Another damp but tasty afternoon in Belgium, in this case Dinant

After a ton of hassle and several visits to the ‘tourisme‘ office, we finally found ourselves a place to stay in Dinant, a B&B called Les Cerisiers (The Cherry Trees). And it was so lovely that we decided to stay for a few days and make day trips out, rather than spending the better part of a day trying to locate accommodation in the next town.

The first thing we did, after such a hectic morning, was to go out for a beer at a little outdoor café. I ordered a Kreik Jeune – a ‘young’ cherry beer. It was described as having less sugar than ‘old’ Kreiks, but it was still sweet, “a bit like cream soda,” Al thought. He ordered a Trappístes Rochefort, sweet and malty. I liked it a lot and Al gave it three stars (and ordered it again later, a sure sign it was a fave).

Juene Kreik with a Trappistes happening in the background

Kreik Jeune, a ‘young’ cherry beer, with a Trappistes Rochefort 8 happening in the background

Al next ordered a Bofferding. It had a great name, and we both loved the way the waitress pronounced the name, but alas it was like Stella, and a bit too ordinary for Al.

Our beer tasting notes from Dinant, part 1

The hostess at our B&B recommended Le Café des Artes for a late lunch. However, on Al’s stupid ‘smart’ phone, the GPS showed him walking on water, in the middle of the river. Because the phone had no idea where he was, the café wasn’t where it was supposed to be, and only an old-fashioned map and my acute observation skills managed to save us.

Settled into Le Café des Artes Al ordered his second Trappístes while I ordered a Grimbergen to go with our pre-dinner snacks of olives and peanuts.
Al had Steak de Boeuf with Salad and Frites, accompanied by Cuvée li Crochon.
I had a tasty ‘Jarret d’Agneau‘ (meaty lamb stew)…
…that came with a side of potatoes au dauphinois, essentially scalloped potatoes with cheese on top. The whole meal was delicious but massive, four servings worth just for me!

The bill from the Café Des Artes

Following our massive ‘lunch’ we wandered around the city, taking in the sights. As the evening settled in so did the rain but there was a street party. W stopped and listened to the music, and when it got too wet went to a nearby café where we could still hear the music and had another beer (or two). Okay, we had a lot of beer today but we also walked for miles, and will sleep really well tonight!