Description: One thing I learned very very quickly after arriving in Bruges is that it is very expensive. The cost of things is something people always like to tell you about a place you're about to travel to - either that it's 'so cheap!' or 'really, really expensive' and in my experience they are rarely accurate. I've lost count in the past few years of how many 'cheap' destinations I've shown up to to find it costly and overpriced, and how many 'expensive' ones I've been to that I discovered on arrival were no more expensive than Britain.
Bruges was one that I'd not heard anything either way, and it did become apparent very soon after arriving that this was going to be one of the pricey ones. But that was OK - we were spending just two days in the city at Christmas time and so splashing out a little on niceties was part of the fun.
The second day of our stay was our 5th anniversary and we decided that a nice meal out was in order. However, our first meal at lunch at taken us aback at just how much it had been just to have a beer and a bowl of soup that we weren't quite so keen on the big meal idea by the time it rolled around.
We bundled up and headed out in the snow with no real destination in mind - just pointing in the general direction of the town square hoping to find a place that looked good that wouldn't cost a fortune. But sight seeing and not spotting anywhere that looked good enough for the price led us further afield until the night was beginning to wear on and restaurants were closing.
We found ourselves standing next to a beautiful canal on Rozenhoedkaai and turning around spotted a little restaurant/cafe which looked warm and inviting. The meal sign posted outside seemed to suggest a much better price than we had seen else where (a starter main and a dessert for €25) so we popped in.
The restaurant was open - it was still 2 hours until they were due to close but there was only one other customer there and it did seem very much like they had decided to close up early. We asked if we could order and they were obliging, and we sat down to have almost the whole little place to ourselves.
The staff were adequate at best. They brought us food, they weren't actively obnoxious. They obviously wanted to close up despite it being well before the sign said they closed and were doing so as we were leaving. They weren't overly welcoming and were easily the worst bit of the experience.
Having said that - where they didn't make it a nicer experience, they didn't tarnish it much, either. We barely saw them except when necessary and that was fine by us.
On the other hand - the place was really fantastically put together. The decor was fantastic - very classy for a little place with a reasonable menu and it was moodily lit with classic Christmas decoration and white twinkle lights dotted about. So even with the moody staff, the atmosphere was still superb.
We ordered our food and were brought heaping plates of wonderfully tasty food. I started with a beautiful tomato soup, which though simple was very nicely made and a warm soup after walking around in the snow was the perfect way to start the meal. I also had the Flemish stew I'd been hearing so much about (very thick, meaty stew that was absolutely fantastic) and we tried a few new Belgian beers. Mine was a particularly dark beer which was delightful if a little overwhelming.
At the end we were served a nice little sunday which was the perfect way to round off the meal. Despite the surprise early closing time and the less than attentive staff - I loved this place and would happily visit again.
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