Leuven, Belgium - A Hidden Gem: Restaurants

As promised, I will continue my blog posts this week with everything Leuven. The first is about some of the restaurants I like in this little town. There are really some great culinary choices, so I couldn't list everything or you'd be reading all day. There are also some I still need to try. So maybe a second restaurant post will follow in the coming months. 

Restaurants:

Sit down:

1. La Cucaracha - Tiensestraat

This is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in Leuven. Okay, there aren't that many to begin with, but this place is great. The food is fantastic, and authentic, which is something you don't always expect when you're somewhere rather far away from Mexico. I'm used to a lot of great Mexican restaurants at home, so usually my standards are rather high, and this place has met them. The guacamole is delicious, it comes in a rather small portion though, but it's freshly made. I also really like the pollo con mango, something a bit different and very tasty - sweet and spicy. And you can't go wrong with a strawberry margarita.

Tip: There is another, larger Mexican restaurant in Leuven called New Mexico and is on the "restaurant street" Muntstraat. If you like real Mexican food, don't go here. First of all, the guacamole is from a can, which I think is just a terrible sin when running a mexican restaurant. The rest of the food is mediocre. I gave this place another shot recently because my boyfriend wanted Mexican and since it was Sunday everywhere else was closed. Highly disappointed, it's also rather expensive for quality.


2. De Werf - Hodeschoolplein

One of my favorite places. It's definitely a student hangout, and only open on weekdays as a result, but if you can find time during the week to go there, it's well worth it. Their "chowders" are the highlight, especially the Chili Con Carne. It's a large portion that comes served in a big bread bowl. Good chili, good bread. They have a good menu otherwise too, and it's one place to find a decent salad, something I've missed in Belgium. The wraps are good too. The atmosphere of the place is great when the weather is nice. They have a lot of tables outside, lights strung up in the trees and blankets over the chairs for you to get cozy under if it starts to get a bit chilly.

3. The Meating Room - The Oude Markt

A tasty, tasty steak house. They have all sorts of options for the types of steak you can order. I tried the Irish Angus Dry Aged last time I was there with Bearnaise sauce, mmm mmm, very tasty. Best steak I've had in Leuven, or Belgium really. It's a tiny little place though, so you might need to make a reservation. We tried to stop in one Sunday, asking for a table for 3, and we had to wait 45 minutes. Thankfully the weather was nice and it's on the old market, so we just had a drink at one of the bars, but I advise making a reservation.


4. Thai House - Tiensestraat

Another one of my favorites. Their sit down restaurant is nice. It's a completely round building, which is just pretty cool. And the food is great, as is the service. The owners are very friendly and accommodating. I went here with a friend one day and they weren't open for dinner yet, or weren't serving yet, but we were in a rush, so they made an exception. The food is always good. The Beef Thai House is my go to choice and my boyfriend is partial to the Moo Pad Prik, a rather spicy dish.

5. Pepe Nero - Muntstaat

I've been here a few times and it's one of the best Italian restaurants I've found in Leuven. Everything there has been superb. There are a lot of Italian restaurants in Leuven, so it's hard to pick sometimes. This one isn't the cheapest, but if you want a nice evening or have a special occasion, it's a great restaurant.

6. Namaste - Naamsestraat

This little Nepalese place is always good. They also do take-out if you call ahead and order. It's mostly Nepalese food, with an Indian infusion, and it calls itself a Tandoori Kitchen. I highly recommend the mixed starter. Everything I've tried so far has been pretty good, the Kukhura Nariwol and the kip tandoori are my favorites. 

Tip: It's a rather small place inside, so go early if you want to get a table. It does take a while to get the food, so make sure you go with plenty of time. If the weather is nice they'll usually have tables outside, which gives more room. 

Quick/Take-Away:

1. Thai House Take-Away - Tiensestraat

This place is right across the square from Thai House, owned by the same people. It's just a small take-away place, there are some tables inside and out. You order at the counter, pay and then can stay or go with your food. There are only a few options, but all are good for a quick lunch, also pretty cheap, so good for a student's wallet. I am partial to the Pad Tai Kip (chicken) or the Red Curry.

2. Food Maker - Rector de Somerplein (Fochplein)

This is a chain, but I still wanted to list it, because it's one of the few places to get quick, healthy meals. Their hours are rather annoying at times, because they close early, but if you can make it in for lunch it's a good place. I love the wraps, but they also have a good salad bar. And at the one in Leuven if you show a student card you can get a 10% discount.

