I do not know if it is earthquake interference or a gremlin, but all the images have just disappeared from this post. A friend of a friend is going to Gent and asked for advice. Easiest way is for me to oblige is to upload this lengthy list of favorite spots in beautiful Gent. We have spent about 5 months there over the course of the last 3 years.
One of these days I will retrieve the pictures and update the post. Sorry it is so ugly. I had no time today to make it beautiful. Here it is for your reading pleasure, Balthazar! Tell me what you loved most of all.
Beer Haunts:
For the atmosphere, light dishes and good beer
“t Oud Clooster
Zwarte Zusterstraat 5 9000 Gent
Chic bistro bar with garden in handsome 18th century building. Not for the huge list but the atmosphere.
Local counterculture – Alan Ginsburg would hang out here if he were in Gent:
The Tre Punt (bij Sint Jacobs)
The old standby and most famous of Gent’s beer bars:
De Dulle Griet Beer Academy on the Vridagmarkt (no 50)
Sit by the canal and take in the street life of Gent at:
Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant atmospheric café with genever café next door 9 Groentemarkt
We also liked this ancient estaminet specializing in trappist beers:
Trappistenhuis (www.trappistenhuis.be) Brabantdam 164
Take a stroll in the Beguinage nearby before or after a beer. It is on the world heritage monuments list of treasures.
As famous as DeDulle Griet Café:
De Hopduvel
10 Rokerelstraat
Famous café, with good selection of vintage brews and spontaneously fermenting beers. 150-200 in all.
A place we like to go in the evening for a beer, glass of wine – or coffee and “poffertjes” (tiny little pancakes dusted with confectioners sugar). Handsome high ceilinged space – comfortable seating so you can lounge and people watch:
Het Oeverloze Eiland Huis
Oudburg 39 09-234-3200
Cafes –
For coffee and breakfast on the weekends:
Le Bar Depot (bisto & brocante) – see description below
Beverhout Plein (by Sint-Jacobs) 9000 Gent 0485-440-425 email: lartdepot@hotmail.com
Hip and winsome little café – our favorite spot for breakfast. Le Bar Depot is on the edge of square where a flea market is held Friday- Sunday. Sip coffee by vintage chandelier light – antique objets are for sale amidst the bistro tables. The owner, Marnix, is a handsome, engaging, savvy guy who rules the roost – not only in the café, but also seemingly at the market on the square. He and a few partners have other antique warehouses around town. Just ask. We ended up buying more than coffee.
In front of Etablissement Max
For Brussels waffles & pancakes (or a delicious stoverij – beef stew made with beer – a Gent specialty):
L’Etablissement Max
Gouden Leeuwplein 3, 9000 Gent (09-223-9731) Closed Tuesday. Open 10-6 during the week and 10-10 on weekends.
Elegant Belle Epoque style café in Gent center. The beautifully maintained century-old waffle irons are under the command of Yves Consael – a 6th generation direct descendant of Max Consael -the inventor of the Belgian waffle and consummate showman in the Belgian kermesse circuit of the mid 19th century. The waffle mogul did so well he ended up owning 101 buildings in Gent!
Great great great great grandson Yves seems perfectly suited to be carrying on the family tradition. He is the sole person to prepare the batter (in a special room) following a jealously guarded family recipe. We watched him lovingly dust perfectly golden waffles with confectioners sugar. Our friend Danny (from DeVis Fishhandler) says everything that comes out of Max’s kitchen is well prepared – including the fish.
Max’s waffles are insanely good, light as air, crunchy, fresh and delicious. Have with fruit in season. This place is home to our favorite Belgian waiter.
We could not resist buying a copy of “Belgian Waffles and other Treats” in which the history of the waffles is told and the centrality of the Consael family to same is explained. An absolutely classic place. We loved the book so much we decided to import it. You can get yourself a copy on our big website.
Excerpt “Grandmother Consael’ death”
For the love of family, craft, traditon and waffles: a truly Belgian tale
“One of the most emotionally charged moments of Yves life was undoubtedly the death of his beloved grandmother. She used to come to the Gouden Leeuwplein almost daily.
She carried out little domestic tasks, such as sewing the gilt buttons onto the waiters’ waistcoats. She also regularly inspected the many photographs of the history of the Consael family, which can be admired everywhere on the walls of the business.
