Here’s my third installment on my Food Adventures in Belgium. Check out Part I and Part II!

Steaks, Fries & Sauces Galore!

*Brussels Grill sign beckons us to dine in!*

*Appelsiensap (Banana Yogurt Drink) I ordered*

*My Mixed Steak (Beef, Pork, Veal & Lamb Skewers) with Green Pepper and Bernaise Sauces and salad as side dish. Guess which is the Green Pepper and the Bernaise one? *

*Mixed Steak without flash*

*Colleague M’s Rib-eye Steak with Green Pepper Sauce and coke with hint of lemon and salad as side dish”

*Me getting excited finally devouring my steak *

Verdict?

Overall, I wasn’t really amused on my steak, in spite of how savory it seems to look like. The beef and pork part, though medium-rare, were thick and rubbery. Good thing the veal and lamb were soft and easier to consume as usual. Originally, the steak comes only with one sauce, but I requested for an additional one (charged though). The green pepper sauce was a great choice, ‘coz I just love it! It really, really tastes good. On the other hand, I found the bernaise sauce a bit too sour for my taste.

I haven’t asked M in depth about his steak, but it seems he enjoyed it well. The bottled banana yogurt was sweet and refreshing. Moreover, I just recently discovered that coke tastes quite good with a hint of lemon in it!

Feel like trying out Brussels Grill? Visit them at the following addresses:
Av. Toison d’Or, 7-1050 Brussels
Pl. De Brouckereplein, 19-1000 Brussels

Or simply log on to www.brussels-grill.be

Dear Ben & Jerry’s,

The delectable taste of your ice cream that I once ordered during my stay in Belgium hasn’t sunk in yet. I know your ice cream tastes like heaven, especially that chocolate brownie fudge, which the beautiful ice cream vendor dubbed it as one of your specialties. I am fervently hankering for more. Too bad, I can hardly spot even a pint of tub today here in the Philippines.

It’s going, going, gone. The only time I scored a pint was last year in Rustan’s department store. It was much a pity that during my indulgent search for a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, only one flavor was left. So, without any choice, I took the cinnamon-flavored ice cream and relished the tub back at home.

How I wish, akin to DQ and Haagen Dazs, that you would soon have a stall here in Manila, so I don’t have to go back to Antwerp just to grab one of your mouth-watering treats. I wish you would have not just one, but a variety of flavors of ice cream, in every specialty grocery store here in the Philippines.

XX,

Roanne

*Giddy as a child to see Ben & Jerry’s in Antwerp *

*The yummy-licious ice cream varieties confuse me on what to order*

First up: The Antwerpen Centraal Station

One most of the most distinguishable objects found in every Belgium’s train stations is the clock. There’s this piece of elegantly displayed tick-tocks in one corner, embellished with ornate Neo-Renaissance arches and pillars.

Architecture-wise, I found this one very fascinating. It’s pretty much a mixture of old and new architecture, although the pristine qualities strongly stand out. Newsweek even considered this one as the 4th most beautiful station in the world!

Here’s some of the train station’s history from Wikipedia:

The original station building was constructed between 1895 and 1905 as a replacement for the original terminus of the Brussels-Mechelen-Antwerp Railway. The stone clad terminus buildings, with a vast dome above the waiting room hall were designed by Louis Delacenserie and the vast (185 metres long and 44 metres high) iron and glass trainshed by Clement van Bogaert. The viaduct into the station is also a notable structure designed by local architect Jan Van Asperen.

Moreover, there are two classes when riding a train: 1st class and 2nd class. I didn’t notice a major difference from both classes except from the chairs, since I incidentally rode on 1st class on one of my ventures (ha-ha, not my fault if almost everything’s written in Dutch and French, and I don’t speak the language)! Then, the conductor courteously told me that I’m riding in the 1st class, where I should be in 2nd.

Anyhoos, here are some pictures to tour you around Antwerp Central Station.

*Just arrived!*

*A train clock with some construction ongoing beneath it *

*Another clock atop of the staircase*

*People in the Antwerp Station. The walls look Romanesque to me.*

*Spotted this beautiful dome inside the station*

*Now checking for the train ride home*

Food & Bar

I wasn’t really clued in on the serving size of the food we ordered, but I got myself some Garnaalkroketten met bro (shrimp croquettes), thinking it’s just enough to satiate my momentary starvation. My officemate M got himself a fettucini carbonara, thinking it’s also fair enough to consume in one sitting.

*My itsy-bitsy Garnaalkroketten met bro (Shrimp croquettes)*

*An enormous bowl of Fettucini Carbonara*

We only had 10 grueling minutes to consume our food as soon as the waiter served it. To our surprise, the fettucini carbonara was that grand! It’s placed in a huge bowl with pasta swimming in white sauce. Mine was the exact opposite: the shrimp croquettes were just like 2 small sausage-looking pieces with a bit of a garden salad as side dish. I know it’s just impossible for M to finish the fettucini carbonara, but he gave his shot and ate at least the half of it! Of course, due to the diminutive serving size, I consumed everything on my plate. Though, it was kinda hard eating as fast as I can since the creamy shrimp filling is really hot! But, it was certainly delectable. I’m not a fan of creamy croquettes and nuggets, since I find them overpowering to my taste. But, it was well-done, and the creaminess was just right! I guess, the next time I’m gonna have myself some croquettes, I’ll make sure to eat it whilst it’s hot.

