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Belgium
Pretty much the only time when food and drink around the Markt square is affordable is every Wednesday morning when it’s taken over by market stalls.
With a range of cheap, fresh and tasty offerings like rotisserie chickens, olives, cheese and international dishes, it’s the perfect place to bag a picnic or stock up on self-catering ingredients.
Centrum, Markt
Instead of ketchup, the Belgians eat their chips (or fries for the Americans) with lashings of mayonnaise. Slightly odd perhaps – but a trip to Bruges has converted me!
‘Frites’ stalls around the city centre do them cheap, along with meatballs and sausages for a good snack.
Across the road, waffle stands and bakeries sell dessert dripping with chocolate and cream. What more to say except 'yum'.
Hand-made Belgian chocolates are very different from the ones we buy in the shops in the UK. Fresh ones contain no preservatives and use 100% cocoa butter and fresh cream. They are light and delicate and have a shelf life of about six weeks.
On the other hand factory-made Belgian chocolates will not be as subtle in their flavours nor as delicious.
The master chocolatier that created these fresh ones will have used all his skill to ensure the chocolate coating is as thin as possible so that the filling becomes the hero!
Having said that, you should not be afraid to order hand-made chocolates through mail order delivery. They travel well (except to hot climates) and will not last long enough to be kept in storage when you receive them!
Two shops in particular come to mind in offering a mail order delivery. Dumon - through his web site contact Chocobong - and The Old Chocolate House where you will deal directly with the owner Francoise.
The large new shop for Dumon is on Simon Stevinplein and this is just round the corner from The Old Chocolate House on Mariastraat
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Assortment.html
Beautiful and historic Bruges packs in plenty of sites, but is compact enough to see on foot.
To eat, try waffles bought and eaten on the street, or one of the many small and friendly restaurants serving local dishes. If you a fancy a drink, take a walk down Kemelstraat and visit a bar serving a selection of 300 different blonde, brun and fruit beers.
If you get the opportunity, visit over the festive period and additionally enjoy the Christmas markets, nativity parade and see in the New Year in market square with dancing and fireworks.
Visit Tom Pouce restaurant in the Burg for a delicious and hearty beef in beer stew (Flemisch beefstew) - a real delight.
Be warned, we were so full afterwards (especially having taken the accompaniments) that all we could do was rest afterwards. We found a quiet spot in an outdoor café – had a few drinks and watched the world go by before exploring the town by night.
This restaurant was part of the excellent hotel we stayed in, Die Swaene. We decided to try it out for supper, not expecting the gastronomic feast we had in store.
The food was simply delicious, the service was excellent, and the surroundings beautiful. I highly recommend this restaurant. Our selection was the five-course Menu Romeo & Juliette.
This was also one of the most expensive meals we've ever had, close to €300 for two adults and a child. This price, however, included two decent bottles of wine from the Margaux region, early 90s. We felt that the quality of the food, wine, surroundings and service made this meal well worth the price.
Die Swaene Hotel, Steenhouwersdijk, 8000 Brugge, Belgium,
+32 50/34.27.98
www.dieswaene.be
info@dieswaene.com
From Burg Square, exit on the south and cross the river, take an immediate left (north-east) and the hotel will be a block up on your right. It's a five-minute walk.
We had a lovely evening recently in restaurant-brasserie Vivaldi in Wijngaardstraat 24 in Bruges.
It was a warm evening so we sat outside watching the horse-drawn carriages coming past. We had the local specialities, my wife had a pan full of mussels and I had Bruges filet steak. We also had the local brewed beer.
The quality of the food was very good and the price was reasonable - three-course dinner, drinks and coffee just under 70 euros for two people.
Visit the Curiosa restaurant just off the market sqaure in Bruges - the traditional Flemish stew is amazing! If you are after something sweet, try the tea room a couple of doors away for the most beautiful, but reasonably priced, cream cakes to enjoy with a coffee.
My family lived in Bruges for a couple of years and my top tip there would have to be the Spinola restaurant on Spinola 1. It is cosy, friendly and great value for money.
Above all, the food is delicious and the best example of real Belgium food I experienced anywhere in Bruges. The restaurant is probably best visited in winter when its roaring fire and candle-lit tables offer consolation from the cold.
My advice would be to book for December and then follow your meal with a brief walk to the Markt where you can enjoy a skate on the temporary ice-rink and a comforting mug of warm wine.
Calis is my favourite restaurant in Bruges (is on Hoogstraat). The food is sublime, service warm and efficient and it's great value. They also run a guest house!
When you visit the chocolate shops, buy the blocks of chocolate rather than the fancy boxes - it's much cheaper, tastes great and is particularly good for cooking!
Bruges is a place to wander and to eat: a nice blend of a sweet fairytale city and a genuine and fascinating medieval UNESCO site.
There's actually a lake right in the center called "Minnewater" meaning Lake of Love in old Flemish. Loads of intimate little bistros and top-end restaurants.
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