All posts tagged: train station

#158 Vegan sandwiches and salads at EXKi, Bruges

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restaurant review #158 – The Exki restaurants are part of an international chain. There are several EXKi restaurants in Belgium, most are in Brussels though (27 of them, previous review of EXKi Agora Brussels here). There’s also an EXKi in the train station of Bruges. Contrary to common belief, it is not an full organic chain (the FAQ on their website states about 30% of their products are organic). The EXKi restaurants have a couple of vegan options standardly available, which are clearly indicated on the labels: sandwiches, salads, soup. Unfortunately no vegan desserts though (except for some fruit). The Exki restaurants are not for elaborate wining and dining, but more of a fastfood ‘self service’ place: you take your food from the fridges, pay at the counter, and then afterwards clean up the table. There’s also a microwave to heat your dish. You can of course also buy to take-away. There are not that many vegan options, but it is good for a quick lunch, when you are in a hurry, coming back from a meeting, or before boarding the train. This …

#112 Casual dinner at Bistro Piazza, Louvain (now Grand Café Industrie)

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Restaurant review #112 – Bistro Piazza in Louvain (Leuven) is a traditional brasserie style restaurant just opposite the train station of Louvain (So a 15 minute walk from the city center). It is large spacious place (high ceiling) and has a stylish atmosphere. We were here a couple of months ago in December 2016, and there were Christmas decorations up. UPDATE: the Place is now called ‘Grand Café Industrie‘, and has been renovated since. Bistro Piazza is regular (non-vegan) bistro with the usual suspects on the menu: croques, croquettes, spaghetti etc. Since a couple of months, there is also a seperate vegan menu, which is clearly indicated. Even with mention that it is served with vegan bread. I telephone beforehand to make a reservation and inquired about the vegan options. Unfortunately the vegan burger was no longer available (the burger they had used was from Boni – Colruyt and Colruyt changed it and made it non-vegan – so they were still looking for an alternative). The vegan gyros was also not available that evening. Bummer! They did mention …

#101 Waiting for the Eurostar. Nice fastfood lunch at Greenway, train station Brussels

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Restaurant review #101 – Reminder – GIVEAWAY to celebrate 100 restaurant reviews & 3 years The Bruges Vegan. 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/foodstall at the railway station of Bruxelles-Midi. I already blogged about the Greenway in Louvain and the Greenway in Antwerp. We stopped for lunch at the Greenway in the train station of Brussels on our way to Vegfest London (see our blog, with also a review of lectures from the intersectionality Conference HERE). We had some spare time before boarding the Eurostar to London, and were a bit anxious whether we would get any (decent) vegan food on the train ride to London, so decided to have something to eat at Greenway beforehand. Vegan options are clearly indicated on the menu. You order at the counter, …

#99 Nice quick lunch at EXKi in Brussels

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Restaurant review #99 – The Exki restaurants are part of an international chain. There are several EXKi restaurants in Belgium, most are in Brussels though (27 of them). There’s also an EXKi in the train station of Bruges. Contrary to common belief, it is not an full organic chain (the FAQ on their website states about 30% of their products are organic). The EXKi restaurants have a couple of vegan options standardly available, which are clearly indicated on the labels: sandwiches, salads, soup. Unfortunately no vegan desserts though (except for some fruit). The Exki restaurants are not for elaborate wining and dining, but more of a fastfood ‘self service’ place: you take your food from the fridges, pay at the counter, and then afterwards clean up the table. There’s also a microwave to heat your dish. You can of course also buy to take-away. A couple of weeks ao, we went to one in Brussels, Exki Agora. It is near the train station of Brussels Central (Grasmarkt – near shopping center Agora). This what we had: a mushroom soup (3,75€), a bread …