Exploring the world one bite at a time

Author: Carolien Coenen (Page 7 of 41)

Springbank Distillery: “Very authentic distillery”

Springbank distillery established in 1828 sure has a lot of history. What makes this distillery definitely worth a visit is the fact that Springbank uses traditional production methods and 100% of the whisky making process (including the malting) is done on site. It was very nice to learn more about the malting process and see how the barley is processed with our own eyes. The distillery has a real old and authentic vibe, which a liked a lot.

The guide was really nice and very knowledgeable. I could hardly believe he was 78 years old! He told us he was thinking about retiring as a guide, but I doubt he will do this anytime soon, since he was so passionate when speaking about Springbank.

After our tour in the Springbank distillery we visited the Glengyle distillery (we bought a combi ticket). This site was brand new and not as interesting as Springbank. Not really worth the extra money, if you asked me. Just stick to Springbank.

When the tour ended we had a little tasting in the shop. The shop was a strange mismatch of different rooms joined together throughout the years, which gave an special feel to the place.

Information
Springbank Distillery
85 Longrow
Campbeltown PA28 6EX
Scotland
+44 1586 552009
info@springbankwhisky.com
http://springbankwhisky.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springbank_distillery
https://www.facebook.com/officialspringbankwhisky

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Springbank Distillery also on TripAdvisor.

Cafe Bluebell: “Nothing special”

The Bluebell café can get rather busy. When we wanted to have lunch there we had to wait in line for about ten minutes. When the wait was over our waitress brought us to a nice table at the window.

Expectations are high when so many people visit a place, sadly those weren’t met. The jacked potato with prawn Marie Rose I ordered was mediocre at best, the shrimps were drowned in so much sauce they were hardly visible. The little salad with dressing was nice though. The ham and cheese toast and the burger my companions ordered were nothing special either.

Very plain food, to be honest. And the service wasn’t as friendly as we’ve gotten used to in Scotland.

Cafe Bluebell, 6 Hall Street, Campbeltown PA28 6BU, Scotland
+44 1586 552800

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Cafe Bluebell also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

Fiddlers Music Bar & Bistro: “Great food, lovely bar with a pleasant vibe”

We had an excellent meal at Fiddlers’ Music Bar & Bistro. The food that Fiddlers’ serves is fusion, with influences from all over the world, but also with a local touch, because they use local produce in all of their dishes. One of the dishes on the menu was balontine of chicken filled with haggis and wrapped in Parma ham. The menu options are rather limited, but even so I found it hard to choose between the different options, everything sounded nice.

When our main dish arrived we weren’t disappointed. My parmesan and herb-crusted haddock fillet was lovely presented and very tasty. Really excellent! The other dishes were equally as good. We loved the food so much that we simply couldn’t resist ordering dessert. The panna cotta was nice, but a little bit of a disappointment after the really outstanding main course. Should have gone for the Arran cheeseboard! I finished off my meal with a rum (the fact that I ordered it straight was kind of confusing to our waiter).

Service was excellent and very friendly!

We sat at a lovely table at the window, my only complaint is that is was rather chilly sitting nearby the window. Wouldn’t have mind some better insulation!

Information
Fiddlers’ Music Bar & Bistro
Shore Road
Brodick
Isle of Arran
KA27 8AJ
Scotland
+44 1770 302579
bookings@fiddlersmusicbar.com
http://fiddlersmusicbar.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fiddlersmusicbar

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Fiddlers Music Bar & Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

Intermezzo: “Lovely pasta!”

Intermezzo is a traditional Italian restaurant which serves great food. The place is always packed at lunch time, so that speaks for itself. A colleague and I had lunch on the terrace on a very hot spring day. The interior of the place is very nice, with a beautiful wooden floor and ceiling with a real authentic feel to it.

it was a bit of hassle to order, because the menu was written on a chalk board inside, so we had to go inside to see what our options was. After we decided on our order, the waiter returned after a few moments to tell us they run out of the dish my colleague ordered. Defeats the purpose of a chalk board, if you asked me, but she changed her order.

We didn’t had to wait long for our pasta, which was perfectly cooked. I really enjoyed my spaghetti cozze with large mussels. The combination with the tomato sauce was just perfect.

Information
L’Intermezzo
Rue des Princes 16
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 218 03 11
https://www.facebook.com/L-Intermezzo-1424337587799300/

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Intermezzo also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

Gatsu Gatsu – Wok Alley: “Fast food done right”

Gatsu Gatsu is a Asian style restaurant which tries to emulate Asian street food. The interior really evokes the atmosphere of a traditional food alley in an Asian city. The concept is simple: you choose the ingredients for your wok (rice or noodles, meat, fish or tofu, vegetables) and the food is made while you wait. It is very nice that you can see the cooks do their magic.

If the weather is nice you can eat outside on the terrace with wooden tables and red plastic stools. When I went to Gatsu Gatsu, not long after they opened, I got the feeling that the staff was not yet used to the concept and they needed to streamline their process a little more.

