This restaurant is conveniently located just across from the tourist blockbusters of the Gruuthouse and the church of Our Lady, yet somehow doesn’t feel like a tourist trap.
It’s small and cosy; I doubt if there were more than 12 tables in the place. The building is slightly triangular, as is stands on a corner where two streets come together into a third. Thus you enter through a front that is narrower that the rear. The three sides facing forward are windows, giving you a great view of the architecture, while the back wall is a bar and service area.
There’s both an a la carte menu and an all inclusive tourist menu. I went for the latter and had both plenty of choice and a great result. I started with a warming soup (I’d stumbled into the place as a heavy snowstorm made life outdoors impossible). For the main course, options included meat, fish, chicken and vegetarian, but I had to go for the classic "Steak Frites" … steak with french fries.
The Belgians will happily and frequently tell you that they invented the fried potato. Giving credit to the French was an accident of history. Taste them here, and you’ll agree. I’m sure it has something to do with whatever they use to fry them in, which no doubt sends cholesterol off the scales but manages to create a crisp, tasty exterior that elevates this traditional fast food to a new plane.
I finished up with a chocolate torte. Like the fries, chocolate is something the Belgians do better than almost anyone in the world. Forget the diet and indulge!
The service in this little place was excellent. Sensitive, cheerful, attentive but not pushy. This is unusual in places that are so heavily frequented by tourists. I happened to be travelling alone on this weekend, which always makes dining out uncomfortable. The fact that they were so solicitous of my needs, despite the awkward single state, really added to my appreciation of the day.