Conecterra - Maasmechelen

Went for a walk yesterday with B, and stopped for a drink at the end of it, to enjoy the good weather. 

 This was in Conecterra, one of the entrances to the national park here in Limburg.

 I went for a green tea for a change, and was very glad I did - it was lovely and light and flavoursome. Perfect for the hot, sunny day.

Pain Quotidien, Hasselt

I've always been intrigued by the Pain Quotidien brand. The bread and menu always look good, but they also always seem quite expensive, but I'd always put that down to London prices. I was pleasantly surprised then to find one in Hasselt recently. The prices are still a little high I find (3€10 for tea), but maybe there's a reason to it, like it's all bio friendly or something of the sort.

So today, before going for a bit of a Saturday morning shop, I stopped by for a cup of tea and a snack.

If you go in for a drink, instead of a takeaway, I think you're meant to order from the table. Both times I've been, they always seem in a rush to serve me at the till, then when I say for in here, it relaxes considerably.  

I like the setting, open and relaxing; a good place to come and read a book, it's very roomy and rustic. 

It's one of the few places I've found so far that actually bring you a little tea pot instead of just a cup. 

Also note, the bowl without a handle to drink from. Very french! Like how you're meant to drink hot chocolate over there. They also give you a little spare bowl to put the teabag in

They have their own brand of tea, and it was very pleasant indeed. 

Although the water in the pot wasn't the hottest, it was enough to infuse the tea quickly, and there's enough in the pot for two bowls of tea (you can't call it a cuppa, really...)
It also came with a small square of chocolate that I've pocketed away for later.

The strange thing about LPQ that I find it that so far, I've not enjoyed their bread...ok, I've only had pastries there (a croissant that was much too rubbery, no flake, and today had a raisin roll), so I can't properly comment on the bread itself, but the other stuff you'd find in a bakery...eh...not been overly impressed yet. 

Still, the butter was delicious, and I do want to go back for a proper brunch sometime. (it's one of the few places in Hasselt open on a Sunday morning! and they have a Yoga studio upstairs)

Day trip to 's-Hertogenbosch

Yesterday I headed out to 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands to go see the Hieronymus Bosch exposition - the biggest gathering of his works ever assembled, to commemorate 500 years since his death.
Being one of the few artists I know, recognise and enjoy, I couldn't miss it! Even with a three hour journey on three different trains.
It was a lovely sunny day, and great to get away from everything and have a 'me' day, and I find there aren't many better places to read a book than on a train.

So, on to the cups of tea.

First one was at Antwerp Central train station, at the Panos.

Quite a small cup, smaller than expected, but decent for 1€60. Tea was Lipton yellow label, and surprisingly good. (I'd gone off that tea and not had one for a while). The temperature was good, and the lid easy to stick on, and didn't leak as I carried it down a couple of escalators. 

One train down, two to go. Arrived in 's-Hertogenbosch (do not ask me to pronounce that...I just can't...the ticket salesman at the station thought I wanted to go to Sint Truiden). 

Went to the expo, learnt some new things, marveled at the details in his paintings, then headed off to find a cuppa. 

After wandering around a church, I saw a row of cafés and restaurants and picked one called 'Nescio'

Got a great spot outside in the shade, and ordered a cuppa. First time I've had a setup where you get a selection of loose teas to choose from, and you can just scoop out whichever one you want and however much you need - they leave the boxes with you until someone else needs it. No pressure to choose on the spot! 

How could you not enjoy a cuppa in a place like this?!

I went with the 'English tea' blend, which was very pleasant. Others to choose from were mint, Earl Grey, red fruits (will never be a choice of mine...), Rooibos (also not a fan yet), and Green Tea Sencha (could've been nice). 

The temperature was good, the tea infused at a good speed, and the cup was easy to hold. 

Came with a teeny tiny morsel of cake, a perfect bite to sweeten your palate. 

Then, back home, another cuppa at Panos (the last one of the day, snuck in just as they were closing, phew!)

Oh, and just because - here's a Bosch inspired sculpture I came across - 

Goei Goesting - Hasselt

It seems like it's been ages since I've had a cup of tea made for me, and not just gone and boiled the kettle at home or work...But today, we went out for breakfast with the in-laws, and I managed to get a couple of cuppas at the lovely Goei Goesting in Hasselt.

It's one of our favourite restaurants, though a tad on the pricey side. When we do go, it's normally for supper, as you can get 'mini' versions of regular meals, of which you must choose at least two, and it's lovely.
A bit like tapas Belgian style - steak tartaar and friets, scottish salmon, garnalkroket... just always delicious!

So today, we went out for breakfast -

I've had tea at the Goei Goesting before, but not their English Breakfast; I've gone for their infusions (Chamomile and Linden) as those are better for after dinner, and not going to keep me up all night. 

One surprising thing I found about the English Breakfast tea they serve is that it is a mix of black tea and lychee. And once you've had a sip, you do notice the lychee. It's not unpleasant, just a tad surprising. And if you like a stronger black tea flavour in the morning, it can be rather odd to have it suddenly taste fruity. 

Otherwise the water was a good temperature and the tea didn't take long to infuse. The mug's handle was a tad awkward to hold, so you do need to let it cool a bit first, as you can't (well, I couldn't) fit your finger through the loop to pick up the mug easily. 

It didn't come with anything, but I think as it was part of the 'grote ontbijt' (big breakfast), it didn't really need to come with a biscuit or chocolate, as we had a basket of breads and things instead.