Een teleurstelling, deze brasserie. De zaak zelf is nochtans zeer stemmig ingericht, al vond ik het er wel wat donker. Het feit dat een café dat uitpakt met zijn uitgebreide bieraanbod, mensen achter de toog zet die duidelijk geen kaas gegeten hebben van een goeie pint bier tappen (het uiteinde van de tapkraan mag nooit of te nimmer in contact komen met het bier in het glas!) pleit echter niet meteen in hun voordeel. De bierliefhebbers in ons gezelschap waren oprecht verontwaardigd.

Daar staat tegenover dat het personeel erg kindvriendelijk is. De kinderen kregen meteen een tekening en kleurpotloden aangeboden om de wachttijd te overbruggen. Het personeel vond het ook niet erg dat onze sociale kleuter haar tekening kwam laten zien.

Het eten zelf is op zijn beste middelmatig te noemen. Mijn risotto met paddenstoelen, en parmezaan was best lekker, al vond ik de combinatie met de zoete balsamicosaus een beetje vreemd. De Russische pannenkoek die onze vriend bestelde, zag er dan weer helemaal niet smakelijk uit. De saus leek ook niet echt vers. Voor ketchup moesten we dan weer extra betalen.

We zijn er alleszins geen tweede keer gaan eten.

De Roestelberg, Roestelbergseweg 2, 5171 RL Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands
https://facebook.com/Roestelberg
+31 416 333 079

Visited November 2015. You can find my review about De Roestelberg also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 4/5, food 3/5.

Very nice bungalows with everything you need. The kitchen is very well equipped (although the fridge didn’t cool enough to our taste), the shower is great and the living room is very cory. The wooden interior with visible beams and a real stove made us feel right at home. This place is ideal to stay with children. There is a lovely playground right in front of the boomgalows where they can play for hours.

The location is also great: nearby the amusement park The Efteling and only a couple of meters away from the Loonse en Drunense Duinen, a spectacular nature reserve with beautiful white sand.

My only complaint is that I slept very poorly in this bungalow: you could hear almost every noice form the outside (the rain on the roof, the owls in the trees and even the baby crying in another bungalow). The beds weren’t that good either and the pillows were too tick and too hard. Really a pity, I must say.

Boomgalows De Roestelberg, Roestelbergseweg 2, 5171 RL Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands

Stayed November 2015. You can find my review about Boomgalows De Roestelberg also on TripAdvisor. My scores: sleep quality 2/5, rooms 5/5, service 5/5.

This is really an exceptional B&B. We stayed here for one night with friends, so we had the whole house (yes, you not only get a room, you get a whole house) for ourselves. We loved relaxing in the sofa with a glass of wine and walking throught the lovely herb garden.

The rooms are beautiful and very clean. The shower was very nice and modern. My only (minor) complaint was the bed, which was too hard for me. It was a nice feature that you could adjust the bed, but I would have prefered a better mattress. The house also had a small sauna for two persons, which we didn’t try, but looked very nice.

The host was super friendly and really knew everything there is to know about herbs. I especially enjoyed the home made shampoo and shower gel with herbs from the garden. Really lovely to use such wonderful products made with love and care.

Breakfast was something else. Fresh bread and pastries, juice, home made jams, charcuterie, cheese, yoghurt and to top this the most beautifully decorated egg with bacon. Our host had picked some lovely edible flowers and herbs from the garden to decorate our breakfast.

We really had a great stay here. I would definitely come back!

B&B ‘t Lof Der Kruiden, Kloosterstraat 64, Zedelgem 8210, Belgium

Stayed October 2015. You can find my review about B&B ‘t Lof Der Kruiden also on TripAdvisor. My scores: sleep quality 3/5, cleanliness 5/5, service 5/5.

I personally love Japanese cuisine, so I have to say, this restaurant was somewhat of a disappointment. My boyfriend and I had lunch here. We chose the all you can eat formula, which perhaps should have been a red flag.

I was drawn to the udon noodles on the menu, but instead I got ramen which I highly suspected to just be some instant noodle preparation. A no no in a decent restaurant. Udon is not ramen, don’t think you can fool me on this part.

The nigiri sushi were ok, but the fish was really thin. My boyfriend also found a fish bone in one of his rolls. Our hunger was stilled and it was cheap, but to be honest, we expected more from this meal.

Arigato Sushi, 1395 Hillside Dr, Kamloops, British Columbia V2E 2R7, Canada
http://arigatosushi.ca/
+1 250-314-1185

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Arigato Sushi also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

We had lunch at Mesa Luna on a lovely summer day. We really enjoyed the terrace. Eating outside is always a plus for me. Staff was friendly and the food was ok.

My smoked pulled pork sandwich was fine, although I didn’t like the bun that came with the porc. I have to say I was disappointed by the three leaves of salad and the four slices of pickle on the side. The fries that came with my boyfriend’s bacon cheddar burger were way too salty. The duck that my friend ordered looked nice, though.

Really loved the glass of Charles and Charles rosé I ordered. A lovely drink on a hot summer’s day.

The restaurant is family friendly. It was no problem at all to bring a kids’ chair.

Mesa Luna, 12868 Red Arrow Hwy, Sawyer, MI 49125-9173
https://facebook.com/MesaLunaRestaurant
+1 269-426-4878

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Mesa Luna also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 3/5.

To be honest I didn’t know what to expect from this museum. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Really interesting museum with lots of information. Really childfriendly also. Loved the little raincoats for the children playing in the water section. The huge insects were very impressive. And of course the butterflies were dreamy.

The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614-2874
http://www.naturemuseum.org/
+1 773-755-5100

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum also on TripAdvisor.

We went here for dinner with 4 adults and a baby. Food was very nice. You really have to try the Peking Duck: the skin of the duck is served separatedly and you eat it with al lovely sauce and savory pancakes.

We tried more than 4 different dishes: the soup, eel, beef, tofu, seafood and of course, the duck. Everything was tasty and well prepared. To my surprise it only took moments before the food arrived after ordering it.

We couldn’t finish it all, so we took the leftovers home with us. Enough for a second meal.

In total we paid 72,60 dollars for this copious meal.

MingHin Cuisine, Chinatown Place, 2168 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL
http://www.minghincuisine.com/
312-808-1999

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about MingHin Cuisine also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

An exceptional work of art and a true must see when in Chicago. You’ll have to share your picture with lots of other tourists, but it is still worth it.

Cloud Gate, 201 E. Randolph St., Millenium Park, Chicago, IL 60601-6530
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park_-artarchitecture.html
312-742-1168

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Cloud Gate also on TripAdvisor.

The gondola is a great way to enjoy spectacular views on Banff, but this review will be about the Panorama restaurant at the top of Sulphur Mountain.

The restaurant offers a great view indeed, but this view is clearly reflected in the prices. 19 Canadian dollar for a sandwich is a little bit much. Even though the sandwich in itself was nice enough. The ravioli my boyfriend had was ok, but nothing more. Service could be more attentive, especially considering there were not many people in the restaurant when we had lunch there.

The white sangria I ordered turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I did not particularly enjoy this version of an otherwise nice drink.

In short: views are great, food is mediocre and service could be better.

Banff Gondola, Mountain Avenue, Banff, Banff National Park, Alberta T1L 1B2, Canada
https://www.brewster.ca/attractions-sightseeing/banff-gondola/
+1 403-762-2523

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Banff Gondola also on TripAdvisor.