I've placed all my tips for various towns up and down the Belgian coast in this single page. Due to the convenient coastal tram that runs along the entire coast, no matter which town you end up staying in, it's an easy tram ride to another coastal town to visit a specific restaurant.
Eat:
I just love it when an Indian restaurant dares to venture beyond the chicken tikka masalas and lamb vindaloos. For a long time, I have searched for a place to try Panipuri and here I found it. Panipuri are wafer thin crunchy balls of fried dough filled with tasty bits (don't ask me what exactly) and tamarind water. You simply have to trust what is inside, and pop this flavor bomb right into your mouth. You can't nibble because the contents will dribble out. I love them. The curries we had were also excellent. So far I was very content. However the dessert menu was an extra surprise. I love it when there are dishes I have never heard of before. We had Ras Malai (fried milk) left item in the photo on the bottom left and Gul Jamon on the right (resembles a fried donut soaked in syrup). Both very good. Funnily, the Gul Jamon is very much like the Greek Loukoumades I had years ago in Crete.
Colours & Flavours: Molenstraat 15
Colours & Flavours: Molenstraat 15
With my husband being more a fan of spicy and Asian foods, I searched for Asian restaurants and found L'Exotique. The Kaeng (yellow) curry and Kratiem Thai (Thai stir fry with garlic) were very nice but what we really loved the most was the Phad Thai noodles. Dessert with fried bananas and ice cream was also a nice finishing touch. If we were staying longer in Blankenberge, we would have gone back to try some other dishes.
L'Exotique - Visserstraat 45
L'Exotique - Visserstraat 45
Lamoon Thai's mainstay business appears to be take away and thai food delivery. However, luckily they also have few tables next to the open kitchen. While the menu is somewhat simpler, the food was as fabulous as any fancier Thai restaurant. As always, I ended up ordering the Phad Thai noodles and they were delicious! My husband had Laab which is ground meat stir fried with spring onions, lime and koriander as well as, of course, peppers. Because this is not one of those fancy restaurants, you get to enjoy great food at extremely affordable prices of ca 15 euro's per dish. The only downside is the limited seating inside. We were lucky and got a table right away but minutes after we were seated, all tables were taken.
Lamoon Thai: Hoogstraat 4
Knokke-Heist - Bardot Brunch
On a day trip from Blankenberge, we decided to take the coast tram up north to Knokke-Heist. The town appeared to be more chic and expensive compared to Blankenberge and Middelkerke. We could tell by the pricy clothes in beautiful boutiques and the many gourmet catering shops which lined the main street going up to the beach. In our walk to the beach, we were searching for a place to have lunch but were not attracted by the large expensive lunch menus of the various restaurants. We just wanted lunch, not a 3-course affair with wine etc. It was only when we reached the beach that we found our place. Bardot Brunch was perfect with their great sandwiches and salads. I had the pastrami sandwich and my husband had the Caesar salad. They were both lovely! Unfortunately we were so full that we could not sample their beautiful cakes.
Bardot Brunch: Van Bunnenplein 24
Oostende - Apero Fish Palace
Lobsters...I think I am pathologically obsessed. I admire my husband for putting up with this obsession, god knows how many restaurants I have dragged him to in my quest for lobsters and also scallops. While staying Middelkerke, I was scanning google maps and web sites for a restaurant serving lobsters but at a reasonable price of around 50 euros for the entire beasty. Some were charging as much for only half the lobster. That just won't do. Then I found this spot in Oostende and we managed to get a table. It is actually a high-end fish shop with a restaurant section to the side. That is really one of the set ups I love, fresh from the fish monger, straight into the pan! We had coquilles, incredibly fresh tasty calamari and of course the lobster grilled with lashings of butter.
Oostende - Apero Fish Palace
Lobsters...I think I am pathologically obsessed. I admire my husband for putting up with this obsession, god knows how many restaurants I have dragged him to in my quest for lobsters and also scallops. While staying Middelkerke, I was scanning google maps and web sites for a restaurant serving lobsters but at a reasonable price of around 50 euros for the entire beasty. Some were charging as much for only half the lobster. That just won't do. Then I found this spot in Oostende and we managed to get a table. It is actually a high-end fish shop with a restaurant section to the side. That is really one of the set ups I love, fresh from the fish monger, straight into the pan! We had coquilles, incredibly fresh tasty calamari and of course the lobster grilled with lashings of butter.
Apero Fish Palace: Nieuwstraat 5
Sometimes we find something when we are not looking for it. That was Georges and what we found were the best waffles we ever had. Freshly baked, warm and with an overall crispy outside but still a bit of moisture on the inside. Perfect! We were waiting for the tram to return to our hotel in Middelkerke but were put off by the crowd waiting at the stop. So we turned around and walked into town looking for a place to order a tea and go to the loo. That's how we ended up in Georges. Seeing waffles on the menu we thought 'Why not?'. Well that was a great treat to end our day.