3. Donki - Oude Markt

This is a new place, just opened on the oude markt. It's a small little burrito place, which I think Leuven was really missing. It's pretty good. They could still make some improvements, maybe visit a Chipotle in the US for some ideas, and get their processes running a bit faster, but the food is good and pretty cheap. Like 5 to 6 euro for a burrito. You pick the type of burrito and the toppings, and they have tasty margaritas. Worth a visit for sure.

4. Villa de Frit -Hooverplein

These are the best fries I've found in Leuven so far. A lot of the authentic places seem to have disappeared, but this one still is pretty good, and it has the local Belgian seal of approval from my other half. If you haven't gotten Belgian fries before, you're missing out. Now, likely, if you're not Belgian, the idea of eating just fries for a meal seems a bit absurd. Isn't that what most of us would have preferred as children? But we had to eat the other stuff too. Well, it's completely acceptable to eat just fries as a meal. And maybe a meat snack, I recommend not bothering to question what is in it, they're all pretty tasty. You can get the sauce on the side, or right on the fries. Try some different sauces to see what you like. I'm partial to cocktail and andalouise, my boyfriend goes for the spicy samurai.  

Tip from the Locals: If you want good fries, go to a fry shack run by natives. They're Belgian fries for a reason. A proper fry shack will usually serve the fries in a paper cone, not a plastic container. A true fry shack will also not be a combo: pizza, fries, kebab, etc. place. It will just be for fries and meat snacks.

Leuven - A Hidden Gem in Belgium

For the past year I have been living in Leuven, Belgium. And first, before I go any further, just to clear up any confusion for non-Europeans: Belgium is a country, not a town in Germany, or France. I have encountered quite a bit of confusion over this as I told people "I'm moving to Belgium." The general responses were "Ah, spreche sie Deutsch?" which means "Do you speak German?" which is really not relevant. Or "Ah cool, so when do you leave for Germany?" It is in fact it's own country, a pretty cool little country too. Also, not everyone in Belgium speaks French, actually about 59% of Belgium is Flemish-speaking, leaving 40% speaking French and 1% speaking German (still not relevant to ask if I speak German, since very few people are aware of this fact).

Now that that has been cleared up, I will continue. As I said, I have been living in Leuven for about a year now. Leuven is a rather small town about 25 kilometers from Brussels, a 20 minute train ride from the center of Brussels, or a 15 minute train ride from the airport. Leuven is a university town, home to K.U. Leuven, one of the oldest Catholic Universities in Europe. The population basically doubles during the school year, but it also means there is a vitality and life to the city that you can't always find. It's got a lot of great restaurants, places you might not expect, and of course, great bars, necessary in every student town.

 (center of town, St. Pieter's church, photo credit: me)

Outside of Belgium it doesn't seem that many people have heard of Leuven, every once in a while you'll find someone. But generally the cities people know are Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and maybe Gent, the bigger or more touristy cities.

One one hand it's nice, it means Leuven is rather un-touristy, which I love. It's not packed every weekend with people coming to sight see, and the prices aren't outrageous in an attempt to rip off tourists. But I do think the city is a bit underrated.  It is a small city, but definitely worth a visit. There are great places to eat, shop, and hang out.

So, over the next few posts I'll highlight some of the best restaurants to go to, things to do, bars to check out and anything else that comes to mind.

How to Furnish Your Home Abroad - Specifically in Belgium

One of the most difficult things when you're moving abroad is figuring out how to buy things before you get there, or even when you get there. It's freaking expensive to move abroad. If you're lucky, someone else is paying for it, like an employer. But if you're a student and aren't going for the tiny box room with a brick bed and something they claim is a "kitchen" but is really a sink with a half-working burner to cook soup on, then likely you need to shell out some cash and figure out where to go.

First of all, if you haven't already embraced IKEA, like Nike says, just do it. You can find it basically all over the world, and there is usually some way to get there. It's new, it's cheap and mostly you can find some nice, fashionable things. You can also get all those random gadgets you  need around your house that you never think about until you need it and don't have it. The great thing about Ikea is you walk past everything and have a few light-bulb moments where you spot something you forgot you needed. It's also great for finding a lot of things you're used to at home, but may not be common in the local furniture store. It's a pretty standardized store, you don't find that much difference anywhere you go.

The con of course is that you have to do the transportation and assembly yourself. Or, if you're smart enough, you'll convince your foreign boyfriend who lives in the city you're moving to, to go do all the heavy lifting before you arrive [Thanks sweetie! ;)].

 

(Yes, all of that is for me. No, I was not there.)

