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Diamonds
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Diamonds
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Underestimated
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It's
not difficult to eat cheaply and well
in Antwerp, even right in the city center. For lunches on the run, there’s a
baker a few doors down Hoogstraat on the right, a friture
place almost opposite at Hoogstraat 1, as well as plenty of kebab places
along Oude Koornmarkt. Het Elfde Gebod, on the
north side of the cathedral, serves light snacks and meals in an odd,
statue-filled interior. The excellent, ethno-vegetarian menu of
Den Yzeren Pot,
on Hendrik Conscienceplein, comes fairly cheap, and, opposite, Facade
has a good small menu of dishes for 26.5 €-15 €. Viskeuken at Korte Koepoortstraat 10, on the corner of
Kaaskrui and Melkmarkt, is a wonderful, unpretentious fish restaurant.
But
here are my dinner favourites:
Restaurant
Panna Cotta, Kasteelpleinstraat 64 tel
032370786. Closed on Sunday and Monday.
An
Italian delicacies shop where you can get anything fresh out of Italy. But
that’s not the point. In a second room, the modern dining room is set. A
friendly, smiling staff, delicious homemade
bread with the traditional olive oil dip bowl, discreet suggestions and a
short but original carte, which proves everything, is very fresh.
Carpaccio of champignons, did you ever eat that? It is stupendous in delicacy
and refinement. Vegetables are so colourful, and flavourful. They go brilliantly
together, the choice of fish or shellfish is restricted to the catch of the day.
We had also carapaccio de Bresaola, with rucola, lemon olive oil and parmesan,
fresh fig stuffed with goat cheese, raisins wrapped in Parma ham (somebody in
our company was not kosher J),
cod filet with risotto and slightly cooked spinach leaves (a delicacy and al
dente). And the fegato alla veneziana was as good as the one we ate a few months
ago in Venice. Price, 39 € plus wine.
Restaurant
Karper, 14 Vlasmarkt, tel 037708586. Closed
Tuesday and Wednesday.
A modern setting in an old house, in the heart of Antwerp old town, this place
will surprise you. No typical Flemish or Belgian recipes but original, uncommon
Italian flavour and inventivity.
The refurbished place makes one look forward to dine here in a sedate atmosphere
with seasonally changing menus and small carte, augmented daily specials, is a constant source of surprises:sashimi
of tuna with vinaigrette de gingembre, caramelized eel and scampi with sweet and
sour cucumber, tagliata of beef, tartare of mozarella and tomato, tartare
of crab with al dente vegetables and tomato vinaigrette. Young turbot with
tomato risotto, daurade with caviar d'aubergine, and so on. You can choose in
the carte: 3 dishes for 33 €, four dishes for 39 €. NO credit
cards.
Restaurant “De
Zavel” Stoofstraat 2 tel 032319691.
Very trendy but excellent cuisine. Eclectic choice.
De
Hippodroom, Leopold de
Waelplaats 10 rel 032485252.
New , good and moderate priced restaurant, located in front of the
Museum of Schone Kunsten
Email
resto@hippodroom.be
"Dockx's Café" is the busiest of all, with very good dishes and a
terrific ambience, always packed, and a lot of Dutch. Like usual, they find here
what they cannot find in Holland :-).
Very
trendy and the people who are "in" go to Rest.La Luna,
Italielei177
tel.032322344. It's more expensive, very trendy but not that much my cup of tea.
Cuisine is too intrenational, but very well prepared, I must admit.
A good, sympathetic Italian in the old town is Rest.
La
Terrazza,
Wisselstraat 2, tel 032266658
A very special place in old town is
the Rest.Anthony
van Dyck, set
in
a beautiful old house of the 16th
century, a must if you can get a table there.
Reservations
are required. Prices are around 45 us doll for a full good menu.
Address:
Rest.Anthony van Dyck, Vlaamse Kaaai
or Oude Koornmarkt 16
tel 032316170. Reservations ARE imperative!
Café
de la Gare ( eat their fish, a delight!)
Haarstraat
3, tel 032264927. Located in the old town.
Great but very limited carte. And prices begin to climb to heights I don't
appreciate so much.
Rest.
Hungry
Henrietta, austere style of architecture. Open kitchen.
Typical Flemish, not expensive, very friendly
reception, just reopened at Lombardenvest 19 Tel 03 232 29 28
My
favorite Chinese is the Ho
Chan House, Breydelstraat, tel 032327769.
All their dishes are real Chinese. Good Dim Sum. Location near Central Station.
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