Archive for April, 2009

Belgian Food Part 1: Meat Fondue & Vol au Vent

Du Progres Korenmarkt GentOf course, food is something to look forward to here in Belgium. I can definitely swear that everything is a must-try–other than chocolates. ;)

So far, We’ve been into two restaurants in Ghent: Du Progres and ‘T Gents Fonduehuisje. Each has their own unique cuisine. Du Progres is more of a European cuisine–French, Dutch and Italian included. On the other hand, ‘T Gents Fonduehuisje is more of French, yet resembling shabu-shabu, which is the Japanese way of cooking food on your own.

So, here’s my wee bit of review on these two restaurants. :)

 

Du Progres

Koninginnehapje aka Vol au Vent

*Koninginnehapje (Vol au Vent)*

L, E, M and I had dinner in this cozy resto place, where they serve mostly European food–particularly Belgian ;) . I got myself a plate of Vol au vent–baked chicken with yummy white sauce. My plate also has frites (french fries) and fresh green salad. I also tried one of Belgian’s finest beers, according to Luc. The verdict: Vol au vent’s really great! The white sauce is really rich, creamy and very tasty! I also enjoyed nibbling french fries. The salad, however, tastes so-so to me. I neither like nor dislike it. In my opinion, I believe there are better tasting salads I tried, particularly the one in Cyma which is a Greek salad. :)

Du progres is located at Korenmarkt 10-9000 Gent. You can visit their website at http://www.duprogres.be.

 

‘T Gents Fonduehuisje

The restaurant name says it all–it houses meat fondue in which you have to cook the meat on your own, then dip it in a sauce of your choice. M, V, S, T and I had a wonderful dinner in this very homey place. C caught up and took us to some drinking place where I had a glass of sweet sherry. ;)

Back to the resto, we had 2 platters of meat (chicken, beef, turkey and veal) and seafood (salmon, etc) that we hafta cook. Including the smorgasbord were 6 various sauces/dipping; among of which are garlic and mayo, mustard, sweet jam, etc. We also had this salad, frites and bread on the side. I really love everything in this restaurant. The meat and fish all prove to be fresh and super tasty. I tried and loved all the sauces, and the variety of taste makes them more interesting to try out. The salad is also not bad. :) It somehow reminds me of my Healthy Shabu-Shabu Experience, in which you have to cook the meat and fish in a pot. Albeit, this one has a more old-school method. ;)

Colorful and Yummy Sauces at T Gents Fonduehuisje

*Colorful and Uber Yummy Sauces*

‘T Gents Fonduehuisje is located at Jan Breydelstraat 30-9000 Ghent. You can visit their website at http://www.gentsfonduehuisje.be.

More Fondue House Pics:

Frites (French Fries) at T Gents Fonduehuisje

*Belgian Frites (French Fries*

Fish at T Gents Fonduehuisje

*Fresh Raw Fish with Lemons*

Fresh Raw Meat at T Gents Fonduehuisje

*Fresh Raw Meat (Veal, Lamb, Pork & Beef)*

Salad at T Gents Fonduehuisje

*Fresh Garden Salad*

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Manila – Amsterdam – Brussels – Ghent

Schiphol Airport in AmsterdamIt’s almost 11pm 4am here in Belgium. I’m dead-sleepy and a lil bit cold, but heck, I feel like posting an update regarding my travel-slash-work here. ;)

I finally arrived in Brussels last night (EST time, of course[!]). It’s been literally a long day for me and my colleague, traveling 13 long hours from Manila to Amsterdam then waiting for 4 hours and finally flying for about 40 mins from Amsterdam to Brussels.

Travel from Manila to Amsterdam was somewhat exhausting because I could hardly get my sleeping position (my reclining chair’s broken :P ). Yet, the airplane’s entertainment system somehow kept me preoccupied whilst sleeping amid of each movie.

Then, we hafta wait for about 3-4 hours before finally flying to Brussels. While waiting, we decided to saunter around the Schiphol Airport [in Amsterdam] to keep ourselves preoccupied at the moment. The airport actually looks like a larger version of SM Megamall, only less busy, more walkways and teemed with airplanes. ;)

I actually got myself a pretty keychain (that also doubles as a cellphone charm) during one of our window shopping strolls there. :D

Cutesy Netherlands Keychain

*Cutesy keychain with Easter Bunny*

The Brussels airport, on the other hand, really looks entirely different than the one in Amsterdam. It really looks contemporary to me, just like nouveau architecture you see in Singapore or in the US.

It took us about 30-45 mins before finally arriving in our destination–Ghent. Ghent is really a majestic place, and I’m starting to love it! :) Everything you see is a picturesque landscape. I definitely love the houses as well as the nature surrounding it. In particular, the place we’re currently staying in has a wide garden, overlooking the river. The weather’s somewhat cold, but it’s really fine for me. I could compare it to Baguio’s temperature, albeit colder. Best of all, there’s little to no pollution at all. ;)

I really had a nice first day meeting new, interesting people to boot.

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