50 B4 50-De Karmeliet

De Karmeliet

After far too long, we at last arranged a visit to stay with our friends, Jason & Sandra, who opened a luxury B&B in Bruges around 3 years ago.

The Town House, Bruges
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Ideally located in the City centre this luxury B&B offered everything we needed, large very comfortable bedroom, massive bed, seating area, TV, tea/coffee and sumptuous bathroom. The breakfast was not only amazing, but also had a creative flourish you do not even get in the some of the best hotels.

Sandra speaks several languages including French, so I therefore spent many a happy hour chatting away practising my second language, whilst she looked at me quizzically trying decipher what I was saying. My wife covered her embarrassment by explaining that I was an idiot, but they had both known me long enough to already know that.

On our short forays along the pretty city streets we naturally visited numerous bars to check out the renowned Belgium beers, during which I acquired a taste for the Ghent brewed Charles Quint Blonde.

As we wandered it became apparent that the Belgian’s did not like my French very much, not because my dialect is an acquired taste, but because the Flemish speaking locals just do not like the French at all. So, despite my multi-lingual skills I endeavoured to communicate in English, however to my wife's eternal chagrin I could not help making the occasional inappropriate lapses.

It was fun to discover that there are 82 chocolate shops in Bruges, 10 of which make the chocolate on the premises, after about six shops my wife banned me from buying any more! She told me; ‘You can’t eat all that’, now I know she is not often wrong, but I certainly could.

Prior to arriving we had decided to treat ourselves to a visit to De Karmeliet, the only 3 Michelin Star restaurant in the city centre.

The restaurant was in an imposing building of obvious historic grandeur. The dining room was sumptuously decorated and formal, yet the staff were friendly and attentive.

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After we had chosen the five course tasting menu, the waiter bought the wine list. I say 'wine list', it was in fact a massive tome, over A3 size and around three inches thick! I studied it hard, but could find no Blue Nun, so we settled for a bottle of Morgan Pinot Noir. (It had to be French of course.)

As we perused the menu our French waiter explained each dish in French and English. I then translated for my wife, after which she told me what it actually was. We were both just about to try sea urchin for the first time, and not the 'loch dragon' I had translated.

Autumn Tasting Menu

• Amuse-bouche: Sea urchin in egg, foie gras, oyster and caramelised nuts

• Crispy sardine, marbre of baby squid, and marinated boeuf tomato

• Roasted langoustines and goose liver, marinate eggplant, infusion of seaweed & mushroom.

• Pheasant with green cabbage, parmentier of the legs, seasonal vegetables, baby apples & fruits.

• A few sweets with fruit and chocolate

As the amuse-bouche arrived we knew we were going to be in for a special treat over the next couple of hours. The dishes could only be described as 'pure art on a plate'. Before even tasting anything we had been astounded by the colours, design and fragrance in front of us on the table.

After the creative, comprehensive and eye-popping amuse-bouche, we had not only the best sardine I had ever tasted, but the kitchen had infused magic into the tomato to create a flavour we had never experienced before.

As always langoustines cannot do anything other than please, and the langoustine broth was delicious and far too good to leave. As I dipped a lump of home-made bread into the loveliness, my knuckles received a sharp whack from my wife's spoon. Apparently, assaulting an innocent person in a restaurant is fine, but dipping bread is not.

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The original menu had said duck, but we had been informed as we were seated that it was the first day of the game season, and that the pheasant had just arrived and was now to be served instead, which sounded good to us. The baby apples added another dimension to the pheasant, as did the side dish of confit pheasant leg basted in goose liver and covered in creamy mash.

The two desserts bought another explosion of colour to the table, The pineapple was marinated in rum and served with ice cream, fruit spheres and pineapple crisp. The indulgent chocolate dish was served with pears and an almond slice. In spite of my pleading, my wife ate all of hers without sharing or donating a mouthful to a worthy husband.

As we enjoyed our coffee and generous selection of petit fours, Geert van Hecke (chef/proprietor) came out for a chat. Geert had learned his trade alongside Michel Roux and Alain Ducasse under the great French chef Alain Chapel. As my wife rolled her eye's and tutted, I explained to him in French that I was a personal friend of Michel Roux, She explained to him that I meant I had seen him on TV.

Our friends' eleven year old daughter, Jules, had really wanted to come with us, so before leaving we asked if they could give us something for her to taste. As we left we were generously given a box of De Karmeliet petit fours. That is the sort of nice touch that a lifetime memory is made of.

We also had a final treat, as we were invited to visit the large high-tech kitchens, where over 20 chefs perform their skills daily. The wall of glass was unexpected, but we learned that this had been designed so that diners in the garden, or people using the car park, could look straight into the kitchen in full flow.

As the rain fell, we merrily meandered a few streets back to The Townhouse B&B to take the obligatory afternoon nap following a great meal!

On our way home to the UK through a tin tube under the sea, my wife gave me as good a compliment as I could achieve, by telling me; ‘You did not irritate me as much as usual on this holiday’. Tres bon pour moi, - result!

De Karmeliet

Langestraat 19, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
www.dekarmeliet.be

The Townhouse
Werkhuisstraat 18, 8000 Bruges, Belgium
www.bed-and-breakfastbruges.com

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50 B4 50-DINING CHALLENGE

Michelin Stars Collected So Far: 39

50 B4 50 Challenged explained: click here

3 Michelin Star
London: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester
Berkshire-Bray: The Waterside Inn
Bruges, Belgium: De Karmeliet

2 Michelin Star

London: La Gavroche, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Hibiscus, Pied a Terre
Berkshire: Michael Wignall at The Latymer (Penny Hill Park Hotel)
Buckinghamshire: Hand & Flowers (*3 Times!)
France-Paris: Georges V Hotel

1 Michelin Star
London: Benares, L’Autre Pied, Quilon, Social Eating House (*Twice!), Veeraswamy, The Savoy Grill, L’Escargot
Hampshire: Terrace Restaurant (Montague Arms), Vetiver (Chewton Glen Hotel), JSW.
Sussex: Ockenden Manor

*To read the review on any of the above restaurants, put 'restaurant name' in this blog's search box.

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No Michelin Stars, but restaurants visited since July 2013 that are worth a mention:

Milford on Sea | Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant- www.verveine.co.uk

London | Franco's - www.francoslondon.com
Milford on Sea | La Perle - www.laperlemilford.co.uk
Mudeford | The Jetty - www.thejetty.co.uk
Yarmouth, IoW | The George - www.thegeorge.co.uk
London | Dishoom - www.dishoom.co.uk

London | J Sheeky Oyster Bar - www.jsheekeyoysterbar.co.uk

Lymington | The Elderflower - www.elderflowerrestaurant.co.uk
London | The Ivy - www.the-ivy.co.uk
Lymington | The Haven - www.havenrestaurant.co.uk

Devon | River Cottage HQ - www.rivercottage.net/hq 
Guildford | Brittens - www.brittensrestaurant.com