On our first night in Bruges we were wandering aimlessly looking for somewhere for dinner. We passed a few places, considering their displayed menus and trying to evaluate their relative merits, but soon decided to bite the bullet and head for the next one we saw.
This was “Old Bruges”:http://www.oldbruges.com/ opposite Vismarkt (Fish Market). The guy tried to persuade us to eat on the terrace on the opposite side and promised overhead heaters but we declined and instead chose a window seat in the long, thin restaurant.
We were the only people inside the restaurant and chose a half litre of house white wine and as this was our first night, a couple of Flemish specialities: beef carbonade flamande with chips and salad (although we asked for boiled potatoes instead of chips – we’ve never been one for chips and gravy), and chicory with ham in a cheese sauce. The beef arrived with a separate dish of chips and the potatoes followed after a few minutes, having reminded the waiter. I was pleased to see we were not charged extra for the potatoes.
The meal was good but not exceptional and the beef was not piping hot (although Roy said he’d read that the Belgians don’t eat this dish hot) and there were no fripperies like nibbles or bread. The bill came to €51.
We then realised that eating out in Bruges was not going to be a cheap experience.
