Description: After a night on board ship coming from Britain to Belgium, I hadn't eaten much and was more than a little bit ready to tuck into some warm food when we arrived in Bruges. The walk from the bus to our hotel was a pleasant if icy one, and by the time we checked in and made our way back out into town lunch was sounding like a very good idea.
I was really excited to start exploring - Bruges was already exceeding my expectations - I was giddy at all the snow (the first I had seen of the year) and in newly acquired gloves from the market, sweaters and hats we set out to see a bit of the town and look for something to eat.
However it quickly became apparent that getting used to the cold was going to take a while, and looking around extensively for somewhere to eat may not be all that enjoyable. There were loads of options surrounding the market square, and so we decided just to stop and go in and warm up at the first one that looked promising.
They all look nice - but like so many restaurants in the European city-centre tourist trap they were all also very over priced and with a less inspiring menu than we would later find on side streets.
But that the moment, that didn't matter so we popped into the first one that looked warm with spare tables and with a menu that didn't seem too outrageous. We stopped at teh Sint-Joris, very close to the market center and with a nice view out from our table. We decided that lots of little stops in cafes, restaurants and bars would be the order of the day and thought it would be a nice start to order our first Belgian beer and some soup and sandwiches.
The place is quite nice inside. Nothing spectacular but it was pleasant and warm and we were seated immediately.
I've lived in Europe long enough to know not to expect good service. Rather that it's something to feel doubly grateful about and impressed by when you do receive it. However, even knowing that the service was very poor here. The waiters were dismissive at first and became almost abrasive when it became clear we were there only to buy a light lunch. I forgot about ordering water in European restaurants (it had been a couple years since my last visit to mainland Europe) and made the mistake of ordering a glass of water as well as a beer which came in the form of their most expensive bottle of water. (The bottle actually cost more than our beer and almost as much as the soup)
The soup was simple but pleasant. Mostly it was warm and I was thrilled by that. I ordered my first Belgian beer (which also turned out to be my favorite) and sat in the warm glow of a foreign place sipping a local beer and eating something warming - almost able to ignore the haughty staff wondering when we were going to leave so they could offer the table to someone else. (I can't imagine what they were worrying about - the place was over half empty)
In any case, it was OK. I wouldn't go back, and it was my worst restaurant experience in Bruges - but it wasn't horrendous. I do, however, recommend venturing down a few of the side streets as there are some tremendous little cafes and restaurants in Bruges that aren't so happy to see you go.
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