After our stop at The Chocolate Line, we did a short backtrack. We stopped at Wapper Sqaure and took a look at the Rubens House, the former residence of Peter Paul Rubens. In the end, the Missus really wasn't feeling much like visiting places like these so we headed back to the Grote Markt area.
We were getting hungry, it was time for lunch. We headed past the square, near the old meat hall…..I had thoughts of stopping at Hofstraat 24, but the Missus decided to try somewhere else.
On the street named Zirkstraat, the Missus found the place where She wanted to have lunch. It was named A La Ville. When the Missus asked me what that special was; Parmentier de Carnard, I told Her it was like a duck shepherd's pie…..She was sold. The Missus wanted a break from the hearty, somewhat heavy food we'd been having, so this Mediterranean – French Bistro just seemed to fit the bill.
The menu seemed very French, the hostess was quite nice, not overly friendly, but quite accommodating. The interior is the basic white and black, with concrete walls. Behind those black curtains is quite a large dining area; I guess for dinner and such.
The Missus of course, got the Parmentier de Carnard, which started with quite a sizeable salad. Dressed simply, topped with a quail egg, after days of hearty, hefty, meals in the Czech Republic and Antwerp, was something She really enjoyed.
The parmentier was without a doubt the highlite of the meal. Nicely flavored shredded duck confit, quite a bit of it actually, mixed with nicely seasoned mashed potatoes, It was the exterior was nicely browned and crisp.
It was quite rich and filling.
I ordered a couple of items, starting first with Bone Marrow and Escargot.
The sauce, which was beef based was nice and light, the bone marrow rich and buttery, and the snails were much more tender than I expected.
I also ordered the Leek with Duck Bacon and Quail Egg.
This was probably our least favorite dish; the cured duck was quite bland and dry, the leek was fine, but this is like something I'd make at home and really didn't seem to be worth 14 Euros.
As we ate, we noticed several older couples arriving. The Servers seemed to know them all, I guess they're regulars. It was kind of nice……something we don't do here in the States. Enjoying a nice leisurely lunch is a lost art it seems.
Overall, a nice meal and good counter-point to all the Czech and Flemish meals we'd been having.
A La Ville
Zirkstraat 37
Antwerp, Belgium
After lunch, the Missus wanted to check out the view from MAS, the Museum aan de Stroom – "Museum on the River" for the views of Antwerp. Thing was, She wanted to walk through the short Red Light District…..a strangely quiet, kind of seedy couple of blocks on a pedestrian street. The Missus didn't even know we were passing through when I told Her to check out the, ahem, "window displays". Some of those women looked pretty tough…..like they could probably body slam me if I made a wrong move. The Missus suddenly realized that all the other folks walking were men……and a few, rather scantily clad women….. For some reason, the vibe just gave me the creeps.
Located on the site of the old dockyards, the Museum aan de Stroom is quite impressive looking. It celebrates Antwerp's history as a major maritime center. For more about MAS, check this out.
We had come to check out the views. Just take the 10 story escalator ride up to the viewing deck.
You can see Cathedral of Our Lady in this one…..
And here's one of the Scheldt River. That castle is called t'Steen and is the oldest building in the city.
We were having a very relaxing time in Antwerp…..
