Archive for category Ghent
Belgian Food Pt 2: Shrimp Croquettes @ Ghent Sint-Pieters Station
Before going to Antwerp, we spent as measly as 30 minutes binging for food at Ghent Sint-Pieters Station. I know it’s a pity that I didn’t get the name of the restaurant. But, just looking at the architecture, I think anyone could easily spot it! 
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*
Biking Afsnee Neighborhood in Ghent, Belgium
One of the few things I used to love doing during my spare time was biking. When I was young, I had this multi-colored, barbie-like bike that really took a lot of attention, mainly because of its girly colors of pastel pink/purple and mint green hues. But heck, I didn’t mind. I was a child back then, so owning such pureeetty awesome bike is deemed “cool”.
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*
Belgian Food Part 1: Meat Fondue & Vol au Vent
Of 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 (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*
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