Exploring the world one bite at a time

Month: January 2014

Altes Brauhaus Trier: “Authentic German restaurant”

Zum alten Brauhaus is a great place to eat traditional German food in Trier. The restaurant is located somewhat out of the city center, but it was close to our hotel. The restaurant is split in a smoking and a non-smoking part. Naturally we preferred to sit in the non-smoking area, which is a little less cosy than the smoking area.

The dishes on the menu are mostly typical German food, although I found it (as a non-german speaker) hard to read the hand written menu. Staff was very helpful in explaining the dishes, so that wasn’t to big of a problem.

I had the snales (schnecken) as a starter and porc fillets with spicy tomato sauce as a main dish. Both the dishes were very tasty and were served with a nice salad. Service was excellent. We saw them carrying around some drinks which lots of German customers ordered. So when we asked what it was (apple wine), we got to taste half a pint for free. Very thoughtful.

Pricing in this restaurant is excellent. We paid 58,5 euro for two courses for two persons, drinks included.

If you’re looking for some typical local cuisine, this is the place to be. Do try the apple wine.

Altes Brauhaus Trier, Bernhardstr. 60, 54295 Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
https://facebook.com/altesbrauhaustrier?rf=137713769610191
+49 4965 199144466

Visited January 2014. You can find my review about Altes Brauhaus Trier also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, atmosphere 3/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

Hotel Villa Hugel: “Lovely classic hotel with great wellness facilities”

Top hotel in Trier! We enjoyed every moment of our stay here. Staff is very friendly and helpful. We felt very welcome. The hotel is located somewhat out of the city center (1,5 km). If you travel by car, you can park your car for free as long as needed.

We stayed in the Meran room (a junior suite) which was excellent. The room was very spacious with lots of room to hang your clothes and some very comfy sofa’s. The bathroom was super clean, with a nice big bath and an excellent shower.

What makes this hotel really stand out are the wellness facilities. Two sauna rooms, one steam room and two nice rooms to relax (one with wather beds!). Really enjoyed the ice which was freely available to cool down. The wellness facility was very clean and calm, since it is only open for hotel guests.

Slept like a baby after enjoying a nice evening in the sauna. Beds were very comfortable. Only minus: the (free) wifi isn’t all that fast and I had to reconnect and re-enter my password several times.

I took a nice dip in the (small) swimming pool before breakfast. Breakfast was absolutely delicious. So many dishes to taste from, combined with a nice glass of Sekt. Lovely! Bread was freshly baked and my poached egg with musterd sauce was just perfect. Loved the fresh fruit and the rice pudding.

Prices are a bit high, but if you want a weekend away to relax and enjoy, this is definitely the place to be. We will be back!

Hotel Villa Hugel, Bernhardstr. 14, 54295 Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

Stayed January 2014. You can find my review about Hotel Villa Hugel also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, location 3/5, sleep quality 5/5, rooms 5/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 5/5.

notre dame quasimodo: “Have a drink at the terrace in the summer time, don’t eat here”

Notre Dame is a very big restaurant with an impressive range of choices on the menu. The problem with the food is that it is mostly precooked food heated in a microwave. No quality whatsoever. The service is also rather rude, but on the other hand very efficient. So if you’re looking for a quick meal, this place will do it. Don’t expect your food to be tasty though.

However I can recommand the terrace in summer to have a drink and watch people. Notre Dame is located in the center of the city on a beautiful historical square. Just have dinner or lunch elsewhere.

notre dame quasimodo, Grote Markt 11, Leuven 3000, Belgium
http://www.notredame-leuven.be/
+32 16 22 37 62

Visited June 2013. You can find my review about notre dame quasimodo also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, atmosphere 2/5, service 2/5, food 2/5.

Cinema ZED: “Alternative movie theatre with great movies”

Cinema ZED is the place to be for anyone who loves movies. They program real great arthouse movies. Cinema ZED helps organizing various film festivals in Leuven which draw a large public. They have special programming for different occasions, season 2013-2014 for instance they had films in 18 different languages to celebrate 40 years CLT (Center for Living Languages) in Leuven.

And yeah, definitely a plus: they don’t sell popcorn!

Cinema ZED, Naamsestraat 96, Leuven 3000, Belgium
http://www.cinemazed.be/
+32 16 32 03 10

Visited December 2013. You can find my review about Cinema ZED also on TripAdvisor.