The Ghent Floralies of 2005 was a particularly busy period for Yves and his staff. Customers were often queuing, waiting for a table to come free, and the kitchen was working flat out. On Sunday afternoon, Eddy, Yves’ friend, received a telephone call with the message that grandmother Simonna’s health had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. She had been taken to the University Hospital, and would probably not last the night….Eddy decided to wait before telling Yves the bad news. In the late afternoon, when Yves was just preparing a new batch of dough, there was another phone call. Only then did Eddy tell Yves that he must go immediately to the hospital if he wanted to see his grandmother still alive. Together they rushed in all haste to the hospital.
When Yves reached his grandmother’s bed, she was no longer moving. Everyone in the room told him that she was quietly dying. Yves took her hand and said “Bomma, I’m here, it’s Yves. She opened her eyes and saw that he was wearing his white waistcoat and his apron. She drew him a little closer, took a deep breath, and said: “Yves , you were my littlest one, but the one I loved most.” Then she shut her eyes again. Then her daughter, Yves’ mother said: “She was born ninety years ago to the smell of waffles, and now you are here standing so close to her. The smell of fresh waffles in your clothes fills the whole room. The circle is closed, she can die in peace.”
For fine coffee:
Or Espresso Bar
Walpoortstraat 26 9000 Gent
www.koffiebranderij-or.be
Tom & Katrien Janssen-Pauwels have opened this café which Gent foodies visit for the best coffee in town. The do their own roasting. Clean modern design, good selection of magazines. Located on a little square opposite an artisan chocolate maker and near some of Gent’s trendiest clothing shop.
(picture Wendy sitting in the window of Or)
Also: Mokabon is a local favorite – Donkerstraat
Cheese:
Hinkelspel cooperative cheese makers Louisbergskaai 33. Shop sells bio dynamic breads and wines as well.
La Petite Normandie – Donkerstraat 21
Locals line up outside what is the best cheese shop in Gent, now that Peeters is gone. We loved the “kwarkbol” they sell - (this is a branded product not home made – but yummy nonetheless. Sort of a cheese Danish cake made with fresh kwark cheese and vanilla, and sprinkled with sugar.
Their camembert is unsurpassed. Of course, they carry Belgian artisan cheeses.
Chocolates:
Cedric Van Hoorebeke Chocolatier (2 locations)
Jan Breydelstraat 1 and 15 Sint Baafs Plein
www.chocolatesvanhoorebeke.be
Especially appreciated for their caramels which truly melt in the mouth.
Yuzu by Nicolas Vanaise
Walpoortstraat 11a
04 73- 9657 33
A former Near East archeologist has turned to artisan chocolate-making. Produces a fine assortment of pralines – many using Belgian beer, and other local ingredients like Tierentijn mustard, ganda ham (like prosciutto), nougat and genever.
Fish:
Vishandel de Vis
Volderstraat 48 9000 Gent
09-224-3228
www.devis.be Open Monday 10-6:30, Tuesday – Saturday 9:00 to 6:30
The very best, freshest and most beautifully presented fish in Gent. The shop is cool (both the temperature and design) – featuring slate, glass and metal decor. The owner, Danny DeCroos used to be the maitre d’ at one of the best restaurants in Zeebrugge where he got to know (and is consequently on a first name basis with) many of the owners of the North Sea fishing fleets. He goes to the fish market in Zeebrugge at 4:45AM to personally select fish at auction – often having gotten “sms” heads-ups from the boat captains about good hauls coming into port. For his maatjes, Danny has a wise older gent as a delegate to personally inspect and select herring in Denmark for his maatjes.
Danny’s maatje’s are the very best we have ever tasted. They are prepared by hand (not machine which washes out a lot of the flavor). Don says eating them, he knows how a Kodiak bear must feel. Also try: whatever Danny and staff recommend. The other day it was monkfish.
To witness the long line of knowledgeable and appreciative clients, and to observe the efficient and well-informed staff in action – is to know you are in one of Gent’s best-loved food shops. Danny subscribes to Slow Food principles and all new employees must read Carlo Petrini’s book. De Vis is a traiteur as well as a fishmonger. And though Danny didn’t intend to get into wholesaling when he started his business 15 years ago, local chefs have demanded he do so. DeVis supplies 40-80 restaurants any given day.
