Some of the best food I had during my last trip to Europe was in Belgium. It wasn’t only the chocolate that was heavenly, they had some great restaurants as well.
One particular restaurant, Brasserie de 3 Fonteinen, I had lunch at was suggested by a colleague of mine. The restaurant is set against a beautiful backdrop of tall trees and a well manicured, symmetrical front lawn. It was rainy the day I went, but had it not been, the outdoor tables on the patio would have been the ideal spot to enjoy these beautiful views.
The restaurant itself was a beautiful light muted blue with nice large, arched windows. The inside was sophisticated yet still comfortable. Tables and chairs had clean lines.
Walking to the restaurant. You can see the colorful pots of plants in the front as well. Cheers up the view of an otherwise cloudy, rainy day.
Arched large windows. The tables and chairs outside were wet from the rain. During a sunny day, this outside eating area is probably much more popular than the inside space. Where we were seated inside, you could still see the wonderful garden framed by the windows.
View of the garden. Nice contrasting red flowers with the green grass. Perfectly shaped and symmetric trees. I wouldn’t be surprised if during the spring and summer, many weddings take place here.
Being such a damp day, it was a welcome treat when these little buns came fresh and toasty to our table in a crisp brown bag. I commented on the unconventional presentation asking if this was a Belgium thing. The other lunch participants noted that it wasn’t a common “Belgium thing”. Either way, I liked the presentation. The bread was delicious…something I notice the Europeans make very well.
Looking down the menu list I saw, “Steak de Cheval” The menu was offered in a couple of languages and I chose French since I had taken it for several years growing up in Canada. I distinctly recalled that “cheval” was horse. My colleagues promptly confirmed that my translation was indeed correct. Horse meat is taken seriously and quite common I was told. I did not order the horse dish…perhaps if I was more hungry I would have.
Scallops on top of dollops of what I think was mashed potatoes. This dish was ordered by the person sitting to the right of me. I tried a bit of it and it was delicious. The scallops were cooked just right – seared on the outside, tender on the inside. The sauce was just sparingly used so it didn’t overpower the taste of the scallops.
I ordered a chicken salad with shrimp. The dressing was a citrus mustard vinaigrette. The dish was tasty, however, the chicken was a little tough and overdone.
Overall, I think the restaurant had great food and perfect ambiance. My chicken salad wasn’t the best but I think this was more a reflection on my particular order than a commentary on the food on the entire menu.
Others at the lunch thoroughly enjoyed their dishes. The ribs that two of the folks ordered looked scrumptious with the sticky sauce that was drizzled on the and overflowed to the mashed potatoes.
