Coffee and Broodjes

Coffee and Broodjes

March 22, 2010, 3:00 am
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Belgium, Broodjes, Coffee

Historically, I am not a coffee drinker.  Until just a couple of years ago, I had no interest in coffee whatsoever.  Toward the end of my DMA, though, I started drinking coffee at school as a pick-me-up in lieu of Coke.  Then, last spring, I played a Brahms Sonata on a friend’s recital.  I must have shown up to rehearsal a few times with coffee in hand, because after the concert she presented me with a $50 Starbucks gift card as a “thank you” for playing.  By the time I had spent it, I had come to really enjoy a nice cup of coffee now and then.  

Here in Ghent, Katie and I have a few coffee shops that we like.  When I say “coffee shop,” I don’t mean “cafe.”  There are a million cafes, but not so many coffee shops.  Coffee shops, as I see it, specialize in coffee, open and close relatively early, don’t serve much (if any) alcohol, and have a counter where you order and pay.  Cafes, by contrast, serve all kinds of drinks and a variety of food, open and close later, have waiters or waitresses, and usually have a sea of outdoor seating.  You can get coffee at cafes, too, of course, but it’s not their main thing.  

Anyway, our favorite coffee shops (so far) are Barista and Mokabon.  The two are quite different.  Barista has stark white walls, high ceilings, big windows, palm plants, and goes for a Cuban or Columbian type of vibe.  It has at least two locations that we know of, but the one we usually go to is just off Vrijdagmarkt near the Groot Kanon (Great Canon).  

Barista near Vrijdagmarkt

Mokabon is a Ghent fixture that has been in the same small Donkersteeg (Dark Alley) store front since 1937.  I would guess that little has changed over the years.  Katie and I only recently started going here, but we already feel like regulars.  It has a cozy, unpretentious interior that is all dark wood and mirrors.   You seat yourself, and then a waitress takes your order.   She gives you a little receipt with your drinks or food, and you pay at the register on your way out.  The coffee is really good, and comes with a little side plate of whipped cream.  When we were there today we got Wes a waffle.  I have learned that there are two types of waffles in Belgium.  The kind we encounter most frequently in Flanders is dense, gooey, and sweet, and is a street food that you can carry with you.  The other type is sometimes called a “Brussels” waffle (at least around here it is), and is a fluffy, light one that most closely resembles what we call a “Belgian Waffle” in the U.S.  

Mokabon

Coffee at Mokabon

Brussels style waffel

A standard cup of coffee here, FYI, is stronger and thicker than at home.  It is somewhere between an espresso and a regular coffee.  If you want regular coffee, you order an “Americano.”  If you want to know more about the coffee scene in Belgium, here’s a guy with an entire blog about it.

In Belgium, soup and broodjes are the most popular lunchtime foods.  Brood is the Dutch word for bread, and broodjes are sandwiches.  They take half a baguette, slice it the long way, and put on the toppings and sauces of your choosing.  Broodjes run 2.50 to 4 Euro.  There is a bakery kitty-corner from our apartment called Broodway, and we go there for pastries, fresh bread, and broodjes.  Lately, we have been wondering what’s going on at Broodway.  They have taken down their exterior signage, changed the bread they use for broodjes, and eliminated most of their interior seating.  Maybe it’s in our heads, but they also have seemed a little less friendly.  Looking for an alternative, we decided to give Broodpunt a try instead, a similar type of place located on the same corner as our apartment.  For some reason we had only been in there once or twice before for a pastry or drink, but never broodjes.  We were very impressed!  Katie ordered the Cetona, which comes with Ganda Ham (a thinly-sliced cured meat along the lines to prosciutto), sundried tomatoes, shaved parmesan, olive oil, and tuinkers (a fresh herb like watercress).  I had the Martino, which comes with americain, pickles, anchovies, mostard, martino sauce, and Tabasco sauce.   Americain is hard to explain, but it is sort of a puree of steak tartare.  If someone can tell me what it has to do with America, I would be very interested to know.  It’s also called prepare.  Anyway, the martino has all of my favorite condiments on one sandwich, and it tastes great.

Broodpunt

Our corner. Our apartment building is the orange brick corner one, with Broodpunt immediately on its left.

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