The Best of Ghent

As Canadian expat in Belgium, one thing I miss is the sea (and good lobster), so when I saw “Lobster Six Ways” on the menu at the House of Eliott in Ghent, I had to try it. Far from the traditional ‘crack it open and dig in’ style lobster I was used to, this was still a wonderful meal. The varieties included a curry lobster and a more traditional herb and garlic sauce. Even if lobster isn’t your thing, this quirky restaurant is worth visiting. It’s a bit like dining in your crazy Aunt Nelly’s attic. The homage to Coco Chanel in the lady’s room is worth the trip on its own.

Waterzooi (VAT-ter-zo-ey) is a traditional Flemish stew made with chicken, vegetables, cream, and egg yolks. (In years past, chicken was omitted in favor of fish plucked from the city’s waterways.) In the trendy Patershol quarter, order a much-lauded version of waterzooi at Bij den Wijzen en den Zot, a restaurant housed in a guildhall built in the 16th century. This appeared in the September/October 2010 issue.

Art-lovers should not miss the Museum of Fine Arts (Museum voor Schone Kunsten) or MSK, in Ghent, Belgium. This bite-sized museum offers a great overview of of European art, particularly Belgian, from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. Currently, the MSK is undertaking the restoration of Ghent’s most famous artwork, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, by the Van Eyck brothers. Visitors can watch the entire process as it takes place behind glass. The architecture of the building is as lovely as the art contained inside, as seen in the photo above. The Mub’art Brasserie has a lovely terrace and is a great place for a bite to eat when you tire of admiring the art.

I’m a weird guy, so when I tell people I enjoy eating foods named for destinations most people don’t even bat an eye. Sometimes the food is great, sometimes it’s not, but one of my favorite eponymous culinary delights is the Belgian waffle. Before my first trip to Belgium I thought that surely this was an American creation, there’s no way waffles are that popular in Belgium. And I was horribly, horribly wrong. Waffles aren’t just found in Belgium, they’re everywhere. Granted this is probably in part due to the tourist trade, but it’s also a part of the Belgian culinary culture. There are many variations of this doughy treat, but two kinds in particular are found throughout the country. The Brussels waffle is most similar to what we enjoy here in the U.S. It’s a light, deceptively so, dough cooked into a rectangular shape featuring large pockets. My favorite though was the Liège waffle, something I had never even heard of before my trip to Belgium. What makes the Liège version different is that it’s richer, denser and sweeter than the Brussels variety. It’s also in a less uniform shape and when topped with Nutella makes for a delicious snack or dessert. Waffles are found everywhere from food trucks to sit down restaurants, but one of my favorite places to enjoy waffles is at the Etablissement Max in Ghent. Located near St. Bavo Cathedral, the brasserie-style restaurant is a delicious and traditional take on this tasty snack, dessert or even meal.

Belgium is known for a lot of things and fine beer is near the top of that list. Given how popular beer is I was surprised to learn that there’s only one operating brewery in Ghent itself, but what a brewery it is. The Gruut Brewery is relatively new, but it has quickly become a culinary staple. The brewster, Annick De Splenter, spent years researching medieval methods of creating gruut beer that is made without hops and has created a delicious line of beers that are true to the history of the region and of course taste amazing.

If you like your art to have practical purposes, don’t miss Ghent’s lovely Design Museum. Here you will find decorative arts such as furnishings, appliances and dishware from Belgium’s design history. The museum is inside the 18th century Hotel de Coninck, once owned by a wealthy Flemish family. One section of the museum is preserved as it was during this period. A new and modern section of the museum houses functional art from other periods, including Belgium’s most famous design era - the Art Nouveau period. For more information on Ghent’s Art Museums: http://cheeseweb.eu/2012/08/art-museums-ghent-belgium/

Going here and seeing all the instruments of torture really sent shivers down my spine. Very cool to see but in a really creepy way, like the Human Body Exhibit :). From the top you get very nice views of Gent. Worth a visit if you are in Gent.

Jenever is a juniper flavored liquor from which gin evolved. Today it’s only made in the Netherlands and Belgium and is a strong and popular drink. While the straight stuff may be a bit harsh, jenever bars also feature a wide range of flavored shots from mango to vanilla and everything in between. In Ghent the place to go is ‘t Dreupelkot, run by the usualy grumpy proprieter Pol. The drink is served in tall shot glasses and is a great way to start an evening or just spend some time chatting with friends.