Kerry Beal

The showpiece with the bird? Yup!

Then off to meet Chef Bart at deswartevos chocolaterie - we discussed flavours and he fed us port, foie and chocolate oh wait - is that an EZtemper?

Visit to Chocolate World - they gave us a tour, let us do some serious shopping and they fed us sandwiches! j

Missed this - where is that found?

Love the European hotel breakfast

Anyone try spinning osmosome?

Dinner tonight wasn't off the menu - it was cod. Apparently not liking fish needs to mentioned as a dietary restriction - and I always thought that dietary restrictions were things you couldn't eat vs things you wouldn't eat. Perhaps I'd better revamp my list - it could get rather long. Anyway I guess my rather disappointed face got me chicken. By then I'd already filled up on the bread thinking I wasn't getting dinner so wasn't really able to eat the chicken. Framboise mousse - the middle contained a puree filled chocolate ball. There was a salad too - clearly my disappointment in dinner led to my failure to get a picture.

That's a shame Chris - you and Karen will be missed.

I suspect out front there it's all for appearances

I'm down at the bar - asking for a Negroni which is on their menu. 'We can't make it Mrs we don't have the ingredients' - 'but I see gin, vermouth and Campari on your bar' - 'but Mrs we don't have sprite' - 'good'! Little heavy on the Campari - but it will do!

Then I went walkabout

Lunch at Lola vegetarian poke Box Crab Dover sole (or Dover souls as I saw on one menu)

So on our tour today - most of the shops were closed being Monday - I was looking forward to more of those lovely macarons

Little private workshop at Laurent Gerbaud

PM me - we'll talk!

I can't comment on Agrimontana's pistachio paste - but Jean Marie had a crap load of their peel in his fridge and it was wonderful stuff! Here's Saveur's take on it - https://www.saveur.com/best-pistachio-paste-butter#page-2

So headed out to the place down the street that got good reviews - closed, then the place from last night - closed. Stumbled across a lovely little cocktail bar in a very old stable. Bar tender made some recommendations and seemed happy I took them, then was more than a little horrified I caught him before he put the drink in the the smoking bell jar and asked him to put it on the rocks. Food arrived before the drink - so much of the drama of the smoking bell jar was lost on me - the next table seemed to enjoy it. I think they brought me the burger for the girl at the next table in error - as they brought another to her table at the same time as mine and then they waited another 20 minutes for the second one.

Nathan commented on the Chinese bread that get's a starch retrograde step (I know we've discussed it here on eG before - roux bread I think it's called) - they found that while the they could measure a difference on very precise equipment on how quickly it went stale between the version that retrograded the starch and the version that didn't - in real life they couldn't!

The spoils of my travels today - @MelissaH - do you think the missing speculoos are DelHaize own brand? They seem to make a bio and non bio version under their branding.

Took this series of pics to hopefully show the putting together of the merveilleux

Of course one must take the obligatory picture of the little pissing boy - I was quite shocked the first time to realize just how small it is. Of course you have to fight your way through all the tourists. Watched a drunken young man stagger out from behind this sculpture - doing up his pants. Thought she was a much more interesting figure than Mannequin pis. I guess the drunk made her 'mannequin pissed on'. Thought this was an attractive - albeit unlucky door.

I'm actually not a big fan of glass teapots they lose their warmth so quickly - give me a brown Betty any day

You must be thinking I brought the giant trunk - instead of a mere suitcase!

Stopped for tea at OR Coffee which is beside the Marriott on prime real estate Honey Black tea

The fellow at Patrick Roger kept asking if I wanted a bag - finally I said "is it so I can hide the Frederic Blondeel bag?" and he admitted it was! So I took the bag.