I have been wanting to try restaurant Rock Fort for a long time but every time I wanted to go it was either fully booked or something came in-between or it was weekend and therefore closed… but like they say in Dutch “De aanhouder wint” which basically means if you try long enough eventually it will work 🙂 so after a few years I finally made it here thanks to a very good friend of mine who likes eating almost as much as I do 🙂

Good thing we didn’t enter the wrong door, otherwise the bill might have been a big surprise as “Rock-fort” is right next to the 3 Michelin star awarded restaurant Karmeliet… and their entrance doors are next to each other. One thing is for sure, I’m not sad to have chosen the door of Rock-fort (Maybe next time I’ll take the other door 😉 ) as it reminded me of my all-time favorite restaurant Pazzo in Antwerp… it is not too fancy, modern and even trendy but with comfortable furniture and a cozy vibe (I loved their chairs!!) .The choice on their menu is just lovely  (with the keep it simple motto in mind) and they have a great selection of wines that can be taken either per glass of bottle and you get a great view of their open kitchen (it was separated by glass)… so basically the recipe for success and a great night out.

Rock-fort is “subdivided” in 2 parts. The first part (where you enter) is the bar where you besides drinking (they have a big Gin collection) you can also have some tapas to go with your drink. The second part is the actual restaurant where you can see their “open” kitchen. The reason I say “open” is that the restaurant and kitchen are separated by a very big window, so let’s call it semi-open ;-). I actually like it when a restaurant has an open kitchen, this proves they have nothing to hide… (too bad I can’t show a picture, but you’ll see it yourself when you go)

Choosing what to eat is as always very difficult or maybe even more difficult than ever as everything on the menu looked so good and to make us doubt even more they also presented the Chef’s menu to us (which also sounded great)… in the end we took the Chef’s menu:

We received some homemade popcorn before to go with our glass of bubbles

We started with a Tuna tartar with cucumber and seaweed . A very refreshing combination I might add… I couldn’t imagine a better drink to go with it than a refreshing glass of 2009 Jané Ventura ‘Reserva de la Musica’ cava.

We continued with some scallops with a black pudding crumble, pumpkin and peas. I initially thought when they set the plate in front of me that it would be a dry dish, but I was very wrong it was a well out balanced dish and not dry at all 🙂 With this I drank a 2010 Morgadio Da Calcada Tinto. I know most people would drink a white wine, but this red wine was not too overpowering to go with the scallops.

Our main course was pheasant with chicory and earth apple (aka Jerusalem artichoke) cream. These are the dishes I just can’t get enough of 🙂 rich, full of flavor and the taste for more (that and stews). With this I went for a wine from one of my preferred wine regions, but made by a Belgian, it was a 2010 Langhe rosso from Le Cecche. One sip of the glass and you know why I like the wines of this region 😉

We finished our meal with a chocolate and figs dessert. Again a winner! I’m glad there was some fruit with it the refresh the dessert.

Moral of my story at Rock-fort, my fiancée can be glad this restaurant is closed over the weekend as otherwise we’d be spending lots of weekend in Bruges 🙂

Restaurant Rock Fort

Website: http://www.rock-fort.be/

Address: Langestraat 17, 8000 Bruges, Belgium

Phone n°: +32 (0)50 33 41 13