Yummie: Velvet Lounge (Antwerp, Belgium)

I love a good meal. And if I have to travel across borders for a great meal then I will. So when my sister and her husband asked me if I wanted to join them for a trip to this fabulous restaurant, Velvet Lounge, in Antwerp, I ofcourse said YES immediately.

After a relatively short drive we arrived in Antwerp on a rainy, lazy, saturday evening. The restaurant is located in the Antwerp harbour. When entering the Velvet Lounge you immediately feel relaxed and very welcome. The decor is one of luxury, dim lights, and soft chill music. The beautiful wooden floor caught my eye, and the round tables and seating booths make group seatings very cosy, comfortable and conversations easy.

Love these lamps.

OK now comes the really fun part: The cocktail card! It has the most delicious drinks on it. It'll make you want to taste every drink on it. (but you shouldn't ofcourse) As a non-drinker, I was tempted to try the Absolut Mango Mojito. A wonderful mix of Absolut Mango Wodka, crushed ice, sugar and fresh mint leaves. It was hmmmmmyummie. And after the drink I was a bundle of joy, my sister told me. (aren't I always?)

Varsha's Pina colada and Shiraz's mojito.

Let's talk food: as always I didn't order a starter because then I can't have dessert, and that is just not an option. I can recommend the scallops, which were beautifully served with buttery soft mashed potatoes, a more than yummie lobster ravioli and the most wonderful if-heaven-had-a-taste-it-would-taste-like-this-sauce. Every taste came with sounds of joy out of my mouth, the uhms and the aahs and the yummies were not spared.

Heavenly scallops, with the most tongue tingling you-just-want-to-have-more-sauce.

For dessert I had the chocolate explosion, which is exactly that: a true explosion of chocolate. A chocolate creme brulee, a chocolate mousse (which actually looked and tasted more like a brownie), some sort of chocolate pudding (which had a bubbly sauce on top, which was not so yummie), and the most tasty piece of chocolate cake served with fresh strawberries. This dessert was simply too much too handle, unfortunately I didn't have the courage to ask for the dessert to be put in a doggy bag. Yes I was shy.

Chocolate explosion for dessert. Big like. The colour of this table, not so much.

As for the service it was TOP class! We were really taken care of. We felt warmly welcomed after we were treated to a complementary amuse soupe. Our waiter was very attentive and even posed for a picture. When we asked for some extra sauce during dinner, we got it, no trouble at all. He did his absolute best with a big smile (and you know how important that is to me).

There was just one thing that I did not like: the colour of the tables. The round tables, which are conveniently removed after dinner for some dancing, had the most unflattering colour. That is the only bad thing I can say about this establishment. For a restaurant that is definitely not a crime.

So a big thumbs up for the Velvet Lounge: www.velvetlounge.be ENJOY!

Great food: Dauphine

Cafe-Restaurant Dauphine, (+31) 020 462 16 46, www.caferestaurantdauphine.nl

Yesterday I had dinner at this wonderful restaurant called Dauphine in Amsterdam. The food was excellent and the service was great (which is quite unexpected in the Netherlands). I had the lobster (very attractively priced at 20 euro's), my friend Milena had the Lamsrack. Though Milena warned me about the battle I was about to face with my lobster, my appetite for lobster was even greater. So when our plates arrived I was ready and waiting with my about-to-crack-you-open-lobster tools.

The plates looked superb, the garlic Lobster was served with freshly cooked sandless spinach, and what seemed like a mix of mashed chickpeas baked with a little crunchy skin (yummie). All of this came with some melted butter on the side (even more yummie). It all tasted even better than it looked, though most of it ended on my neighbours plate, in my lap, my hair and even on my knees (didn't notice that one until I was in my car). That is what you get when you ignore Milena's warning.

For dessert we both ordered the Chocolatetruffelterrine with a raspberry sauce, it was over-the-top-delicious-had-to-open-up-my-belt so good!

Other delish orders on the menu were the hamburger with fries (I don't eat beef, but the looks of this one almost won me over) and the plateau de Fruits de Mer (seafood display). I recommend you try this restaurant yourself next time your in our capital city.

And this is what I was wearing (pictures were taken before the lobster attacked me):
Zara Jacket
Dress by Mango, shoes from Sasha