Category Archives: Restaurants and Cafés

Belgian Vineyards with Hannah

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_77da

Exploring the vineyards

Every couple of months Koen and his friends have a Boys’ Weekend. This time Koen was the host, so I was very happy to escape the boys and stay with Hannah in Leuven for the weekend. We had beautiful, sunny weather and decided to explore the Belgian vineyards of Hageland.

We visited the heart of the Hagelandse wines – Wezemaal (Rotselaaar). They have a visitors center in a 19th century neo-gothic building where you can learn about the Hagelandse landscape and watch a video of the winemakers themselves sharing their passion. We didn’t realized you needed to make an appointment and were lucky we were able to join another group!

Continue reading →

Bozar: Fernand Léger, Beauty is Everywhere

Posted on by

0

I pass the Bozar every morning on my way to work, and couldn’t help but notice the colorful posters for the Fernand Léger, Beauty is Everywhere exhibition. I really love modern art and have seen many of his works in other museum, but never in a retrospective setting.

Continue reading →

Easter 2018 : Walking Tour of Antwerp

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_7668

Grapefruits about to be caramelized!

Nicole and Adam were in Antwerp for Easter weekend. So for Easter day we prepared a delicious brunch with fresh fruit, fresh baked bread and pastries, and poached eggs with Hollandaise. Yum! We needed the energy for our walk through Antwerp in the afternoon.

Continue reading →

Graanmarkt 13

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_765c

Carrot Bitterballen

For our first dinner with Nicole and Adam, we chose the restaurant Graanmarkt 13. The food is seasonal, with a weekly menu based on what vegetables are in season. From the site: “Graanmarkt 13 offers a daily varying choice of fish or meat along with various vegetarian tapas-style dishes to share with your company.” Chef Seppe Nobels won the prize “Best Vegetable restaurant 2015 of Flanders” by Gault Millau. So this was the perfect place to take our guests!

Continue reading →

De Arme Duivel & De Koninck with Nicole & Adam!

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_7647

Nicole & Adam at the De Koninck Brewery!

You never know who you’ll meet – while on the Trans-Siberian Express, the 5 days from Moscow to Irkutsk, we met another couple who’ve turned into good friends. Nicole and Adam had a similar planning to ours and throughout our 3 week trip we met up in Russia, Mongolia, and China. So why not add Belgium to the list?

Continue reading →

Dinant, Belgium

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_7548

The Citadel, Collegiate Church of Notre Dame, and statue of Charles de Gaulle

I visited Dinant with my parents back in 2014, but Koen had never been. We had a bit of sunshine, so I convinced Koen to take the trek down south. Dinant is most famously known as being the home of Adolphe Sax, who invented the saxophone, and the Battle of Dinant in 1914, where Lieutenant Charles de Gaulle was wounded. The landmarks are the Citadel of Dinant and the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame. Important to Koen and me is of course the regional cuisine – the couques de Dinant, Europe’s hardest cookie, the flamiche, a type of quiche, and Leffe beer which comes from the Leffe Abbey. A lot to see and take in!

Continue reading →

Ostend, Belgium

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_6bac

Picture Perfect Ostend

Although still cold, the sun was shining – so why not take a trip to the Belgian coast? There are so many cities in Beligum I’d still like to visit and Ostend was at the top of my list.

Continue reading →

Stockholm: Operakällaren

Posted on by

1

fullsizeoutput_6a4a

Operakällaren

We celebrated Valentine’s Day early at Operakällaren, a one star Michelin restaurant in Stockholm’s center. Operakällaren is the city’s oldest restaurant, dating back to 1787 when the restaurant was situated under Gustav III’s opera house. Operakällaren is still linked with the royal family – Stefano Catenacci, the Chef de Cuisines, is responsible for all catering to the Royal Castle. We loved our meal and enjoyed the whole experience – delicious food and a great wait staff! Koen and I were also surprised that Stefano Catenacci came to our table personally to press our duck and even let me try! He also mentioned I’m the first guest to ask!

Continue reading →

Stockholm: Riche

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_6a42

Riche

I know in November I already posted photos of Riche, but I had to come back! I needed to have their toast skagen again!

To quote the Huffington Post, Toast Skagen is essentially a shrimp toast, but there is one mythical ingredient that sets it apart from any other shrimp toast. Kalix Vendace Roe. This Swedish version of Russian or Iranian caviar is orange, light in taste, subtle and not as pushy as its eastern cousins. It’s often served together with butter fried blinis or toast, some sour cream and very finely chopped red onions – as the star of the show. But in the Toast Skagen, it will have to settle with being the jewel in the crown. An orange colored precious gem, placed on top of this culinary treasure.

Continue reading →

Stockholms Matmarknad

Posted on by

0

fullsizeoutput_6a03

So many delicious salmon to choose from!

In general, Koen and I really love renting apartments if we’re on holiday. One of our favorite things to do, normally to relax toward the end, is to visit a local market to prepare dinner at our apartment. It gives us an opportunity to try local food and chill at the apartment for an easy evening. Markets are also a great opportunity to delve into the real food culture of a city. Koen is the best at discovering what we need to eat – asking what they miss most when out of the country, what does their family eat at Christmas and other big holidays. Like this we’re sure not to miss anything!

Continue reading →