*We would have spent some time drinking at this bar, but unfortunately, we just ran out of time!*

As years pass by, the streets have been getting really annoying. Aside from the fact that I don’t currently own an adult bike, the streets here in my neighborhood are getting really rowdy and congested with vehicles omnipresent. It’s more likely to meet an accident, than to ride safely to and fro. The pollution makes it worse, as the stench of the dusky black smoke emitted by autos smothers and gags like a serial killer on the loose. Well, I can’t blame the city; it’s the center of everything. Therefore, I gotta love the province, where I can still feel some fresh breeze, and see the nature with wide, open skies.

Hence, our lodging place in Ghent has the same scenery as of the usual Philippine province, except for the extreme coldness, brick houses and medieval architecture. So, it’s actually best to bike around the place, since there’s less cars and little to no pollution at all. I consider this city as one of my favorite places in Belgium. It’s really clean and classy, and the sky looks so clear and wide from afar.

So there, I finally had the chance to use a bicycle, and go around the Afsnee neighborhood. If I reckon it correctly, it took us about 15 minutes to bike from Kwaadham (where we stay) to Drongen. Drongen looks like a town center, where there are more infrastructures and shops available.

We had a chance to pass by twice[!] in a local specialty store called Marc’s (not a Marc Jacob’s store for that matter ). Here we bought lots of Belgian’s finest homemade truffles and pralines. I even managed to get a pack of Belgian waffle which quite surprised me with its uber sweet taste! I got commercialized chocolate bars to boot. Everything in that store looks and [actually] tastes so delectable. The woman in the store already recognized us when we returned after a few days.

We also passed by a church, an underpass where local trains pass by, and a mini bridge where I found hard to paddle because of its brick road. Most of the pavements are made of bricks, making my travel a lot bumpy. Nevertheless, the extra paddling effort’s worthwhile, since it helps me ward off those extra calories from bingeing too much food (that’s what I believe so. LOL). Another thing is I had a chance to meet my old childhood hobby after a decade or so.

I must say, biking’s a real exercise for the body and soul!

More Pics:

*House in Kwaadham where we stayed*

*Biked and Halted at the Frog Sign, where frogs usually crossed by the road. *

*Long Road and Clear Skies*

*Mini Bridge*

*Marc’s Brood Banket from afar*

*To Die For chocolates!*

So, here’s my chance to finally get in touch with wildlife. Last Saturday, we had a chance to visit Antwerp, one of the biggest and prettiest cities in Belgium. We immediately barged into the zoo to take a look at the animals, and have snapshots of them as well.

Traveling to Antwerp is quite simple: from Ghent Sint-Pieters station, we took a train going to Anterwepen Centraal. Since the zoo is nearby the train station, we had it as our first stop. For adults, it usually costs around € 18.50 to enter.

To give you some history about the Antwerp Zoo, it’s considered as one of the oldest and largest in the world-dated back since 1843. It also houses thousands of animals from various parts of the globe. This is why we need an ample of memory space in our digicam ‘coz we really get to capture LOTS.

Lovely Flamingos in Antwerp Zoo

We got to see those penguins, sea otters, seals, angel fishes and various sea creatures; deer; lionesses, tigers, leopard and black panther; buffalos and oxen; elephants; owls, eagles, pigeons, flamingos & various birds; camels and donkeys; etc. We also watched a very cool seal show. Also, the nature surrounding it is something that beckons us to take some more shots!

Train Stations and Architecture

*(L-R:) Antwerp Central Train Station & Antoon Van Dyck Statue*

One of the things that really amaze me is the architecture. The pristine Romantic, Medieval and Renaissance and pillars are well-preserved and part of the country’s past and culture. Some are even a mix of the old and the contemporary, making them truly one of a kind! I also discovered lots of statues of Belgian figures who contributed to its thriving history.

Shopping & Entertainment

A MUST thing to do in Antwerp is, ehem, shopping! We really got some pretty cheap stuff from the shopping center of the city. I’m so happy that I landed on H&M, one of my favorite shops, which is not currently available in the Philippines [yet].

I bought some souvenirs and makeup[!] in Bozzy, one of the gift shops I randomly stumbled upon. Of course, getting a cutesy hat in H&M truly made shopping worthwhile.

We also got to try Ben & Jerry’s specialty brownie ice cream. I’ve been lemming for Ben & Jerry’s so long, since it’s such a rare find in the Philippines.

I also got to meet a human statue, in the guise of Nostradamus.

*Human Nostradamus Statue*

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 (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 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:

*Belgian Frites (French Fries*

*Fresh Raw Fish with Lemons*

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

*Fresh Garden Salad*

*My Colleagues and I in Fondue House*

It’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 ). 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.

*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.