As I mentioned it previously, Bruges is a great place for sweeties. So, I listed the addresses I tested: Proof in pictures!
DE PROEVERIE TEA ROOM (Katelijnestraat 6)
Apparently, this is the place to taste the best hot chocolate in Bruges. I couldn’t compare it with other lustful chocolaty places in the town (I only stayed there 2 days!) but what I’ll remember isn’t quite their hot chocolate but their speculoos cheese cake!
Imagine if you will, the cheese cake melting, meeting with the speculoos short-crust: Awesome! As for the hot chocolate, you have to mix it yourself at the table by pouring the melted chocolate in the milk cup and adding whipped cream. Maybe it’s because of my poor cooking-mixer talents but I didn’t really feel the chocolate strength in the beverage I prepared myself. It was good, but not fall off your chair… Unlike the speculoos cheese cake… That should be the one that’s famously known! As for the cupcakes, those are the kind of foods that look better than they taste, but, just for the beauty of the gesture, I tasted one as well… And without surprise, I preferred the speculoos cheese cake.
BREYDEL DE CONINCK (Breidelstraat 24)
A good address for shellfish.
So I ordered fries with mussels in white beer. Substantial but very good, with bits of fennel and onions in the pot: marvelous! The royal crab with its white butter sauce was also a delight and it is so great when the crab arrives all de-shelled and ready to eat. It could be said that it should be the pay off for putting in the effort but, most of the time, I am too lazy to de-shell the shell of the shellfish. Here, you just need to pull off the shell’s meat and open your mouth. The dream of the lazy and the greedy!
FRITUUR
For the fries, I loved the little fries cabins (=Frituur) from place Markt (you can’t miss them, there are long line at the front most of the time so you’re usually in for a wait). Simply served with salt and the sauce of your choice, this is a little guilt free pleasure to get at any time. I got so excited that I went to visit the fries museum (gives a great intellectual and cultural vibe to the trip when you say you visited the fries museum, huh?): well, don’t laugh, this museum taught me loads of things: why do you call fries, french fries? How do you make belgium fries… Anyway, enough to show off to your friends once you’re back!
SUKERBUYC (Katelijnestraat 5)
What about the chocolate then? Belgian chocolate is very famous but, shame on me, I only tasted the ones from the SUKERBUYC chocolate factory (Katelijnestraat 5) (and also Leonidas) and found them too sugary for my taste. I must confess I prefer swiss chocolates so, unfortunately, I didn’t get tempted by the chocolates in Bruges: If you are chocolate pros, you can leave your addresses in the comments, it might help Belgian chocolate pros.
JULIETTE’S (Wollestraat 31a)
… As for the biscuits, I wouldn’t say no! And I recommend the shop JULIETTE’S (Wollestraat 31a) for its delicious vanilla Speculoos, their very thin bruges biscuits and and and… their succulent white chocolate spread with speculoos! I only brought back one jar and I regret not bringing back more! Spread on pancakes or warm waffles… It’s pure pleasure!(English translation by Charlotte B)
