Wah! First review in English, hello Mechelen!…read more
De Thein Gheboden marked a page of scribbled confusion in my travel notebook. I wouldn't and couldn't dare pronounce the name and was unable put my finger on the style of food served. From my limited experience of all that is Belgian cuisine, I wouldn't call it traditional. The menu was surprisingly meat heavy with many dishes covered in one type of gravy or another. I relied on the confused translations of friends, noting their struggles to explain some sauces and methods. Looking for a safe bet, I opted for a shrimp curry. Appeasing but not filling -- only 10 little prawns, with nothing else to accompany them in the curry, minus some garnish. There was no rice brought our nor any other device to soak up the flavorful sauce. This was a bit curious to me as the menu wasn't al la carte. I stole a few bites of the salmon dish. It was far less perplexing -- perfectly cooked with a creamy white dill sauce to accompany it.
Fries are your typical Belgian compliment to most meals. Unfortunately, there was nothing complementary about the sad bowl of taters served at our table. They came out thick cut, soggy and unappetizing (side note: I ended up idly dunking them in my curry as my eyes started glazing over at the end of the night) . I would have asked for a fresh batch but our waiter was neither here nor there. Service was slow and extremely casual. They didn't rush our group out after we were finished and even offered us some complimentary limoncello to sip.
The restaurant was a beautiful blend of modern style with rustic adornments. Exposed brick, iron fixtures with walls lined with giant comfy couches. When the conversation invariably kept straying from English, I quietly sat there staring at the walls wondering how many times the interior has taken a major overhaul. I estimated the building to be at least 250 years old.
Non smokers, be warned -- there's a giant smoking section of the restaurant encased in glass. You'd think you wouldn't really be bothered with the smell, however, it's not fully sealed and folks like to stand there with the door open chatting. Ugh.
