All posts tagged: 4stars

#103 Indonesian take-away from Toko Bunga Mas, Leiden (NL)

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Restaurant review #103 – Bunga Mas is an Indonesian restaurant in the center of Leiden (the Netherlands). It also offers take away, and that is what we did, when visiting our friends living nearby a couple of weeks ago (so technically speaking, this isn’t really a restaurant review, but anyway, you get an idea of the place nonetheless 😉 We love Indonesian food, but unfortunately, there are hardly any Indonesian restaurants in Belgium. There are plenty in the Netherlands though (given the colonial history/connection), and whenever we are there, we try to go visit one! We arrived at Bunga Mas just as the shop/restaurant opened, at 1PM. It is a small place, with just a handful of tables. They do seem to be more oriented towards take away. Bunga Mas is not a vegan place (also serves animal based dishes), but they do have a large selection of vegetarian dishes. The lady at the counter was very friendly, and could immediately tell us which vegetarian dishes were also suitable for vegans (most of them). We bought a …

#94 Nice lunch at I love Veggie Burger, Vienna

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Restaurant review #94 – I love Veggieburger is vegan burgerplace in the city center of Vienna. It is a 2 minutes walk from the Swedenplatz (where the boat excursions start) and a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Stephanschurch. We went to I Love Veggie Burger for lunch during our city trip to Vienna this Summer (see other reviews from our trip to Vienna). It was a very hot day and we sat on the front terrace (inside the restaurant was very hot!). There is some traffic in the street passing the terrace, but despite being close to the historical center, it is a quiet area. The menu is quite extensive, and we are not used to having so much choice! 😉 You can also ‘pimp’ your own burger (choose the bread, a patty, extra vegetables or leave some out, …). What a relief though to have a full vegan menu. Wines are also clearly labelled as vegan (see photo). This is what we had for lunch: Service was very friendly. The interior looked pretty …

#92 – All vegan evening at traditional restaurant Guillaume, Bruges

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Restaurant review #92 – Guillaume is a traditional restaurant in the city center of Bruges. It is just a 5 minute walk from ‘t Zand. I had contacted Guillaume several times over the years to ask whether we could dine there (vegan menu), but always received a negative (albeit very polite and friendly) response. So I was quite surprised to see the anouncement last Summer of a ‘no meat no fish’ dinner evening announced. I asked whether the evening was vegan, and quickly got confirmation. Exciting! It was a lovely Summer evening and we choose to be seated on the terrace in the back. It was quite a relaxed atmosphere, the restaurant cat came to check in on the terrace wall (although unfortunately she wasn’t allowed on the terrace itself). When it went dark one big umbrella covered the the whole terrace and brought a nice glow of reflecting light on the ceiling. Cosy. As we were outside all evening, we didn’t really get a feeling of the atmosphere inside, but it seemed quite charming as well. This was our …

#90 – Nice lunch at Vegaverso, Louvain (3)

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Restaurant review #90 – Vegaverso is a vegan lunch bar in the city center of Louvain. Vegaverso serves mainly sandwiches, burgers and also some hot dishes like stews or pasta (the menu varies). We’ve been here a couple of times before, and impressions from some of those visits can be seen here (#27) and here (#34). Vegaverso is a lovely charming place, soberly but stylishly decorated, with a relaxed atmosphere. Service by Tilly and her mom is always super friendly. It’s semi-self service: you order at the bar, take your drinks with you, and when your food is ready they bring the order to your table. Our you can also buy to take away. update – see below  — The menu is pretty extensive, with several burgers, wraps, hotdogs to choose from. Also many different vegan sauces, and different types of bread. The combinations are endless! Also a great variety of vegan pastry and cookies. And the menu changes every once in a while too, so there’s always something new to try. We visited Vegaverso again in July for lunch. This is what we had: …

#89 Nice vegan dish at Bistro Belle de Jour, Ostend ****

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Restaurant review #89 – Bistro Belle de Jour is a small place in one of the quiet streets of the city center, at the back of cultural centre De Grote Post. (update: new location 2019 see below). It’s a two minute walk from shopping street Kappelestraat, I had inquired some time ago whether vegan was possible, and that was said to be no problem. So when making the reservation, I requested this again. Communication on the phone didn’t go very smooth (the lady answering didn’t seem to understand Flemish very well), so we were a bit anxious to go. But we were quickly reassured upon arrival. Chef Els came personally to give us some vegan suggestions, based on the vegetarian dishes of the day (listed on the chalk board) and what’s available in the kitchen. We were seated at a little table at the window, with antique glass vases on the windowstill. There is one large table in the middle, sharing space with others. When we make a reservation again, I would definitely ask for a private table, …

