Mistral Brasserie

Da es fast direkt am Anlegersteg für Boote lag, wählten wir abends spontan dieses Lokal. Alles in allem nicht unbedingt zu empfehlen. Denn das Essen war nur mittelmäßig und das Ambiente mehr Kneipe als Restaurant. Was uns aber leider den Abend komplett vermiest hat, war die Reaktion der Bedienung auf die Antwort «ob wir zufrieden waren». Waren wir leider nicht, da die Pasta sehr Gummi-​mäßig zäh war und keinesfalls nach frisch gekocht geschmeckt hat. Wir wurden eines besseren belehrt, dass dies gar nicht sein kann. Fertig aus!

Especially if you’re staying at one of the nearby hotels, this place is well worth a visit. It’s a quiet, unassuming little brasserie, but I’ve found that this isn’t a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination in Europe.
We walked in and were immediately granted with a warm smile by the (owner? waiter? bartender? proprietor?) man behind the counter. He told us to hang our jackets and pick a table– any table we wanted. So we did, and then we did. We sat in a corner, on the faux-​ostrich couch (trés chic!!). The (I’ll just call him the waiter?) waiter came over to our table, gave us our menus, had a small chat with us, then left us to peruse the offerings. At first glance, it seems like their menu is a bit small, but I’m also finding that this is a European thing– they usually have fewer offerings than we’re used to in the States, but they do a really good job of serving up reliably good food. So we made our selections, chose some drinks, and settled in. Our drinks were brought promptly, and were excellent! I had a very tasty local beer, and my girlfriend had a glass of sparkling wine. We enjoyed watching the other couples who were enjoying a mid-​afternoon drink and snack, and took the time to soak up the atmosphere in the restaurant.
So our food came out, and I have to say that honestly I was quite impressed. I ordered the spare ribs, and she ordered the Belgian stew. Now, as compared to American spare ribs, these are a different animal– but don’t let that scare you off. These are TASTY, but they’re not going to be what you think of if you’re expecting American BBQ. But try something different– you’ll LOVE it! The Belgian stew was also delicious– these are big meaty hunks of beef slow-​cooked in a delicious sauce.
(sidebar– Belgians LOVE their sauces, especially mayo-​based and mustards!!)
We enjoyed our meal, and I decided to order another beer. I asked for a recommendation, and the waiter was only too happy to oblige. The beer which he recommended was delicious, and definitely had a lot of character. So we finished eating and thought deeply about our prospects for dessert… we barely had any room left… BUUUUT… the man made a recommendation which sounded too good to pass up. So we decided NOT to pass, and to just dive right in. It was amazing– chocolatey gooey deliciousness with a scoop of ice cream and a beautiful garnish of I-don’t-know-what with a very tasty strawberry sauce. Even after all that, the bill was quite reasonable.
My experience here was pretty indicative of the character of Gent dining, and on my next trip out there I’ll definitely be back!