I did the fine dining end of the spectrum, as Gert at Hertog Jan is kind of a friend and I’m a huge fan. They grow their own vegetables and flowers. Had a long lunch there so didn’t bother too much with dinner in Bruges.
Hertog Jan lunch: http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2018/07/europe-2018-day-4-3-star-farmhouse.html
Also hit Hof van Cleve - the other 3*. Another fantastic meal. http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2018/07/europe-2018-day-5-other-belgian-3-star.html
My mistake was booking dinner at Chambre Separee in Ghent for 7:30pm, which was 3 hours after I finished lunch at Hof van Cleve. This was a 20-course dinner and I had to stuff it in at the end… Overall CS was OK and a decent 1*, but I had been led to believe that this place is amazing.
All the fine dining places we went to were excellent.
Bozar Restaurant delivered a fantastic pâté en croûte as the chef won “world champion” in 2015. Next time I’ll pre-order the pithiviers.
Comme Chez Soi has been around for more than 20 years. The food was more modern than expected, and the wine collection is awesome.
L’Air du Temps in Éghezée outside Brussels is also amazing, and a candidate for upgrade to 3*. They also have their own gardens to source ingredients from. http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2018/06/europe-2018-day-1-country-garden-dining.html
Finally, Sea Grill in the city center was another surprise. Very high level cooking, very modern without being gimmicky.
