Description: Because we were lucky that when we were in Bruges we managed to get some lovely sunny weather I wanted to make the most of it and sit outside on a terrace to eat.
Looking around there were plenty of restaurants in the centre of Bruges which had lovely terraces though they were nearly all extremely busy.
We decided to stop and eat at the Tom Pouce restaurant which was located in the Burg Square as there were a couple of empty tables and we thought the view when eating would be worth the no doubt expensive prices.
I was a little wary that with it being right slap bang in the Burg it would be extremely touristy but the food that we could see people eating looked nice enough.
We entered the terrace and got the attention of one of the waiters who told us where to sit. I didn’t really like the table he put us at so we just moved to a different one and let the waiter know when he was passing.
The waiter brought us some menus and while we were deciding on what to eat we ordered some drinks. These came out pretty speedily but as we still hadn’t decided what we wanted to eat we asked for a few more minutes to decide before ordering. This was clearly a mistake as it took us about 20 minutes before we could get the waiters attention again.
When we finally got the waiters attention and places our orders we didn’t have all that long a wait for food which was surprising considering just how busy it was on the terrace.
The terrace itself is huge with easily enough seating for over 100 people and probably more. Nearly every table was full with people enjoying the nice weather. There were plenty of waiting staff but getting their attention was difficult and they were a little surly.
The menu selection wasn’t bad and consisted of loads of different international dishes and a few local specialities.
The prices were on the steep side but we expected this considering that it was in such a prime location. What I wasn’t expecting was all the extras that needed to be paid for on top of our meals. I ordered a steak and I had to pay extra for both a sauce and some chips to go with it. I was also shocked to find out that mayonnaise for the chips would be 1.50 Euros extra which I thought was ridiculous.
When my steak arrived it was cooked lovely and I had no complaints about it. The chips however were not very good they were little thin frozen chips which seemed a travesty considering that we were in the land of the frite.
My partner ordered muscles and these came steamed in a bucket and were not only presented lovely but were also cooked to perfection.
We opted not to get deserts since it had took so long to get served and eat our food. The bill for two main meals, chips, accompaniments and drinks came to 80 Euros which I thought was expensive but not surprising for a restaurant in the centre of Bruges.
It is a difficult one deciding whether or not to recommend this restaurant to people. On the one hand the food was fine but I thought it was scandalous that they charged extra for things like mayonnaise and the portions were a little scant with no vegetables or potatoes with the main meals.
Watching the sun set over the Burg though was absolutely beautiful and made up for the bad service and so so food.
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