We were initially going to go back to Brussels for dinner but found Brugge much more charming than…read moreBrussels, so we decided to stay for dinner. Reviews pointed us towards Patrick Devos, which is just one street over from the more bustling shopping / tourist area. This restaurant is actually part of a larger association called Alliance Gastronomique, which includes some other places we had been to in Amsterdam.
The setting is beautiful with wood paneled rooms, wood floors, high ceilings, and drapes on the windows. Apparently, it's the beautifully preserved home of a former architect, and we got to sit in the front room, which was more private with only 4 tables. For much of the meal, it was actually just the 2 of us, which felt very exclusive.
At dinner, have a 4 course option for €68 and a 6 course for €95. With pairings, it's €92 and €143, respectively. They also have a 4 and 6 course vegetarian options for less.
For wines, we ended up going by the glass, and the Sauvignon blanc and Gamay off the tasting were both only €8/glass, which was extremely reasonable. The gamay was a standout because it had much more Brett funk than I've ever had in a gamay, which I usually find to be lighter.
Amuses:
- Quail egg with a tarragon emulsion and polenta crisp
- Seaweed bread and brown bread with olive oil from Spain
6 Course Tasting:
1. Marinated smoked mackerel: with a radish / chicory / carrot / turnip kimchi, pickled Napa cabbage, fermented vegetables, mousse of spring peas and avocado, parsley coulis. It had tons of beautiful colors, flavors, and textures. The oyster leaf was an interesting addition. This was a great opening dish to get your appetite going.
2. Pan seared weever fish: I didn't know what to expect with weever fish, but this dish was deep in flavors with perfectly cooked cherry tomatoes, roasted bell pepper, saffron, turmeric mashed potatoes, romesco cream, and an amazingly rich fish and saffron reduction. I definitely used bread to sop up the extra sauce.
3. Pan seared lobster with seaweed, clams, artichoke, thinly sliced carrots around fideo, finished with a lobster sauce. The charred scallion and artichoke with the lobster were such great flavors
4. Grilled white and green asparagus, zucchini filled with wild garlic leaves (dried and fresh), wild garlic coulis - super fragrant from the garlic with great grill marks on the asparagus - a wonderful spring dish that leaves a subtle hint of garlic with you after you're done
5. John Dory: pan seared, with herb sauce, cauliflower couscous, millet, and roasted beetroot, topped with a fresh snow pea leaf. I'm essentially a pescatarian, and they were able to sub the regular duck dish with the fish while maintaining the other accompaniments. I did try the vadouvan quince paste with the duck, and it was great.
6. Cream mousseline with verbena, blackberries, strawberries, poached rhubarb, chantilly, lemon and mint jelly, and vervain ice cream. This was a beautiful desserts with so many colors, flavors, and textures.
Though the venue looks more traditional, plating and composition of the dishes was certainly modern. Staff was unpretentious despite the more formal setting (we came under dressed after being in Bruges all day), and the diners varied from groups to a family with a dog to a solo diner. Dinner took about 3 hours, and they were very gracious about accommodating our need to be on a schedule to catch a train back to Brussels.
In the end, for 2 people, 2 glasses of wine, and water, it was €212 total, which by SF Bay Area standards is a steal for the experience.
I'm actually really surprised they don't have a Michelin star. I didn't expect to find this kind of fine dining experience on our day trip to Brugge, so it was an especially wonderful end to our day trip.
