Category: Belgium (country) (Page 3 of 8)

The Country Belgium in Europe

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

21st June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

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.

a la becasse: “Traditional Belgian beers”

21st June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

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.

La Cucaracha: “Authentic Mexican food”

28th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

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.

ko’uzi: “Sushi magic!”

28th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Ko’uzi is a superb sushi restaurant with a real Japanese sushi chef, that no sushi lover should miss. Of course you can go for the classic sushi here, but why not try some of the creative sushi’s on the menu? What about sushi with scallop, mushroom and walnuts? Of how about tartar tuna with basil oil and crispy quinoa? Or smoked eel and beetroot? Every sushi is a work of art in itself and a feast for the senses. I enjoyed every bite of it!

The restaurant itself lies next to the shop and is lovely and light, but not very big. So make sure to have a reservation, if you want to visit. Ko’uzi works in two shifts, so if you come early you’ll have to leave at eight o’ clock in the evening.

Highly recommended!

ko’uzi, Leopoldplaats 12, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
http://www.kouzi.be/
322322488

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

Wagamama: “Asian fast food”

27th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Of course Wagamama is a fast food chain, so you get what you pay for. The restaurant in Antwerpen is conveniently situated on the Meir, the big shopping street, nearby the Central Station. The interior is nice and modern, with big wooden tables. The staff could be better trained though. You would suspect that a fast food chain would have efficient and friendly staff, but the waiters who served us lacked on both fronts.

I ordered the wagamama ramen, the portion was very big, so no complaints there. Sadly I found the broth rather tasteless and as the broth is the ingredient which gives the ramen its flavor, I was kind of disappointed. Perhaps this was due to the fact, that the broth was made of vegetables.

Good for a quick meal, nothing more.

Wagamama, Keyserlei, Antwerp, Belgium
https://www.wagamama.be/
+32 3 234 99 80

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about Wagamama also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.

ViaVia: “Dreadful service”

27th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

The ViaVia in the Parkstraat lays a bit further away from the touristic heart of Leuven in a neighborhood where there aren’t that many restaurants. The concept of this bar and brasserie is the same as the one in Leuven: a relaxed place where you can enjoy drinks or order some daily specials (written on a chalk board).

I have to be honest, it has been a while since I met a waiter that was so rude and unhelpful. When asked if we could have a look at the menu, he at first declined to bring one and just pointed at the chalk board, saying to my friend: “You have been here before, you know we only serve what’s on the chalk board.” But I was the only one who wanted to order food, my friends just wanted some drinks. So then my friend asked: “So can you please tell me what beers you have?” The waiter let out a big sigh, turned around without saying anything and brought back some drink menus. We were quite taken aback by his attitude.

I was contemplating just leaving right there and then, but since it was such a beautiful summer evening and I was very hungry, my friends and I stayed. The first dish I tried to order was sold out (not that the waiter made an effort to erase this dish from the chalkboard), so I went for the chicken tandoori. The chicken tandoori was fine, I guess, nothing special and the meat was a little bit dry. But the dish wasn’t that expensive (15 euro), so no complaints there.

When we wanted to leave the ViaVia, it took us some convincing before the waiter brought us the bill. I guess he must have had a really bad day? O yeah, he also couldn’t be bothered to clean our table. Such a shame, because the patio is a great place to sit outside for drinks in the summer.

ViaVia, Parkstraat 146, Leuven 3000, Belgium
http://viavia.world/nl/content/wiewaar-4
0478-36-24-82

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about ViaVia also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.

Yukinii: “Good all you can eat restaurant”

4th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Yukinii is a chain that recently opened a new restaurant in Leuven. The restaurant lies in the Brusselsestraat, a five minutes walk away from the touristic heart of Leuven. This all you can eat concept is simple but effective: you order by tablet en minutes later your order appears on your table.

The restaurant really did a great job renovating the interior. From the outside, you would never guess that such a spacious and modern restaurant is hidden behind the facade of the building. I really like the entrance with the small water fountain and the name of the restaurant in neon lights. Lovely.

Food was good, very decent for an all you can eat restaurant. My only complaint is that the sushi rolls en the nigiri sushi were a bit too big: too much rice in comparison to the filling and toppings. Due to the amount of rice you got filled up more quickly, so I understand why the cook prepares the sushi like that.

Yukinii, Brusselsestraat 118A, Leuven 3000, Belgium
https://facebook.com/yukiniirestaurantleuven/
+32 16 20 37 89

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

Oude Vismijn: “Dikke tegenvaller”

13th November 2016 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

De Oude Vismijn is gelegen in een prachtig gerenoveerd historisch gebouw in het hartje van Gent. De locatie is echt schitterend, met via mooie, grote ramen uitzicht op de samenvloeiing van de Leie en de Lieve. Het hippe interieur heeft een mooie bar en in de zomer kan je buiten eten op het mooie terras.

