Great places to eat ...
 

Can you recommend a great place to eat in Brugge or Brussels?


(At our last visit in Brussels we ended up at a little quaint greek cafe and ate gyro's plates which was a charming part of our evening)

Had an excellent meal here. It's not cheap.

www.armandandko.be

TTT

Just spent 7 days in Paris and 2 in Brugge and the very best meal we had was ar Calis - http://www.calisbrugge.be/calis.html
They also have a few rooms

Ok...what type of food are you looking for. Personally, I wouldnt do French. You can get french in Brussels, but in Bruges, remember, though French influences are there, it is the FLEMISH part of the country, and I would go for a Flemish style of food (to really get the flavor of Bruges). There are plenty of places to eat (this is the playground for the rich of Belgium).

Do you want hip, original, etc.

Price range would help too (in Euro).

A bit pricey, but excellant (and has both French and Flemish touches) is this place:

http://www.visscherie.be/2005/en/index.htm

Again, same type of mix...also a bit pricey, but gorgeous is:

http://www.saint-amour.be/default2.c...home&lg=EN


Here is a pretty good site, btw, that could help you:

http://www.bruges.to/eat.htm


I know people will giggle when i say this, but my favorite restaurant name escapes me...I promise to go find it for you tonight in my book.

Super flemish, very countryesque, and all the day trippers from England head to this place and is right behind the Hotel Prisenhoff located at

Ontvangersstraat 9
8000 Brugge.
Phone : 32 50 34 26 90
Fax : 32 50 34 23 21

I walked in the hotel and said "send me to the best and most authentic Flemish place." they sent me there....with a voucher for a glass of champagne.

Classical music in the background, it is like you are having dinner in some old medieval home.

Mussels came in this HUGE HUGE POT...even I had trouble finishing my dessert after the starter and main. The jeneveer...well lets just say even with coffeee...very strong stuff...even by jeneveer standards.

We had dinner with friend's at several good places in Bruges ..one that stands out is Tom's Diner, West Gisethof 23.. Don't let the name fool you!!

http://users.pandora.be/tom.s.diner.bvba2/

Oh...I second Tom's...totally unique and hip.

Also, in that realm, is BIN, which I wrote an extensive article on for an industry mag. it is over in the refurbished hospital (no longer a hospital). Outdoor patio on the canal...inside is some of the most hip decor yet.

Anyone who is in the restaurant biz knows DECOR comes from the Dutch in most restaurants that are not old school (e.g. traditional french). Some of the most acclaimed designers reside in Amsterdam.

The designer of the famed Supper Clubs (on a downward spiral in the Amsterdam location...but upward in others) designed BIN

I would go there, even if just for a cocktail. I was there the day they opened...by mistake (rain forced me indoors.)

Ownership are two brothers, one is a donkey, the other very personable and down to earth.

BIN loosely means to come in or be in.

Sorry that should be West Gistelhof 23 for Tom's!

<... this is the playground for the rich of Belgium.>
Huh? Never heard that one before!

Tom's is indeed surprisingly good.

My favorite, though, is Den Dyver. Expensive, but wonderful.

www.dijver.be

The above mentioned Calis restaurant is run by a Flemish lady and her Czech husband. Nice fusion of Easterna nd WEstern Continental motifs. Definitely _not_ traditional French.

Sweet...from the menu it looked strictly french. Adding it to my list docdan!!!

Myrium, I got that line from a real estate agent when I was looking into investment property in Bruges.

I can tell you this, right or wrong the statement may be, but the clothes are not cheap.

pmgoosed, price of clothes are the same as in other cities in Belgium. Don't know where you're from but we're used to these prices and don't find them to be very high (except the designer's clothes but they're expensive anywhere).
THE playground for the rich of Belgium must be Knokke-Zoute. If you happen to be here again, have a look. It's a very nice place.

Brussels- Le Cigne on the Grand Platz- Also go the Fish Market area for great mussels.

myriam...will do...what is it like up there? Some details please.

As from where I am from...NYC born and bred. Believe me, if those prices are all over Belgium...than Belgium is definately on the higher end of clothing prices; My father made and sold various lines of clothing for woman out of the Garment Center in NY...and we were both shocked at the prices compared to the quality.

I did however find a ridiculously awesome pair of shoes...which of course I did not buy because I figured I could get them the following week I went back (of course...my size was gone by that time). Lesson learned.

I do want to know more about Knokke-Zoute. What is there to do there?

Knokke-Zoute is an upmarket seaside resort. Wealthy Belgians have their second home there. I'm not one of them, unfortunately!
It's a place to see and to be seen. It has lots of exclusive boutiques, art galleries, fine restaurants, etc.

