Blogs by Ella Fisher

After leaving the party scene behind us for a while (for personal reasons), my best friend and I thought: it’s been way too long, let’s go! And so we did. We had planned this for quite some time, so we were really looking forward to it. We were both super happy, and I was slightly hyper, which meant I got that familiar “what am I going to wear?” excitement again.

I had bought an insanely cute suede skirt from the online shop Inspee, and paired it with a black top with a small turtleneck, a jacket (borrowed from my daughter), and brown boots. In my opinion: the perfect outfit. Later on, we discovered that my jacket perfectly matched the curtains at Riva Wijnlounge in Huizen, and honestly, that alone had me laughing so hard. Some things just suddenly stand out. Those curtains were probably there for ages, but because I was wearing that pattern, it caught my eye instantly.

We didn’t hesitate long about where to go since it’s super close by. Around 8:20 PM, I biked over to my bestie’s place, where I had a delicious espresso first (coffee addicts, obviously). After that, we headed to Riva Wijnlounge together.

But on the way there, we suddenly heard a girl crying. Of course, we decided to check it out, maybe she needed help. But guess what? She was trying to scare someone, prank them. She was literally hitting her own knees to make them look red so that person would believe she had fallen. I am not kidding you. As a mom, I found that pretty bizarre. Thankfully, nothing was actually wrong, but somehow, we always run into something unusual, and this night was no exception.

Back to Riva: being so close is ideal, especially since we are moms with electric bikes, so you get everywhere ridiculously fast. When we arrived, we already knew what we wanted: a Chardonnay (delicious, highly recommend). Within no time, we were laughing out loud again. Honestly, I’m surprised we never get kicked out, but hey, someone has to bring the energy, right?

Our evenings never start quietly. We talk a lot, and the jokes start flying across the table almost immediately. Since I was still pretty full from dinner, I told my bestie we should wait a bit before ordering a snack board, so we postponed that.

The service was quick, and they came over to ask if we wanted to taste the wine (since we ordered a bottle), but I immediately replied, quick as always, “no need, we’ve already tasted it.” And just like that, the tone for the evening was set.

We did notice it was fairly busy for a Saturday night, we’ve experienced it differently before. For a moment, we thought maybe there was live music, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. They were playing Dutch party music the whole time, which, in my opinion, was a bit of a downside, but hey, everyone has their own taste.

The best thing about having such a good friend by your side is that you can literally talk about anything. You can have deep, serious conversations, but also laugh endlessly, and to me, that’s the definition of true friendship.

One thing we found pretty hilarious: someone behind the bar suddenly kept staring at us out of nowhere, like we were two criminals. Maybe he’ll read this and remember us. Moments like that instantly turn into inside jokes (which we have a lot of, by the way).

There were actually very few people we commented on that night. Also, the bartender who once told us (after our ninth Merlot) that it was “probably enough” wasn’t working that evening, which might have been for the best, otherwise I definitely would’ve had a response ready.

If I’m being completely honest, there’s not that much going on in Huizen when it comes to nightlife, which I find a bit of a shame. If you really want a fun night out, you’re better off going to Bussum or Hilversum. I do hope that changes in the future, because personally, I feel like it’s something that’s missing.

The weather that night was dry and not too cold, which was definitely a plus.

Now for the downside of the evening. At 10:10 PM, I asked if we could still order a snack board, and the response I got was that the kitchen would close at 10:30. In my head, I thought: that still leaves twenty minutes… but I kept that thought to myself. It’s not the first time Riva has been a bit “difficult.” You also shouldn’t walk in between 11 and 12 PM expecting to order drinks, because they might tell you they’re no longer serving (yes, I’ve experienced that too). Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I get the feeling, depending on who’s working, that they’re ready to call it a night early. But hey, who am I? Just someone writing a review based on her experience.

I think this might have been the last time we had drinks here. Maybe we’ll come back if there’s something special going on, or during the day to sit on the terrace in the sun, but it won’t be a regular thing. Which is a shame, because the wine they serve really is good.

We didn’t head home too late. We biked back to my place and ended up continuing the night in my garden until 2:00 AM, enjoying our own drinks and snack board. Wherever we go, we bring the party with us.

But still, if I had to summarize this night in one word: T.O.P.