Middelkerke - Deveauville - A good Belgian kitchen
What I do look for when searching for a restaurant are menu items which go beyond the dishes that every single restaurant has. On the Belgian coast, these ordinary items are for example, mussels, shrimp croquettes, pan-fried sole and steaks with fries. I need to see more exotic things. So after a long walk of my rejecting numerous restaurants, nearly reached the end of the promenade we found Deauville. What caught my eye in the menu were dishes such as stewed wild boar, venison steak, duck breast with wild mushroom sauce, cod with garden herb sauces and so on. We were pleased with our sumptuous and excellent meal. However, afterwards we were quite sad because we found out that they will be closed for the next two days. When I expressed my disappointment at not being able to return the next day, I was told 'No, thank god we're closed! I need a day off too, you know.' Well we'll have to wait until the next time we are back in Middelkerke.
Note: Their menu that is on the web site does not show all the special dishes which are handwritten on the boards displayed outside the restaurant.
Deauville: Zeedijk 244
Westende - Potala - Affordable Tibetan feast
Since the restaurant Deauville in Middelkerke was closed, I was searching around for another dinner option when I found Potala. I have a great weakness for all forms of dumplings like the xiao long baos and gyozas and the Tibetan momos are no exception. So we happily took the short tram ride to the adjacent town of Westende to try out Potala. My husband is a big eater but we were very satisfied with a serving of momos, one dish of fried greens and spicy chicken. I also had a pot of Tibetan butter tea, which I happen to like.
Westende - Potala - Affordable Tibetan feast
Since the restaurant Deauville in Middelkerke was closed, I was searching around for another dinner option when I found Potala. I have a great weakness for all forms of dumplings like the xiao long baos and gyozas and the Tibetan momos are no exception. So we happily took the short tram ride to the adjacent town of Westende to try out Potala. My husband is a big eater but we were very satisfied with a serving of momos, one dish of fried greens and spicy chicken. I also had a pot of Tibetan butter tea, which I happen to like.
Potala: Koning ridderdijk 44k
See:
This small-scale aquarium was great for a morning visit. It is quite small compared to other aquariums I have visited such as the iconic one in Monterey California or the one at the Amsterdam Zoo. Yet, it was nice to see the rays 'flying' through the water and overhead. We also packed a lunch and had picnic near the sea lions and penguins.
Stroll up and down the beach promenade and you'll see bronze statues of famous Belgian comic book figures. I'm not sure how many statues there are in total and I'm not familiar with all the figures since I grew up with American and Japanese comic books. However, I could see my husband was delighted by familiar characters from his childhood.
Sleep:
We love rooms with a sea view and this one didn't disappoint. While the hotel initially felt a little cramped, starting with the small lobby, it really grew on us. What impressed me was the hospitality and service provided by the staff. Most hotels nowadays would not bother with tablecloth on the tables in the breakfast room. However, they would clean and change also the table cloth before allowing the next guest to take their seat. Other hotels simply would have brushed away the breadcrumbs or wiped down the table. Breakfast was also excellent, leisurely and could be enjoyed with a good frontal view of the sea. Downstairs, they had a good complimentary spa section with hot tubs, saunas and pool. In the basement, there was a game room which we explored just before check out. Playing on the pinball machine brought back memories of when I was a teenager.
PS. If you are driving there and are booking a space in their underground car park, I hope you have a small car like a Toyota Aygo. The space is really tight and difficult to maneuver in.
Beach Palace Hotel: Zeedijk 77/79
Along with Casa Vilella in Sitges, this hotel ranks as our favorite beachfront hotel. This fantastic architectural masterpiece is built right on top of the sea wall. This means, the waves are just under your balcony. We both thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet, gazing endlessly at the waves from our room. And like Casa Vilella, if you book the junior suite, you get to sit in the bathtub with a view of the sea. Although it is on the pricey side and it lacked amenities such as a gym or complimentary pool and spa, we will definitely go back to simply space out and rest. Another thing we loved was the high-ceilinged breakfast room and the excellent breakfast with delicacies such as a terrine served with a compote, plenty of salmon, and our favorite, avocado salad. A plus was also the spacious large carpark directly below the hotel. For the Beach Palace Hotel with the tight parking space, we had to take our small Toyota Aygo. For C-Silt, the larger Yaris Cross SUV was no problem at all. See also my page on Sitges for information on Casa Vilella.
PS A word of caution about the delicious terrine...I indulged myself every day, forgetting that I was scheduled for a blood test the week after my return. The doctor was not amused with the spike in my cholesterol levels. To prove that it was not my usual cholesterol level, I had to retake the test again, two months later.
