All posts tagged: Le Pain Quotidien

#195 Mezze platter for 2 at Le Pain Quotidien, Knokke-Heist

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restaurant review #195 – This is a review from our visit to Le Pain Quotidien in Knokke, at the east side of the Belgian coast. We made a bicycle trip with our tandem in the area last Summer, and we were disappointed to see so few vegan options in Knokke.  So we ended up in Le Pain Quotidien, as there are always some vegan options standardly available there. Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ) is a world wide chain of organic bistros, founded by Belgian Alain Coumont. I already wrote reviews of visits to several LPQ restaurants. Alain Coumont has also started a vegan branch of bistros, Le Botaniste, of which I visited the one in Ghent a couple of times (see here). There is a large outside terrace, and the interior of Le Pain Quotidien Knokke is also very spacious. As it was a very hot day, we were happy to find a shady place on the terrace (there was also room inside, but I found it to be very loud inside). We ordered some drinks and the mezze platter to …

#159 Lunch at vegan branch of LPQ: Le Botaniste, Ghent (2)

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restaurant review #159 – Le Botaniste is a vegan restaurant in the city center of Ghent. I visited shortly after it opened and wrote a review here. I was in Ghent a couple of weeks ago to buy some items at nearby shop Moor & Moor (see review here) and a couple of  little springform pans to make my own vegan cheeses at next door shop Dille and Kamille. All in the same neighboorhood, so I decided to combine it with lunch at Le Botaniste. Le Botaniste is founded by Alain Coumont, the same founder of world wide chain Le Pain Quotidien. The first room one enters at Le Botaniste (where one orders and the food is prepared) is very nice and refers to an old pharmacist shop, with old bottles and jars lined up, and ‘prescriptions’ written on the menu. Behind that, are two smaller rooms to take a seat, one with mainly high barstools, and in the veranda at the back a long communal table with benches, and a handful of tables for two.  …

#102 Light lunch at the new Le Pain Quotidien, Bruges

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Restaurant review #102 – A couple of weeks ago, we visited the new restaurant of Le Pain Quotidien in Bruges, which opened in 2016. Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ) is a world wide chain of organic bistros, founded by Belgian Alain Coumont. We already wrote some reviews of our visits to several LPQ restaurants (the first LPQ in Bruges, Hasselt and Louvain). Alain Coumont has also started a vegan branch of bistros, Le Botaniste, of which we visited the one in Ghent (see our review here). The second restaurant of LPQ is located in a nice building at Simon Stevinplein, just next to the shopping street (Zuidzandstraat). There used to be a weaving factory, and the building is nicely rearranged, with seperate dining rooms and a large terrace at the back. This second location of LPQ in Bruges is much bigger than the other one, and we found it much more enjoyable to have lunch here. As in all Le Pain Quotidien restaurants, vegan options are clearly indicated with a carrot on the menu. This is what we ordered: Toast champignons (11,50€), olives tapenade …

#73 Breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, Louvain ***

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Restaurant Review #73 – A couple of weeks ago, we were in Louvain and had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. It is located in the city center of Louvain, just next to the old market. Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ) is a world wide chain of organic bistros, founded by Belgian Alain Coumont. We already wrote some reviews of LPQ (the one in Bruges, and the one in Hasselt). Alain Coumont has recently also started a vegan branch of bistros, Le Botaniste, of which we visited the one in Ghent recently (see our review here). Pain Quotidien is French for Daily Bread. LPQ sells a wide variety of bread over the counter, and you can also sit down for breakfast, lunch or just a coffee with some baked goodies. There’s always something vegan available and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu. Most of the breads are also vegan (see our blogpost about LPQ in Bruges) For the two of us, we ordered a blueberry muffin (4,10€), a bowl of fresh fruit (4,80€) and the bread platter (3,40€). There are jams on the table to cover …

#68 Vegan lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, Hasselt ***

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Restaurant review #68 – A couple of weeks ago, we were in Hasselt and had lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. It is located in the city center of Hasselt, just a 2 minutes walk from the market square. Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ) is a world wide chain of organic bistros, founded by Belgian Alain Coumont. We already wrote a review of our visit to LPQ in the city center of Bruges, you can read that review here. Alain Coumont has recently also started a vegan branch of bistros, Le Botaniste, of which we visited the one in Ghent recently (see our review here). Pain Quotidien is French for Daily Bread. LPQ sells a wide variety of bread over the counter, and you can also sit down for breakfast, lunch or just a coffee with some baked goodies. There’s always something vegan available and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu. Most of the breads are also vegan (see our blogpost about LPQ in Bruges). We were there early and ordered some drinks to start with. The drinks came swiftly. 45 …

#65 A quick vegan bite at Le Botaniste, Ghent **

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Restaurant review #65 – This new vegan hotspot in Ghent opened in 2015. Le Botaniste is founded by Alain Coumont, the same founder of world wide chain Le Pain Quotidien. This review and photos of Le Botaniste in Ghent are from a visit in the beginning of December 2015, when I was there together with a friend. Le Botaniste is located in the city center of Ghent, just next to the main shopping street (Veldstraat). On a side note, Dille & Camille (a nice shop for cooking pots and pans and other stuff) is right next to Le Botaniste, so that makes for a nice combined visit. The interior is very nice and refers to an old pharmacist shop, with old bottles and jars lined up, and ‘prescriptions’ written on the menu. Le Botaniste is not really a ‘restaurant’ though. There are no real dining tables, but either low seating table stools at one large low counter or high bar stools at some higher tables. There are also some benches in a verandalike room in the back. So not …

#21 Le Pain Quotidien, Bruges **

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Restaurant review #21 – Chances are you’ve probably been in one of the many establishments worldwide of Le Pain Quotidien. Or at least you’ve seen one of them! There is also one in the heart of Bruges, near the central market place and the Burg. Pain Quotidien is French for Daily Bread. They sell a wide variety of bread over the counter, and you can also sit down for breakfast, lunch or just a coffee with some baked goodies. The restaurant always has one large communal table (for 10 people or more), but also other tables for 2 if you want to have a more private conversation. There’s always something vegan available and vegan items are clearly marked on the menu card. Le Pain Quotidien confirmed to us that the bread served at the table is always vegan. Most of the breads sold over the counter are also vegan, but the raisin bread (kramiek), sugar bread and brioche are non-vegan. UPDATE – see below We were at Le Pain Quotidien in Bruges for lunch on a Friday, and the …