In a shrewd marketing move, Danny has produced a series of cookbooks with young name chefs in Belgium (some his customers) focusing on seasonal recipes with fish. He kindly translated a recipe for us (see below) Highly recommended *****
Recipe from the March April edition of DeVis with recipes from Kobe Desramaults of the restaurant In de Wulf *
Grilled monkfish cheeks with cardoon
200 grams of monkfish cheeks
cardoon
chicken broth
rape seed or linseed oil
100 grams of milk
300 grams of old Mimolette cheese
(smoked eel and breadcrumbs and chives as garnish)
Grill the monkfish cheeks briefly and put them in a hot oven to let the heat reach the center of the fish.
Peel the outside strings from the cardoon. Cut it into cubes and boil in chicken broth with a few drops of rape seed or linseed oil. Let it simmer and reduce completely. Finish it off by adding a pinch of salt.
Make a cream of the old Mimolette cheese : mix the cheese with the milk at 60°C until it comes to a smooth emulsion. Add some pieces of smoked eel and fresh bread croutons. Garnish with some chive tips.
Cardoon is closely related to the artichoke. The robust green-leaved plant is sometimes compared to Swiss chard. Cardoon has its origins in the Mediterranean area and arrived in the lowland region of Europe through France.
Our ancesters discovered the healing effects of cardoon on people recovering from an illness or a surgical intervention. It was given to children in order to strengthen and grow.
Used in the kitchen, cardoon is a perfect match for fish and crustaceans. It is best when cooked over low heat. To avoid the pieces from turning brown, one can sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice on it.
In de Wulf is a Michelin starred restaurant. Kobe Desramaults is chef
8950 Heuvelland (Dranouter)
tel 32-(o) 57-445567
www.indewulf.be
Danny reports that Kobe (whose restaurant is in a very rural spot) inspired by Michel Bras and cuisine du terroir is working with a neighbor farmer to cultivate rare, heritage breed examples of vegetables that have gone out of style. Kobe is one of a trio of young chefs who call themselves “flemishfoodies” and are getting alot of local media attention. Check out their work @ www.flemishfoodies.be.
Slow Food friendly insights from Danny include: Pieter Bauewen of De Nieuwe Tuin specializes in heritage seeds that (www.piterbauwens.be). The Johnny’s of Belgium.
The local Slow Food chapter in the town of Deurle is working on several inductions into the Ark of Taste :
- Oostescheide lobster is in (Holland)
- They are trying to qualify smoked horse sausage and Belgian grey shrimp
Danny’s favorite beer with mussels? Saison Dupont (and Foret Organic)
Shopping for Antiques:
Less well known than antique shops in Brussels, Gent has more than its fair share of fine antique dealers. For information check out: http://www.antiek.com/fleamarkets.cfm
Ghent
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Flea Market On the Rommelmarkt. Saturdays and Sundays: 7a.m.-1p.m. |
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Antique Market The area around St. Jacob’s church on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. |
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Antique Shops. Located on the following streets: Onderbergen, Koornlei, Kraanlei. and Steendam. |
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Flower Market Kouter. Daily: 7a.m.-2p.m. |
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Vegetable and Fruit Markets Groentenmarkt. – Daily: 7a.m.-2p.m. |
Here are two of our favorite dealers:
Antiek Claude Demeyer
Specialist in sale and restoration of crystal chandeliers
Jan Breydelstraat 13 9000 Gent
Tel/fax 09-223-2054 claude.demeyer@telenet.be
It is a treat to peek into the tall windows of Demeyer’s tinkling mostly 19th century French chandelier and sconce-filled corner shop on Jan Breydelstraat. Claude is the third generation of DeMayer’s to be in the chandelier business. Some of his exquisite restorations are making their way to our house in Chicago.
Monique Heyvaert Antiquaire
Onderbergen 66, 9000 Gent
09-225-1557 heyvaert.monique@skynet.be
Open 2-6:30 or by appointment weekdays. From 10:30 to 12:30 and 2 to 6:30 on Saturday. Closed Sunday
Onderbergen is a chic street – several fine antique dealers make their home here. Monique stocks the shop with fine mostly Belgian furniture, jewelry and is the exclusive agent for the Belgian sculptor Odile Kinart. We found a Belgian bread trough table that we loved.
