Beer and creme brulee in Leuven

The Cocktail

They call it Cuisine à la Bière in Belgium, where the gastronomic influences of France, the Netherlands and Germany, among other nations, make for sublime pairings of food with the undisputed national beverage. And they do it as deftly in Leuven, a university town east of Brussels, as anywhere else in a country that’s home to more than 500 brands of beer. See for yourself at ‘t Zwart Schaap ("the Black Sheep"), a cozy wood-paneled bistro in the city center, just steps from the Gothic spires of the 15th-century “town hall.” If time is short, skip everything else and go straight for the crème brûlée with the crunchy orange caramel lace crust, and mate it to a Leffe Blonde, one of Belgium’s renowned Abbey beers. Its dry, slightly sweet, ambrosial character makes it the perfect companion. Never again will you doubt the wisdom of ordering dessert, with beer, first.—Brian Cook
‘T ZWART SCHAAP, BOEKHANDELSTRAAT 1, 3000 LEUVEN, BELGIUM; 32-16-23-24-16; www.tzwartschaap.com (from http://www.delta- sky.com/)

Why does service differ on the day you travel?

As a regular traveller from the Carte Blanche gang on Eurostar I'm wondering why the service on board differs and depends on the day of the week you travel or the mood of the crew on board. Last week my outbound journey on a Thursday afternoon was a joy and everything that made traveling itself a more than pleasant experience, rather than a necessity in this day and age of cattle carriage class on 'not-so-cheap-anymore' flights. The team serving us was courteous, friendly and well trained in the art of customer service, making sure that each individual was greeted with a personal touch to lift the spirits and with that rare quality of putting the comfort and well being of the customer first above the usual don't ask me I only work here mentality. While on Sunday on my return journey, and you know where this story is going, the crew was clearly peeved off having to work on Sunday. Now I do understand that working on a Sunday evening is not everyone's idea of a good time, but its part of the job and came with the uniform. So instead of getting great service it was ticking the boxes and hoping that no-one on board was too difficult or needed more service than absolutely necessary to fulfill  the minimum effort. While on Thursday the team couldn't do more to please their onboard customers, the Sunday crew almost disappeared when the obligatory one cup of coffee or tea was served. Just to illustrate the ignorance of the crew was the main course served, which, apparently only in my case maybe because I made a remark, wasn't what the menu stated. How the server didn't notice that the salmon he served me wasn't with ratatouille and wild rice, but with endives, potatoes, green beans and cream sauce is beyond me. On its own this is not a major drama as the salmon tasted good, but shows that either the crew couldn't give a ... or there is a clear need of staff training in the art of serving.  So clearly service differs on what day you travel and depends on the mood of the crew. My question is however why am I paying the same price for both journey's as it doesn't reflect the difference in level of service?  Not that I'm pleading for cheaper travel for poor service, but exactly the opposite: deliver the same great service regardless of the ticket, day of travel and above all the on-board crew. You know you can deliver, but not on every day apparently ...  

A(ntwerp) I love your tea

Antwerp the city of diamonds has produced another little gem in the salon de the (tea) Claude, hidden away in the Scheldestraat, about 10 mins out of the centre on your way to the Museum van Schone Kunsten. This small, cosy and well decorated tea establishment is grand in every way, from the friendly and courteous welcome to the great tea service and the delicious macaroons. With the tea you get a little plate of heaven with 3 different Belgian (of course) chocolates and some old fashioned bread pudding with a hint of vanilla. The fact that the host and all the team for that matter are a pretty sight explains that many Ladies found their way to the salon on my visit. But who cares, a thing of beauty is there to be adored and enjoyed I say. Although it was a short visit this time, afternoon tea looms at my next visit to the Stad with anticipation to undergo the dilemma of having to choose a pastry from the silver platter. http://www.salondetheclaude.be/