A little moment in Firenze !

Buon giorno, 

Welcome back at my blog! Today I will give you a short review about the little restaurant called Firenze (see address below; unfortunately not the real Firenze ). Monday 11th November I had a date with two old friends from high school. I was looking forward to it because I loovee italian food and I was so hungry and of course I was happy to see my old friends again!

Monday at 5 pm I thought: " I rather should call the restaurant for a reservation! "I called and I called but no one picked up the phone. So one hour later at 6 pm I tried again an yes they picked up the phone ! We had luck because there was only one table left! So this is something you should keep in mind, reserve a table, because this is a busy place !

At 19h we entered the restaurant, and I felt immediately the Italian atmosphere! (happy face)

The waiters were real Italians and spoke broken Dutch. And the restaurant was decorated with Italian elements and paintings, very nice! To start our night we ordered a bottle of red wine. Normally I always eat lasagna or pizza in an italian restaurant but now I thought , lets go different! I ordered Spaghetti Lupara. This Lupara sauce is made of mushrooms, red peppers and a tomato cream sauce. It was a little bit spicy but fantastic! And it was not too much because cream can be heavy on the stomach. So the balance was perfect! 

After enjoying our food and asking the bill, we got a little shot glass with sambuca, a typical  thing you get at an Italian restaurant like Amaretto. No one of my friends liked it but I did so yes you will think what I think, ... I was a little bit drunk.

But now about the serious stuff! I want to give Firenze 9/10 for their friendly service and amazing food! Also for let their customers give a real Italian experience in the middle of Ghent! I will be back soon for the spaghetti Lupara!!

Goodbye bloggers 

Restaurant Firenze

Sint-Amandstraat 1

9000 Ghent

http://www.restaurantfirenze.be

Peanuts everywhere in Bar Jan Cremer!

Welcome back !

In the beginning of the academic year, at Kramersplein (see address below), close by Artevelde, there was a new tiny bar settled, called Bar Jan Cremer. The square was filled with students eating peanuts and baking in orange reclining chairs. An amazing view and atmosphere that I kept in mind!

So the 9th of November, there was no sun but it wasn’t freezing! So a friend and me went to Bar Jan Cremer and took place at the terrace. We had to go inside and order or food and drinks but that didn’t bother me. Bar Jan Cremer serves alcohol, cold and hot drinks and some snacks.

My friend and I tried the famous bagels. I chose bagel called ‘Benedict’ with poached egg, salmon, hollandaise sauce and chives. Omg sooo delicious?!?! And after we were finished and kept talking, I couldn’t stay away from those peanuts on our table. You were also allowed to refill this little yellow jar with more peanuts!

Of course I asked myself why this bar is called Bar Jan Cremer? I searched on the internet and found the following information: Jan Cremer was a Dutchman, but not just some ordinary man, no it was a well-know icon and writer from the 60’s. It’s a beautiful honor giving the name of this man at your bar!

So I definitely give this bar a 9,5/10. I love the concept and I loved the food and drinks! I’m already looking forward to have a drink in the baking sun after school hours... But I’ll be back soon for a hot chocolate with marshmallows in these dark and cold days! 

Next time, It’s dinner time in Italy !

Ciao bella .. 

Bar Jan Cremer

Kramersplein 5

9000 Ghent

http://barjancremer.be/?page_id=40

Cocktailtime !

Hello you there,

Do you like cocktails? I adore them! I am also very critical about the preparation, taste, goodness and freshness! So I have high expectations about this well-know cocktail bar in Ghent.

Thursday night the 31st of October, I went with my new schoolmates to the Hollywood cocktail bar (see address below). This is a great place to get to know each other, because you have alcohol ... and of course a lot of my other friends talked about it! So we gave it a try...

Because of my high expectations I was very surprised!

The place isn’t that big but it has its own charms. The waitress came with the menu of beverages. Wow, we didn’t know where to start and which Cocktail to choose? This cocktail bar has more than 200 different cocktails! They have cocktails called after movies, fruity cocktails, sex cocktails , mocktails (non alcohol), hangover cocktails (This is for when you really had a rough day!) and so on and on .. ! In the menu also the ingredients and tastes (sweet, sour, fresh,...) were written next to each cocktail.

To start I chose the Capirovka , a cocktail I already knew. Prepared with vodka, lime, sugar and crushed ice. Oh dear, I was in heaven in not more than 30 minutes after we received this drink. It was perfect ! They didn’t used lime grenadine or something nasty that ruins the cocktail, it was pure and fresh, with fresh squeezed lime juice of course! Our cocktails were served with some paprika chips. 

Talking about the prices, you know cocktails aren’t that cheap as beer,  but I found that the price was perfect concerning quality and quantity. We also received a card (see photo), with a discount for next time when we will buy a certain amount of cocktails. Sounds very interesting for students of course!