(image here)
Le Bar Depot (see cafes)
We spotted (and bought) a portrait by the Sint Martem’s Latem school painter Soudain in Marnix’s café cum antique shop.
Restaurants
Bookmark this web resource to find and/or stay current on fine dining options in Belgium
http://sensum.be/nl/home/show
People rave about C-Jean on Catalonie Straat in Gent. It is elegant and pricey.
http://www.c-jean.be/nl
We ate at and enjoyed the following restaurants:
Osteria per Bacco
Sint Jacobsnieuwstraat 56 900 Gent
09-324-8332
www.perbacco.be
Sicilian osteria and Italian food shop not far from the Vridagmarkt
A Capella Kaffee
Godshuizenlaan 33 9000 Gent
32 (0) 9-233-3560
www.acapella_gent.be
Fine selection of Belgian beers from small producers, authentic Belgian cooking, lovely composed salads and friendly service. Eat in the garden as the locals do. Not far from the Gent train station. Seems to have slipped a bit since the summer of 2009.
And don’t forget Max (listed under cafes)
Hotels & Apart-hotels:
Since we were staying in Gent for a month we opted for a residential hotel (aka business flats) option on Koningstraat just off the Vridagmarkt. The staff was most accommodating at this former maison de maitre that has forty one and two bedroom flats. Done in modern style. We highly recommend:
DeGriffioen
Koningstraat 1 – 9000 Gent
09-235-4787
www.griffioengent.be
For a shorter stay you might enjoy a house boat 5 standard and 2 luxury rooms all very handsomely and individually outfitted with antiques
The Boatel – floating hotel boat on the Leie River right in town
Voorhoutkaai 44 9000 Gent
32- (0) 9 267-1030
www.theboatel.com
On another trip Don stayed at and liked Monasterium @ Poortackere in a former monastery on a street that follows the old canal route of Gent. Lovely neighborhood.
Oude Houtlei 56 9000 Gent
32 (0) 9 269 2230
www.monasterium.be
Also getting good reviews:
Charme Hotel Hancelot
Vijfwindgatenstraat 19 9000 Gent
09-234-3545
www.hancelot.be
Located in an 1840’s mansion near the St Peter’s Square. Spacious rooms and b&b feel.
Bikes
Gent is the perfect size for biking – and there are numerous excursions into the lovely countryside. Maps at the tourist office. Bike rental is 9 Euros per day for comfortable city bikes that come from Holland. We got our bikes from the friendly staff at:
Biker Bicycles
Steendam 16 9000 Gent
09 224 2903
Biker-botterman@skynet.be
In time for the Labor Day weekend we are posting a story that just appeared on a great site for families in Chicago 
time to learn about these decadent Belgian ales.
Other beers are known as Saisons (beers brewed on the farm in the winter to quench the thirsts of farm hands); lemony light “Abbey Ales” (great accompaniment to mussels): or “Wheat Beers,” which are great with spicy foods. Strong “Golden Ales” are suited to grilled chops or burgers. To spice things up for our Families in the Loop readers, we’ve even added a “Wild” surprise beer to the mix below.
Of course, it wouldn’t be fair to suggest that only Anne-Catherine deserves praise; the beer recipes are created by her dad, Vincent Dilewyns, and her sister is soon to join the venture. A dentist by profession, Vincent took up home-brewing as a hobby in 1999. Anne-Catherine urged her dad to move from home-brewer to commercial brewer status, and Vicaris Generaal (8.8%) was the first of his beers to be released commercially. Vicaris Tripel (8.5%) followed shortly thereafter. The origin of the celebrated Vicardin Tripel & Girardin Gueuze is a little less straightforward: at the Zythos Craft Beer Festival in Sint Niklaas, Dilewyn’s booth happened to be right next to that of the Girardin Brewery, which makes some of the finest lambic in Belgium. While tasting each other’s wares, they accidentally ended up with a mélange of Vicaris Tripel and Girardin Gueuze, which was so delicious that Vincent decided he had to make it an official beer. After obtaining rights to work with Girardin, a delicious new beer style was born.