Tot zover het goeie nieuws, helaas doet het eten en de bediening deze schitterende locatie geen eer aan. Wij aten hier met een groep van ongeveer 25 personen. Op voorhand hadden we doorgegeven wie van de aanwezigen de dagschotel dan wel de vegetarische pasta verkoos.

Voor zo’n grote groep zou je toch verwachten dat de bediening wat moeite zou doen. Niets was minder waar, helaas. Het begon al toen we water bestelden: in plaats van meteen genoeg water op tafel te zetten, moesten we de inhoud van vier halve liter flesjes verdelen over gans ons gezelschap. De flessen wijn wilde de serveerster die ons bediende dan weer per sé zelf uitschenken. Ze deed dit echter op zo’n bruuske manier dat we schrik hadden dat de glazen zouden breken. Ze zou het haarzelf en ons veel gemakkelijke gemaakt hebben door gewoon wat flessen wijn op tafel te zetten en regelmatig te komen informeren of er nog extra drank moest zijn. Nu werd elke vraag voor een bijkomend glas op een diepe zucht onthaald. Misschien had ze het lastig omdat ze er alleen voor stond, nochtans was het niet echt druk in de zaak.

De tomatensoep met warm brood die we als voorgerecht geserveerd kregen, waren ok. Helaas viel het hoofdgerecht dik tegen. De dag van ons bezoek was de dagschotel worst met zuurkool (dit was ons niet op voorhand gecommuniceerd). Er waren redelijk wat mensen in ons gezelschap die niet echt een fan van dat gerecht waren, maar het bleek werkelijk onmogelijk om de dagschotel om te ruilen voor een vegetarische pasta, ondanks het feit dat we hier graag voor wilden bij betalen. De worst was ok, maar de zuurkoolpap die daarbij geserveerd werd, vond ik echt vreselijk. Ook de vegetarische pasta bleek niet veel meer dan wat pasta met tomatensaus te zijn. Kaas bij de pasta, dat waren ze helemaal vergeten. Beide gerechten waren ook helemaal niet warm meer toen ze aan tafel gebracht werden. Echt een schande om zoiets voor te schotelen aan een groep die zo lang op voorhand gereserveerd heeft.

Bij het bestellen van de thee nam de serveerster niet eens de moeite om te vragen welke thee we wilden. Verse muntthee bleek bij nader inzien thee uit een zakje te zijn en de koffie verkeerd werd met een te korte lepel geserveerd, waardoor je de lepel met moeite uit de koffietas kon vissen.

Echt, deze locatie verdient zoveel beter. Een heel grote teleurstelling. De enige reden om dit restaurant twee sterren te geven, is de prachtige locatie.

Oude Vismijn, Sint-Veerleplein 5, Ghent 9000, Belgium
http://www.oudevismijn.be/
+32 9 223 20 00

Visited October 2016. You can find my review about Oude Vismijn also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 2/5, service 2/5, food 1/5.

Dogma Cocktails: “Superb cocktails, great atmosphere”

13th November 2016 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Great place in the heart of Antwerp to enjoy outstanding cocktails. Since our dinner ended early, we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy the cosy sofa’s in the cellar. A great place, only lit by candles. Between the four of us we tried seven different cocktails and I have to say: all of those were really excellent. Staff was very friendly, but somehow our orders weren’t put into the system, so when we asked for the bill, another waitress came to ask us what we had drank so she could make the bill.

Mind you, a Dogma cocktail is not cheap. We paid between 13 and 17 euro per cocktail. The mocktail costed 9,50 euro. Since the place is very nice and we stayed there talking for about two hours, we didn’t mind the price ticket.

Dogma Cocktails, Wijngaardstraat 5, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
http://www.dogmacocktails.be/home.html
Wijngaardstraat 5

Visited November 2016. You can find my review about Dogma Cocktails also on TripAdvisor.

Easy Tempo: “Decent Italian food in the Brussels neighbourhood ‘de marollen’”

25th September 2016 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We made a reservation for a group of eight people and were offered two possibilities for seating. We preferred sitting nearby the large counter. The vibe this restaurant gives off is authentic Italian, but the service could be more attentive. For instance they forgot to fill our glasses. Since the wine bottle stood on the counter one of my table mates got up to fetch it. While she was pouring us the wine, the waiter came by and yanked the bottle out of her hands. Quite rude.

My spaghetti alle vongole was not bad, but by no means impressive. I counted only eleven clams and since those clams the reason to order this dish I was disappointed. Food was not expensive though. Drinks included we paid about 22 euro per person.

Easy Tempo, Rue Haute 146, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://easytempo.be/?lang=nl
+32 2 513 54 40

Visited September 2016. You can find my review about Easy Tempo also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.