The wok I had was very nice though. Love the fact that they offer udon noodles!

Information
Gatsu Gatsu
Rue du marché aux herbes 99
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 514 15 95
http://www.gatsugatsu.be/
https://www.facebook.com/GatsuGatsuBxl/

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Gatsu Gatsu – Wok Alley also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 2/5, food 4/5.

Skylab: “Great terrace, good cocktails”

Great place to enjoy cocktails in the sun. The terrace is really lovely and in summer you’ll have a hard time finding a free seat on the terrace. The cocktail menu is extensive and the cocktails are reasonably priced (lots of cocktails at about 9 euro).

I enjoyed met daiquiri with basil and honey very much. A special touch to a classic drink. Since the weather was gorgeous my friend and I enjoyed our drinks outside (the cava was also very nice), but the interior of Skylab is also really gorgeous, witch nice sofa’s and a lovely bar. A classy place to enjoy a cocktail or two.

Skylab, Quai au Bois a Bruler 9 métro Sainte Catherine, Brussels 1000, Belgium
https://facebook.com/skylabloungebar/
+32 2 203 03 50

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Skylab also on TripAdvisor.

Vooruit Arts Centre: “Lovely terrace, simple food”

Went for a quick dinner on the lovel terrace before going to an event in the Vooruit. Since it was gorgeous summer weather lots of people had the same idea. It was quite crowded on the terrace, but we managed to find a table. The vibe on the terrace really is lovely. This is a great place to enjoy drinks of go for something simple to eat. The many is rather limited and only contains sandwiches and snacks. You have to place your order at the counter. After ordering you get a small gadget that buzzes when your food is ready. It can get rather busy at the counter when the terrace is crowded, so it is possible you’ll have to wait in line.

I really enjoyed my sandwich with salmon and guacamole. All ingredients tasted fresh and were well balanced. Loved the little salad that came with it. The sparkling wine was a festive touch to start off the evening with.

Vooruit Arts Centre, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, Ghent 9000, Belgium
http://vooruit.be/nl/
+32 9 267 28 28

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Vooruit Arts Centre also on TripAdvisor.

a la becasse: “Traditional Belgian beers”

We stopped at the pub À La Bécasse during a guided tour through Brussels with as topic Belgian beers. So it is easy to guess, what the main reason for our visit was. We had some ‘Lambic’ and ‘Kriek’ beer, accompanied by some traditional Belgian ‘blood’ sausages and cheese. If you want to soak up the atmosphere of traditional Belgian pubs, this place is ideal. You’ll feel like you got transported back into time when visiting this pub with its wooden interior and a very classic vibe. If you’re visiting with a group, you can pour your own beer from large pitchers.

Be warned: the entrance is easy to miss, since it’s only a small door leading to the pub.

a la becasse, Rue de Tabora 11, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.alabecasse.com/en/info.html
+32 2 511 00 06

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about a la becasse also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

Cafe Bota: “Good pasta, service could be better”

Café Bota is the restaurant in the same building as the popular music venue ‘Botanique’. The place has a beautiful terrace overlooking the gorgeous Botanical Garden of Brussels. Sadly when I went there for lunch with some colleagues, it was just way to hot to sit outside on the terrace in the sun. It was a pity that staff didn’t open more parasols to provide their customers some shade.

Luckily we found a table on the inside of the restaurant where it was nice and cool. When we wanted to order there were already lots of plates sold out. A bit of a shame, since it was only 12.30h. But no worries, we found a dish to suit everyone. The wait was kind of long for a quick lunch (more than half an hour), but the pasta really was excellent. My pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce with white truffles and cherry tomatoes was really perfect. The home made lemonade was also excellent.

Staff should work on their hospitality and friendliness though.

Cafe Bota, Rue Royale 236, Brussels 1210, Belgium
http://botanique.be/fr/cafe-bota-fr
+32 2 226 12 28

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Cafe Bota also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 2/5, food 4/5.

La Cucaracha: “Authentic Mexican food”

La Cucaracha is one of those restaurants in Leuven that have been around forever. La Cucaracha serves authentic Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is decorated with very colorful wall paintings, so when eating there you’ll have an instant holiday feeling. Be sure to make reservations though, because certainly in the weekend it can get very busy.

The food at La Cucaracha is very good, I have been there multiple times and never have I been disappointed. The service is also very friendly (although they don’t always speak Dutch). Last time when I ate there we got served by a lovely Spanish lady. So nice to be able to practice my Spanish a bit!

Only complaint: sometimes it takes a bit too long before the food arrives on your table. So make sure, that you have enough time, when you visit La Cucuracha.

La Cucaracha, Tiensestraat 21, Leuven 3000, Belgium
https://facebook.com/La-Cucaracha-121619677914990?__nodl&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLa-Cucaracha-121619677914990&ref=www.facebook.com&_rdr
+32 16 23 44 68

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about La Cucaracha also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

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