hole" (ginger carrot orange juice, freshly-pressed), "Rad Thai" (salad of carrots, cucumber noodles, hemp seeds, and mango topped with carrot sauce), and "Choco Bliss" (vegan gluten-free chocolate zucchini cake with raw cacao icing.)

A Delectable, Wholesome Meal

The "Down the Rabbit Hole" ginger carrot orange juice was served within ten minutes of ordering. The juice was a pleasant dark-red-orange and burst with potent sweetness and a spicy ginger kick that caressed the tongue and grew more prominent in the aftertaste. There was a satisfying texture of orange and carrot pulp with every savored sip---a quality only found in freshly home-pressed juice. Despite being "pay as you feel," the café didn't default to cheap espresso grinds bought in bulk. Instead the café seemed to suggest through it's high-quality food, "We trust you and you can trust us, too." 

The "Rad Thai" was similarly impressive. The dish was visually beautiful: curls of carrot and cucumber noodles with edamame, red cabbage, and mango slices decorating the border of the dish, topped with peanut and showered with a liberal amount of hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and peanuts. It was an explosion of colors that seemed to shout---Orange! Green! Yellow! Purple! The combination of fresh vegetables with the richness of peanut sauce was divine. The seeds, crumbled peanuts, and  carrots gave each bite an enormously satisfying crunch. The peanut sauce provided a sinful creaminess, yet the salad preserved its virtuosity as a healthy plate of vegetables. 

Both delicious and pretty: 'Rad Salad'

The "Choco Bliss" was a heavenly dessert. While most desserts depend on high-fructose corn syrup, which results in an artificial and overbearing sweetness, the sweet tones of this slice of zucchini chocolate cake was pleasantly subtle. The texture was soft and smooth, and it evoked the bitterness of dark chocolate. The first word that came to mind was "earthy." The dessert was wholesome, pure, and untainted by fake artificial confection. 

A Café of Trust and Gratitude 

Café Trust is a gem in Amsterdam. It shines it both the concept of "pay as you feel," and the execution of mouthwatering food. The café starts to feel like a home that is there to lift your spirits, whether you are searching for a stimulating space to reflect, someone to start a conversation with, or simply a scrumptious meal. 

Since I came to Café Trust alone, I spent my free time sketching the café's interior on a sheet of paper while I enjoyed my meal. The friendly volunteers would walk by and comment on how they really enjoyed my sketch. They initiated conversations about art, my studies, and how I found myself in Amsterdam. They were genuine and engaged, seemingly an effect of volunteering in such a positive, heartwarming environment. At the end of the meal I gave my sketch to the café volunteers as an extra "thank you" to show my gratitude for the experience---a heartfelt thank you to Café Trust for the food, the conversation, the art, and the inspiration. 

I sketched a picture as a thank you for the Café Trust volunteers! I gave it to them after the delicious meal.