A RYAD in Bruges

Writing about Morocco made me miss our travels. And the food.
After a long weekend inside we decided to walk around the corner to the local (and only) organic Moroccan restaurant in Bruges, Ryad.

The reviews I read the first time we came were mixed.  Half loved it, half hated it.  

The most consistent review was that the food took forever.  And it does. So be prepared. 

Our anniversary dinner was a lovely 3 hour long affair, majority of that time spent waiting for our food.

This time around we made 6:30 reservation and huzzie saw they had shisha on the website and figured we would sit and do that to keep us busy before the food arrived. We learned once we sat down, that smoking hookah is only available after 10:30pm when food is no longer being served- no smoking inside otherwise. Ahh makes sense.

They have a very lax attitude toward time it's true.  Not only in the time it takes to get your food. Arriving at 6:30, there were a few couples and the waiter outside, apparently locked out. As in, the restaurant was still not opened.

We walked around a little and about 15 minutes later they opened. On a different night, starved and cranky, this 'ish would not fly. But tonight it wasn't too big of a deal and after 2 days inside, a little brisk (aka freezing) air was good. 

From the outside it looks like a restaurant you would see in NY or LA. Aside from the building that houses the restaurant, it has shed any traces of Bruges architecture.

Once you step inside, and part the heavy Berber curtains, you are transported somewhere else entirely. Morocco to be exact. From the ceiling to the floor they have made it as authentic as you can get without being there; ornate lanterns, a palm tree, the sculpted archway as you head upstairs.
  It's vibey, sexy and there are candles on every table.  No detail is overlooked in creating this complete experience. The bathrooms included.

I was trying to be slick with my photo taking.

We were seated in the back near the gas fire, which was nice. We pretend we're eating at one of the riads in Marrakech , and ignore the modern jacket closet to my left that from time to time will shake me out of this fake-cation.

We started with Mint Tea. It was different from what we had every day on our trip,  but nice and had a hint of orange flower essence. The presentation was lovely and authentic. ( Not that I am an expert on all things Moroccan by any means, I'm just saying.)

The last dinner we had in Marrakech we both ordered tagine. Mine veggie, his chicken with pickled lemon. Mine was good, his was GREAT. I had total food envy and had been craving it ever since.
                                 So...
I ordered a Chicken Tagine with lemon and potatoes.
And my better half got the chicken couscous w/ vegetables.
The food did take a whiiiiile.

Chicken Tagine

When it finally arrived, we were staaarved.
Both our dishes were really similar in taste and arrived much "soupier" than I would have liked.
Don't get me wrong. The chicken fell off the bone, was succulent, delicious and organic. Gorgeous.
 But I was slightly dissatisfied, having that particular taste I was craving so much go un-sated.            (yes i make up words.)
On the bright side, what an excellent excuse for dessert!
We ordered 1001 nuits and a plate of their daily pastries. (In my savage attempt to quiet this craving I hoovered dessert before I could take a picture- sorry)
Ok, 1001 Nuits was off the chain delicious. It was a combinations of dates, apples, flaky, buttery phyllo dough, pistachios, pomegranate seeds- I think I spotted passion fruit seeds too- and a light drizzle of their homemade orange sauce.
The plate of pastries were a home run too. There were 3 fat finger shaped Moroccan( baklava -like) Briouats (the thing separating them from being baklava is the subtle hint of orange blossom essence and in this case a some coconut inside) and in the middle sat four mysterious, to me,  pink powder covered cubes called Lokum or Turkish Delight.
Mouth still negotiating this gummy treat, my huz announces, "Oh yea. Your going to love this. It tastes like sugary soap"
And love it I did!  It was a delightfully aromatic, rose flavored, powdered sugar covered gummy treat. A little soapy. But goooood.
I had to ask the waiter twice what they were called and only hearing the Turkish Delight part, I came home and feverishly googled it to get the name.

a picture of Lokum, or Turkish Delight pilfered off the Interweb.

The evening was lovely and the service very attentive, even if the food took a little while to come out. At least they are consistent.
 I highly, highly recommend spending an evening here for dinner, because despite my specific tagine craving not being met, you won't be disappointed. Unless you're really hungry and cranky, then you might.
 But if you know it takes some time, you can enjoy some of the specially selected organic wines from across Europe and Morocco. Or sip on mint tea and experience for a few hours, a taste of Morocco in Bruges.

Ryad- 32 Hoogstraat 8000 Bruges
tel: 32 50 331355
open 7 days a week ( but double check, ya never know here)
http://www.ryad.be/

Creamy cauliflower Soup

 I make a big fuss over not being a great cook. Which since we arrived, has been true. 
However I can follow a recipe or do very basic things without too much goofing. Most of the time.
A while back I found this great cauliflower soup recipe in Sunset magazine.  I modified it a little to make it more fool proof and it almost always turns out amazing.  
What's better is it's super easy and there are usually leftovers. On Wednesdays (market day), I grab the ingredients and get cookin'.

