Supper, breakfast, it's always a good time for waffles
And not just any waffles, Belgium Waffles! Belgium is most famous for the following foods: waffles (duh!), french fries*, chocolate, speculoos, and in some places, such as Brussels (where we were), Mussels. The diet has been described as combining the heartiness of German cuisine with the attention to detail afforded by the French. Being situated between the two nations, this most certainly makes sense, and for the most part I would have to agree. So which food was my favorite? Keep reading to find out...
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| On our way to Belgium, tired but happy!! |
Yayyyy for Belgium Waffles !
They looked beautiful. They tasted beautiful. The service? Not so beautiful. In the interest of my subject (food) I will only say that perhaps there are less touristy places to eat where the guest has an opportunity to experience both: a genuine connection with their food and the people that serve them, each being equally important to the overall dining experience.
But I digress. As you can see from the photos I still very much enjoyed my Belgium Waffle. No regrets there. No syrup either. I quickly learned that there is no need for syrup in Belgium; I had my waffle drizzled with a poignant raspberry compote and Brian had his served with vanilla ice-cream and strawberry sauce, both were delicious. Ohh and the whipped cream! Light and fluffy, rich as butter, like creamy clouds of heaven! The memories are all too much, I feel the watering of my mouth as I write so it's time to move on...
For our real supper we went to Chez Leon, beloved by tourists and locals alike. Here we got two for the price of one. Well not really, considering the price of one was 35 Euros. But we managed to split one meal consisting of a gigantic bucket-o-mussels, a shrimp salad, a side of french fries, and one local craft beer. It was more than enough and we were pleasantly surprised to discover large, tender mussels and fries that tasted like donuts (warm fried dough with a touch of sweetness). They were seriously amazing. Brian took the beer; I am sad to say that even after Germany and now Belgium, I still don't like beer. Wine and hard liquors only!
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| Our shared dinner at Chez Leon |
With my brother and his wife's recommendation we left for Brugge. One hour later and we had travelled thousands of years back in time, deep into the dark history of Europe's Middle Ages. Or at least that's how it felt. Brugge fulfilled our appetite for a historic city steeped with mystery and beauty, both in equal measure.
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| Welcome to Brugge!
Surprisingly for it's modest size, the city provided us with seemingly endless avenues for adventure! Perhaps only second to Zurich for it's serene and raw beauty, Brugge proved a city where an entire day may be spent strolling along, snapping photos and exploring ancient cobble stoned streets. Here is what we found along the way...
      
  
Brugge by day
So as you can see we had no problem keeping ourselves busy. And this doesn't even include our lunch or all the chocolate shops we visited; patience! I will get to them soon enough. For now I will say that photos do not capture the charm of the city, and unfortunately, neither do words. If you are ever in Europe, plan on stopping by. It only takes a day, but is indeed beautiful enough to spend a week or longer enveloped by its ancient architecture and sprightly chocolatiers. You, and your senses, will be happy you did!
While in Brugge we enjoyed a modest lunch: Pea soup with baguette and for dessert, a dark chocolate bar with almonds (made in-house at Chocoholic)
Upon returning to Brussels that evening we went out in search of a simple supper: La Mitraillette. This is Belgium's version of fast-food, and is sometimes referred to as "la americain", literally "the American", no doubt in reference to America's obsession with cheap, greasy, fast food. But hey sometimes all you want is cheap, greasy and fast right? Wrong! Brian and I went to try the Mitraillette that we had heard so much about only to wait in line for 15 minutes (not so fast) and end up throwing half our sandwich away because, big surprise, it wasn't very good! Actually it kinda sucked...
Don't let looks fool you, you could get better at McDonald's. The french fries lacked flavor, the meat, well, I couldn't tell what animal it came from, and the bread was okay, but just okay bread in Europe is not okay!!! OKAY?! In theory this sandwich had lots of potential, and to be fair, I've heard it is quite good at certain local spots, both in Belgium and in other parts of France, but alas we were staying in the heart of town and didn't have time to go in search of a better sandwich, proving once again that walking a bit further makes for food a hell of a lot better!
Dinner was a disappointment, but so what? There's always tomorrow for foodie dreams to come true. And what we got for breakfast could not be more dream-like if we had dreamed it up ourselves. Allow me to introduce you to Tintin Garby, or is it Tonton Garby? Either name works (he wrote it both ways) so long as your realize that he Does Not Serve Fast Food, but he will "show you the way"...
One of the many signs outside (and inside) Garby's Shop
Garby was one of the nicest people we met during our trip, and one of the nicest I've come across period. He may have been a little nutty (Signs saying things like "Garby will show you the way", etc.,) sure, but perhaps he has it right and the rest of us, the reserved, stiff, timid creatures that we are, have got it all wrong. Tonton is an Arabic fellow with a wife and kids who makes a living with his cheese/meat shop or what we would call a deli. He believes in happiness above all else. We were lured into his shop from a sign outside offering a 3 Euro breakfast: 1 croissant, 1 pain au chocolat, 1 juice, and 1 coffee, a real steal in the tourist center. Once inside we realized that we were being served much more than a simple petit dejeuner...
I wish I had taken his picture. But I hope it will remain vibrant in my mind, the man who never rushed, the man who believed in happiness and absolutely despised fast-food, the man who made us feel at home in a foreign place: Tonton (or Tintin) Garby. He even offered to name a sandwich after me if I gave him a new recipe; if that isn't love then what is?
On the spot I couldn't come up with a sandwich, so instead I left some kind words and my lovely artwork behind
(I also left him my train pass for no other reason than kindness breads kindness, and well, add good food to the mix and you get a free pass!)
That morning the three of us discussed travel: our favorite places, our least favorite, all the people we've met, all the fascinating memories we've made. While Brian and I enjoyed our breakfast, Garby cheerfully crafted his sandwiches; we were so impressed with his skills that we couldn't resist taking a sandwich to go, and so we did...
The last Supper:
 
Instead suffice it to say that we were much to engulfed by a sensory pleasure and the lusting of our own hunger to slow down for photos; this one was taken right after, but allow for a description of the heavenly sandwich:
Freshly baked baguette. Sliced tomatoes. White goat cheese. Homemade olive tapenade by sir Garby himself. Now that's a sandwich**!
With our bellies full, we were happy and ready for our return home!
*Fun french fry fact: Contrary to popular belief, french fries were not invented in America; rather their earliest known whereabouts are thought to be in Belgium from several references found throughout various writings. The word "french" makes a little bit more sense, but still, why not Brussels frites? or Belgium frites? Some things will forever remain a mystery.
**This was my favorite meal from Belgium. For the entire trip? That will take some digesting on my part...
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