AS to "cheap" vs "expensive" in shopping, I can say, just my personnal observations, is that after 7 days in Paris and not really finding anything they liked that did not represented a potential rip-off, my wife and daughters felt that the shopping in
brugge had better value - not cheap - but a good price for the value they were finding.
Also, while I feel the French are being unjustly accused of being rude, (actually they are quite polite if YOU are polite) it is nevertheless true that the Flemish shopkeepers in Brugge are very friendly warm, helpful, and speak credibly goode English. so it is a very Ameri/English friendly shopping experience. Not to mention, it is tough to get lost. If you find yourself crossing a canal, you need to go back!

These are my favorite restaurants in Brussels:

*Notos (Greek haute cuisine, this is NOT your typical taverna) on rue Livourne. Take the 93 or 94 tram to the rue Bailly stop (there is an Irish pub on the corner, I think it's called Michael Collins, get off there, walk down rue Bailly, turn left on rue Livourne and it's just a few doors down). Reservations strongly advised.
*Brasseries Georges (good lunch specials on weekdays, a classic spot to meet for Sunday lunch, French bistro food, all good). On the Uccle/Ixelles border on the Ave. Winston Churchill where it meets Chaussee de Waterloo.
*Canterbury's (by the Ixelles lakes [ponds IMHO]--best chicken dishes in town, terrific frites, nice fireplace, most diners are residents of this upscale neighborhood.
*Les larmes du Tigre (21 rue de Wynants near the Palais de Justice), excellent Thai
* Lola--fashionable spot (after all these years) on the Sablon
* La Tour d'y voir---also on the Sablon but only if you're feeling adventurous...you tell the chef what kind of meal you'd like (meat, fish, vegetarian) and he takes it from there. Excellent food but not for the picky eater or for those who like to choose from a menu.
* Le Chalet de La Foret--way out in Uccle (next to our health club), but a classy spot in a pretty wooded setting
*Shake Hands (weird name, isn't it?)--A French brasserie in the Stockel neighborhood of Woluwe St. Pierre. Nice spot for lunch, one of the least expensive choices here. If you're out that way.
*Le Jaco--similar to Shake Hands but out at the end of the 92 tram line in St. Job (Uccle). Again, only if you're out that way. A casual, local hangout, good food.
*Les Etangs Mellaerts--next to the lovely Woluwe Parc in Woluwe St. Pierre (on the 39 and 44 tram lines). Very popular for lunch. Surprisingly good food for a park location.

All of them are moderately priced but can become expensive if you go all out with wine choices, etc. Reservations strongly advised for all of them for dinner...you can probably get by without reservations for Canterbury's or Shake Hands at lunch. Le Jaco is probably fine without reservations, but I doubt you'll get out that way.

Finally, Au Vieux St. Martin--not for meals, for drinks or light snacks only. A prime spot on the Sablon. I love going there in the middle of the day, sitting at Bill Clinton's table (a table in the back corner of the front section) and having a tea with fresh mint or decadent cappuccino (comes with a bowl of homemade whipped cream topped with dark chocolate shavings and served with a palmier cookie).

If you want pastries that rival those from France, Germany or Austria, go to the Wittamer cafe on the Sablon (or pick out one of their luscious pastries to take with you). Don't go too late or the most popular pastries will be gone...

Most of these have web sites or go to www.resto.be and type in the names for contact info, photos, and links to web sites (if available).

In Bruges, our favorite casual restaurant is Bonheur, which is a little off the tourist track. It's quiet, with good service, one of the staff members we usually see is a budding film producer so she's always fun to talk with. Our favorite upscale restaurant is Den Gouden Harynck.
http://www.goudenharynck.be/

PMgoosed, you are not completely correct about the leading DECOR designers being Dutch. Flemish maybe, Dutch not so much. Spend time flipping through the non-French decor magazines and you will see many examples of Flemish design for both home and restaurants/hotels/businesses. Flamant, of course, is one of the most well known interior design firms, with stores in Antwerp and Brussels, and they are frequently featured in design magazines across Europe (including Italian and French design magazines).

Myriam is right, Knokke is the preferred Belgian playground (for those who want to play in their own country).

As for clothes, there are many high quality moderately priced options in Belgium. You do have to get away from the usual tourist spots like Bruges, though (except, of course, for Il Secondo behind the Crowne Plaza in Bruges, which is one of the best places in Europe to get second hand Louis Vuitton or Delvaux items in pristine condition. Great prices for the quality.)

In Brussels, for example, have you gone shopping along the Chaussee de Waterloo between Saint Job and Fort Jaco? Next time you're in Brussels, check out that area.