Excellent food, but..
Impeccable food. But having eaten at "De Karmeliet" in Bruges, one becomes maybe a bit too demanding. What disturbed me a bit was that, after a very warm welcome, we were seated right away, while the beautiful weather would have permitted an aperitif outside. Then, when we were sitting inside, we noticed the reason why an outside appetizer hadn't been possible. They were painting the windowframes outside. We were frequently distracted by all the activity of the painters outside, but what was worse is that I could detect the smell of the silicone being used to seal the frames, coming through the airconditioning. Such a thing, to me, is unacceptable in such a high class and expensive establishment.

Another thing that irritated me was the fact that most of the waiters wore shoes that made alot of noise on the wooden floor in the restaurant. Moreover, in this restaurant there seems to be an obsession with having to finish the creation on your plate with whatever sauce goes with it, in the restaurant itself. This, in my opinion, creates more "traffic" in the small restaurant than is really necessary. I don't really see a surplus value in having a sauce poured around your veal at the table. The chef could do that better in the kitchen. In the end it became a bit hilarious, all these saucepans moving around the restaurant. But as I said, after having eaten at De Karmeliet, it seems that one doesn't want to settle for second best...    [22 Apr 2003 15:00:20]

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Recommended Dishes: Try one of the 'sampling' menu's

     ­Patrick Laureys, Gent, Belgium   patricklaureys at hotmail dot com

Karmeliet The Best???
Maybe for those who prefer 'faux chique' to genuine 'métier'. Karmeliet certainly is nòt in my Belgian Top-3. Hof Van Cleve is. And I certainly don't put a lot of trust in a gourmet who is more concerned about the noise the waiter's shoes make than about the food on his plate.    [22 Dec 2004 04:16:40]

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     ­Anonymous   peter dot lissens at ldv dot be

Barely Three-Star
Hof van Cleve has acquired its third Michelin Star and perhaps deserves it --barely. The amuse and bonbon courses rival any in the world, but the dishes you actually select do not. Service is rather casual for 3-star level, and the facility far less luxurious than that of, say, Karmeliet. Of Belgium's three 3-stars, my tentative ranking is Karmeliet first (oh, that essay in hare!); Comme Chez Soi second (squab to die for!); Hof van Cleve third (that sublime caviar egg!)    [08 Nov 2005 11:48:25]

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Recommended Dishes: Les Amuses-gueules

     ­Hugh Coe   HughCoe at aol dot com