1- 2 tablespoons  Extra V. Olive Oil

1 Large yellow Onion- chopped

2-  large garlic cloves minced or 3 small ones

1 large cauliflower head- chopped

5 cups chicken broth or veggie broth*

(i've tried both and they are great)  

1 cup water

*You can also do 4 cups broth, 1 cup water for a thicker soup.

salt and pepper as you go

Butter- I add it sometimes, but not if you want the vegan version.

parsley and/or chives for  topping

 more Olive oil for drizzle

Getting started is easy.  

Prep all the ingredients as seen above.

Chop the onions, garlic, wash the cauliflower and chop that sucker up too.

In a pot heat the Olive oil. When it's hot, but not too hot, drop the garlic and onions. The garlic should make a sizzle when it hits, not a crazy sizzle but a light hiss. You don't want the garlic to brown. This is usually the step where I add a little butter, but I'm a fatty like that.

Saute until the onions are almost soft and then add the cauliflower. I like to saute them all together for a few minutes before I add the broth. This is a good time to add some fresh pepper and a little salt. Salt with caution. The broth can make it saaalty.

Add the chicken or veggie broth and water. I use Organic Better than Bouillon chicken stock  when I can out of convience but you can use it out of the can or carton or homemade stock if you're fancy like that. (However, if you're fancy like that you probably don't need to read these detailed directions!)

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 10-15 mins.

When everyone seems soft and happy sufficiently cooked , get ready to set up the blender or food processor.

It will be hot.  I'm always too impatient to let it cool. I suggest you do that to avoid getting burned but do whatever you want. I do.

I forgot to photograph this step, so put it back real quick mid wash.

I blend in 3 batches. I like it really creamy and smooth. But if you like it chunky you can lightly pulse the last batch and then add it to the bowl. There are no rules here.

Once your soup is finished, chop up your parsley and chives.

Add, Drizzle with Olive oil and EAT! YUM!!!!!!

Coupla tips. 

For the non cooks, this is so easy. Don't be intimidated. 

 If you cry from the onions, stick your head in the freezer for a few seconds. I swear it stops the burning almost immediately. 

It's a really versatile recipe . Veggie, chicken, Vegan. You can also make this with 2 med sized onions and less broth- as noted above to make it thicker.That's in the original recipe. I imagine if you are doing a Vegan diet or dairy free diet this would be delish as a mock cream sauce. I haven't tried it but thought of it while on the yeast free diet last year. We ate all the soup before I had time to experiment. 

If you want to see the original recipe, go to: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001865448

Their recipe calls for white wine and less liquid. But I don't know how to cook with white wine, it comes out sour or something, so i just avoid it. 

Happy Souping!

Hot Chocolate like- Whoa.

I don't like being that person who swears they know "THE BEST" of anything. 
It sets you up to be either a know it all or questioned on your tastes critically. Neither of which interest me.
So as I begin this post, I will say that we discovered what is to me, some damn good hot chocolate here in Bruges. To confirm this statement  I took a girlfriend that was recently visiting to see if she too found it as yummy as we did.

De Proeverie Tearoom is located on Katelijnestraat. It's a very touristy street, one of the canal tour  companies operates right next store.   

This adorable little shop usually showcases it's perfectly frosted cupcakes in the window and has just the right amount of pastel without being too tacky. Inside you will find lovely pastries, delicately placed inside the counter. There's a fireplace and a bigger room in the back for busier days. 
Also, a  HUGE plus, they are open on Sundays.  
The chocolate they use for this decadent treat is from their chocolaterie, Sukerbuyc, directly across the street.  It must be said that they are not too friendly over there at the chocolate shop and have strict rules about the chocolate buying, like, no individual chocolate picking or something. 
 But, a little bit of cranky can be ignored after you've been sipping away to your hearts content,  high on hot chocolate served from the friendly staff at De Proeverie. 


We sit ourselves down, shed our layers and order up 3 gorgeous hot chocolates. ( I'm really bringing the adjectives today!)

After you stare at this mesmerizing display of rich chocolate for a few beats you begin the mixing process.

YUM!

They actually serve this with a cube of sugar which is beyond my comprehension. It doesn't lack sweetness, so please whatever you do, don't touch that sugar cube.

No Chocolate Left Behind!

Clean Mug Club. Good til the last drop.

.


In the end, it was decided by all that this was indeed the most absolutely delicious and, to us, possibly "best " hot chocolate we'd ever had.  
And if you need any more convincing, they claim it to be "world famous " on their website. 
 Saves me from being the know it all!




De Proeverie Tearoom- Katelijnestraat 6  -  8000 Bruges
http://www.deproeverie.be/