I loved this place and I loved that evening too , after a few more cocktails.. I certainly was in heaven. I give the Hollywood cocktail bar 8,5/10. 1,5 point they are missing is because of the decoration of place. This could be much better, and I hope they will do something about that.  So I will be back soon! 

See you next week in Bar Jan Cremer!

Adiosss Amigos

Ter Platen 3

9000 Ghent

http://www.hollywoodcocktailbar.info

Potatolicious!

Hello there !

The days are getting shorter, it's getting dark quickly and fall is coming. Time to sit inside and have dinner with your friends while it's raining outside.

29 october, I went to Potatolicious (for address see below). this place is very popular among students. Now the time has come to try this potato thing!

Potatolicious is a special concept where they serve healthy fast food. You can order this in 4 steps.


1. Bake it!
First of all you choose a baked jacket potato.

2. Get buttered!
Secondly, you have the choice between garlic butter, herb butter and herb oil.

3. Sauce it up!
Here you have to choose a sauce f.e. honey-,mustard-,bbq-,..sauce.

4. Pile it up!
To finish you self-made dish you can also add 1 hot and 6 cold toppings(vegetables).




This is how you put together your own potato dish, but besides this you also can choose one of the suggestions. For people who find it difficult to choose a good combination with sauce, butter and vegetables, they can choose between the suggestions such as "Groovy olive, Kip it real, Smokey Joe,..." You can find them on their website below the title "menu".

I took my chance to taste the "Kip it real", that consists of vol-au-vent sauce with chicken, meatballs, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, daikon, herbs cookie, parsnip and of course not to forget the jacket potato.

The service was very fast so we could enjoy it immediately! I thought it would be more special. I fount it also a bit strange that the dish was half cold, half hot. It wasn't bad but I missed something. Maybe more fresh vegetables, or a totally hot dish?

I would give Potatolicious a 6,5/10 because it isn't expensive and the concept is totally original!I think I should try it again because I know it is so popular so maybe other suggestions are better. Keep up the good stuff!

Next week we are going to Hollywood and have a cocktail night!

See you later, alligator...

Potatolicious
Verloren Kost 5
9000 Ghent
www.potatolicious.be

A Julie's House experience

Welcome back readers !

Early in the morning 13 october, I visited Julie’s House. It's a well-know bakery/dessert shop. It’s located near the historical castle “Gravensteen” in Ghent (for address, see below). I heard that you have to reserve a table because it's so popular, you can't get in if you don't. So I did...

We entered the shop and we where overwhelmed by a buffet (behind glass) with fantastic good-looking and colourfull decorated pastries and “ little “ cupcakes.
Obvious all little calorie bombs, but who cares? The cupcakes are made in so many flavours with different toppings, you would like to try them all!

I call this place a paradise for sweet lovers! :D A place where you become immediately happy when you had a bad or rough day.
As breakfast, you had a lot of choices. You could choose a salty or a sweet breakfast. Even kids enjoyed some breakfast. A slice of bread with Nutella! Where the hell can you find that ?! 
I chose for a fresh squeezed orange juice with a toast and scrambled eggs; simple, fresh and delightful.  After that, I couldn’t resist the typical american pancakes with maple syrup, so I tried them. yummie...
Already getting hungry? 

In the beginning the waitress brought us a little appetizer, a smart move to let their customers taste their new baked products.  The place was very comfortable and the service was excellent! It's a true story that they say “ Baked with love, served with joy”. I would give this place a 9/10 for being so cosy and for selling such delicious sweets. 

A place where you definitely have to go! Even for parties at home you can order specialized pastries and cupcakes. You find all the information on their website !

I will go back to have another Julie’s House experience!!! 

So see you soon for a new delicious restaurant/pub/café update...

Julie’s House

Kraanlei 13

Ghent (Patershol)

http://www.julieshouse.be/nl/

Intro

Hello everybody, welcome at my blog ! 

My name is Charlotte Rottiers and I'm studying marketing at Artevelde college in Ghent (Belgium).

In my free time I like to hang out with my friends in the wonderful student city of Ghent. I love to have a short catch up with a friend and just talk, laugh and hear some gossip while enjoying our sweet dessert with a creamy latte vanilla. Yes that sounds lovely, isn't it? In Ghent you have a lot of dining/ lunch facilities or pubs. What I'm going to do every week is visiting something new, something I never have been before. It will maybe be a pub in the historic center of Ghent, a dessert shop in the narrow alleys of the city or a typical lovely italian restaurant. Already curious? I will give you my experience of the visits and some comments. Next week I will visit Julie's House, a well-know bakery near 'Patershol'. This bakery/dessert shop is specialized in cupcakes and other delicious sweets. I'm looking forward to taste one! 




Stay in touch for a comment of a Julie's house experience! 

Maybe I will take some pictures.




To be continued...