Having put away a couple of beers, we thought it would be a good time to grab a bite to eat. We headed back up to St Bavo's Square. Right next to the Dutch Theatre is a brasserie that was recommended to me for typical Ghent style Flemish food named 't Vosken. The place was pretty crowded; though most of it were tourists having beer on the patio.
The menu did indeed have some dishes we were interested in.
I started with a Palm Royale; fairly sweet, apple/pear thing going….not too boozy, pretty light and easy to drink.
I ordered the House Rabbit; which came which was a nice braised rabbit. The sauce was obviously beer based and it reminded me of carbonnade.
The rabbit was decently tender and the dish came with frites (not very good) and apple sauce which went well with the rabbit.
The Missus chose Ghent's signature dish, which originated in this city; Waterzooi. 't Vosken only serves the chicken version. The dish really looks strikingly different from other Belgian type braised and stewed dishes we'd had so far.
The color comes from the combination of egg yolk and cream used to add texture to this broth…..it was originally a very simple stew, I was told that "waterzooi" basically means to "boil in water". The Missus really enjoyed this.
We finished up with a Rodenbach Grand Cru…..a favorite of mine with nice stone fruit flavors that we love in Flanders Reds. The Missus loves Her Flanders Reds….
‘t Vosken
Sint-Baafsplein 19
Ghent, Belgium
Lunch was fairly heavy so we walked back to apartment.
There was quite the shindig going on at the Groentenmarkt and band playing, folks having drinks….notice the singer in the band is using a "cheat "sheet"!
One of the vendors had this beautiful looking dog……
When I bent over to pet her, she turned over submissively…..so she got a nice belly rub….
After our nap, we headed back out. We'd be eating in that evening, but decided to take a pre and post dinner walk. By this time the day trippers seemed headed back to Brussels or Bruges……
After returning and having our dinner….cheese, bread, and some charcuterie we headed back out and had a nice walk. The Town Hall was lit up nicely. The building itself is kind of odd as it looks like several buildings of distinctly different styles were grafted together. Somehow, in Ghent, it just seems to work.
The Belfry and the Dutch Theatre looked quite dramatic at dusk…..just like a movie set.
And that party at Groentenmarkt was still going strong. Different band, but maybe, the same folks were still hanging out?
On the way back, we stopped in at what is probably the Missus's favorite bar in the world; Dulle Griet.
A combination of locals and tourists, this slightly dumpy and divey joint, with somewhat grumpy staff and a beer list of over 250 was just the right fit for us. We just felt at home.
We quickly noticed that there were several people walking around with only one shoe on. Apparently, if you order a "max beer", which looks like a liter, you need to leave a shoe as collateral. It is then hoisted in a basket to the ceiling. To prevent folks from stealing the glass perhaps?
I guess once you pay your tab, you get your footwear back.
And then there's our infamous "Duchesse" experience. The place had Duchesse De Bourgogne on tap, the Missus's favorite. So we ordered it….well, we tried to order it. The woman kept going "huh?" So I showed her the beer list and she went "oooohh, Doo-Chezz….doo-chezz….ha-ha-ha-ha, snort, snort." She then pointed us out to the other server and they giggled and snorted, I guess we were the big joke of the night. Anyway, this was the best "Doo-chezz" I've ever tasted….slightly pruney, balsamic like tones…the temperature was perfect. Much better than what I've had back here in the states….even on tap. We'd noticed that something is lost when beer is transported.
My Bornem Trippel seemed so mild in comparison…..
We loved this place…….even though we were now known as the "Doo-chezz" couple.
Dulle Griet 
Vrijdagmarkt 50
Ghent, Belgium
And we sure were enjoying Ghent!
beautiful buildings & a lot of good beer!
Lot’s of really good beer Kat!
I’ve had Duchesse from a bottle a few times and love it. Can’t imagine how good it is getting on tap! Lately I’ve been seeing the Silly Sour pop up on taps around town. That’s a good one too!
This sounds like the perfect kind of day!
Hey Junichi – You gotta get over to Belgium….. I’ve had Duchesse on tap here in the states, but it still doesn’t measure up. We recently had Silly at Tiget Tiger! We also had it in Brussels.
A perfect day for us Christina!