#79 – Nice lunch at Greenway, Louvain ****

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Restaurant review #79 – Greenway is a Belgian vegetarian brand (restaurants and products) and was founded by Paul Florizoone in the mid nineties. The first Greenway restaurant opened in Ghent in 1996 and I vividly remember it opening at that time (I worked nearby and was thrilled!). Meanwhile there are three Greenway restaurants in Belgium (Ghent, Louvain and Antwerp) and a take-away at the railway station of Brussels-Midi. I visited the Greenway in Antwerp a couple of weeks ago with a friend, and we had some lovely cakes (see blog here). It’s been a while since I’ve been to the ones in Ghent and Louvain, but we visited the Greenway in Louvain again for lunch recently. The Greenway in Louvain is located in the city center, just a short walk from the town hall. It’s a nicely decorated place, lots of space, modern style. Vegan options are indicated on the menu above the counter and on the large board on the wall, where the daily suggestions are written. We ordered at the counter – where you also get your drinks: a Mexican burger …

#77 – Lovely 3 course vegan menu at Mykene, Louvain (2) ****

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Restaurant review #77 – Mykene is a classic restaurant in the city center of Louvain (about 15 minutes from Brussels). We already posted a review of Mykene in 2014. You can see that review here. There are several vegan dishes and also some vegan appetizers standardly available Ă  la carte. Since our last visit, the menu has changed so we tried some new things. This is what we ordered: mushroom carpaccio, pecan cheese, merlot vinegar gel (11,50€) toast with wild mushrooms (15€) And these were our main dishes: jacked potato, stir fried vegetables, sundried tomatoes and almond parmezan (16€) seitan in coconut curry, lentils and basmatic rice (17,50€) The carpaccio of mushrooms was very nice and original. The toast with champignons was also very nice, but way too much as an appetizer. I could easily have this as a main dish. We were already quite stuffed with these starters, before the main dishes came. And these were also very large portions, way too much for us. We tried to eat as much as we could, but even with some …

#70 Nice lunch at saladbar Zukini, Ghent ****

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Restaurant review #70 – Zukini is a new saladbar in the Overpoortstraat in Ghent, which is famously (or infamously if you prefer) known for its many student pubs. It had been ages since I last walked through this street. But sure enough, the pavements were still drenched in the smell of beer! 😉 Apparently I walked by the address of Zukini two times, and then looked up the street number again on my phone, to realise it was in the big building where the university restaurant used to be (many moons ago, that just shows how old I am ;-). The building now houses a supermarket and other shops, and at the left of the entrance, you can also find saladbar Zukini. (UPDATE: see below) I was meeting a friend here for lunch. Salabar Zukini is spacious and bright, clean and tidy. Everyting was spotlessly clean, and also seemed brand new. Nice photos in the bathroom too (see pic below 😀 Although the seats are empty on the photo, the place soon filled up for lunch, with going by their age looked like mostly …

#66 Another great lunch at HashtagFood (2), Bruges ****

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Restaurant review #66 – Just a couple of months ago, I already posted a review about Hashtag Food in Bruges. We were so excited about this place that, although it was not so long ago, we decided to go visit again, this time with family (omnis). Hashtag food or #Food is a more bistro-style restaurant. It is in the city center, about 5 minute walk from the main market square, close to the shopping street and just around the corner of Simon Stevinsquare. (update: new address since Dec 2017, see below) Since our last visit, the menu has changed (it changes every couple of months), and there was now also a vegan burger standardly available. Vegan dishes are clearly marked on the menu, and next to every meal there’s info about allergens. It’s funny to see that the names of the dishes refer to classic pop songs 🙂 This is what we ordered. As a starter, some con tomate (9,60€ – tomato salsa with garlic on toasted bread). I had a freshly squeezed orange juice (4,50€), which comes in a individual …

#64 Lovely plat du jour at vegan restaurant De Graankorrel (2), Ostend ****

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Restaurant review #64 – De Graankorrel is a vegan/macrobiotic restaurant, in the city center of Ostend (29km from Bruges). It’s located behind the town hall, just a 10 minute walk from the city center. I already posted a review of De Graankorrel in Ostend in 2014, you can see that review here.