Now, after Ikea, for those of you that are utterly opposed or just don't want to have to build everything. (Though, something I forgot...if you live in a tiny apartment, it's not always easy to get big pieces of furniture into them in Europe without hiring professionals, something else to consider being ruling out the boxed wonder of furniture that Ikea offers). 

Your other options:

1. Expat sites. There should be one in every country. If little Belgium has one, well lots, but one huge one, then other countries should too. In Belgium I recommend checking out The Bulletin at www.xpats.com. It is great, lots of listings of furniture for sale. You have to be willing to travel to get it, but you can get some great deals. I got my 42" plasma TV for like 200 euro. People selling on here are usually moving out of the country and they want to get rid of their stuff, and get rid of it quickly, so you can get some good deals. Sometimes you'll even get lucky and find free stuff. You can also ask questions here if you're looking for something specific and having trouble finding it.

Tip: Act fast. If you hesitated, especially on electronic goods, they'll be snatched up by someone else. I think I asked about 5 TVs before I finally got a response saying they still had theirs available. 

2. Local second hand sites. E-bay can be a good one, there are often local versions to try your hand at bidding. And most countries will have a second hand website, similar to Craig's List, but hopefully with less creepy stalkers. In Belgium a good one is www.2dehands.be. 

Tip: Unless you speak Dutch or French, open this in Google Chrome so that you get an option popping up at the top of the browser to translate. It should translate most of the page so that you know what you're looking for. And thankfully, if you want to inquire about someone, most Belgians speak English, so writing to them in English isn't a problem. 

3. Local Shops. There will still be some decent ones out there, like the equivalent to Target. You just need to ask around when you get there and see where is good to go. It's a bit different than the U.S. at least, in that you'll sometimes not be able to find what you wanted in the type of store you were thinking, but just look around. In Belgium there are some good stores for kitchen and household items (not furniture), like Blokker. You also find a lot of great shops that aren't chains, just walk in and look around if you stumble upon something. 

Tip: Aldi has great deal every so often on various things, we just got a great Canon printer/scanner/copier for pretty cheap there, but you have to keep an eye out and make sure you get there in time.

4. Internet! You can find anything here, of course, hopefully I don't need to explain that. One site I particularly like for Belgium is http://www.3suisses.be. This is especially good for buying bed linen. If you're coming from the US, the bed sizes are different, so sheets from home don't work well. One thing to keep in mind is, in Belgium, most people have lots of duvet covers instead of lots of sheets. They change those like we change our sheets, and it's nearly impossible to buy a flat sheet. I still have to try and explain to my boyfriend what that is. Just adapt to this one, it's easier ;)

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It has been almost a year now since I moved to Belgium from the United States. 11 months in fact. Really it's hard to believe it has been that long, time has gone so fast. And at the same time, so much has happened, it feels like I have been here much longer.

In the past year, I've started learning Dutch, almost completed my MBA, met people from all over the world, traveled to China, competed in the European Business Plan of the Year competition in Greece, road tripped through Scotland, traveled to Paris, Amsterdam and Bruges. (Details of these trips to come in a later post). I've gotten addicted to entirely too many TV shows, become a better cook, and most importantly started to settled into another country.

Moving abroad is not easy, it helps when you're busy because you don't have time to stop and think. It helps to have a reason to go abroad. If anyone happens to read this that doesn't know me, well, my boyfriend is Belgian. So I came here for him, and to do my MBA for international business. Having the MBA was great. It was something for me, to improve myself, learn new things, and build a network. Building a network when you move abroad is crucial, especially if you move abroad for someone else.

There are still points you get homesick though. It's hard, getting homesick. You want to be stronger, able to handle anything. You moved to another country after all. But when you move and know that it is for an unlimited duration, it happens. It's okay that it does. I think the worst thing you can do is pretend that you're not homesick. It'll just get worse. You start missing weird things too. I miss food, random food. Like goldfish, or types of yogurt. It's things you're used to, that you want to have to make you feel at home.

My friends here have given me a hard time sometimes for wanting to go to Hard Rock, or another restaurant with American type food. But I live in Belgium now, I get Belgian food anytime I want. I don't get to go home much and that is what I miss, the food I'm used to.

Anyways, now that my first ramblings are out. This blog will be a place for me to write, because doing an MBA basically sucks away any free time you have and I miss writing. And a place for me to talk about my life as an expat. What that means, experiences I have and anything else I feel like talking about. Probably TV shows I'm watching (I watch a lot :P). So...anyone that reads this. Enjoy :)