there are other viands, and a table d’hote dinner is supplied in the middle of the day at 2 francs 50 centimes. The food is of the best, while a special feature is made of English beers and other drinks usually sought after by the Briton travelling abroad. The restaurant at the Zoological Gardens is well managed and much frequented, and the Cafe Weber, a big establishment on the Avenue de Keyser, is also highly spoken of. At the Hotel St. Antoine on the Place Verte there is a grill room for outside visitors, but I have found it rather dear. Spa Once upon a time the pretty little town of Spa, situated among the green hills of the Belgian Ardennes, was one of the most fashionable and most frequented watering-places in Europe, but a succession of anti- gambling regulations reduced its attractions. Although the glories of the place have departed, its natural beauties remain. The Casino has been rebuilt, and both baccarat and petits chevaux were, or are, played there ; but the regulations as to gaming sometimes seem in abeyance in Belgium, sometimes they are severely enforced, and it is impossible to predict Belgian T’owns 139 whether six months hence baccarat will be in full swing at the Club Prive, or whether chem'in de fer will be played under the rose, with the constant fear in the minds of the punters that a police raid may take place at any moment. The authorities at Spa quite realise that more people used to come to Spa to try their luck at the tables than to drink the iron-waters at the Pouhon and other springs, or to take the effervescing baths and douches. Of the Spa restaurants as they exist to-day, there is little to be said and less to be praised. To tell the truth, there is not a really first-class restaurant in the place. To nearly all the springs, which are located in easy proximity to the town, so-called restaurants are attached, but the patronage being intermittent and uncertain, the choice of plats is limited, and the service is slow and bad. The Sauveniere Spring is nearest to the town, but the drive there is all uphill, monotonous, and dusty. The Geronstere is more prettily situated, and is a favourite resort for luncheon during the summer season ; but unless the meal is specially ordered beforehand, the visitor will, as a rule, have to be content with eggs, beef-steaks, or cutlets. The Tonnelet is situated on the roadside, and the restaurant there is often uncomfortable and dusty. Those who make the Tours des Fontaines will be best advised to stop for lunch at the Source de Barisart, which is situated in a most source de picturesque part of the woods, 160 feet Barisart above the town, from which it is distant about a mile. The much-written-of Promenade de Meyerbeer is close at hand, and a stroll beneath the trees before or after lunch will be enjoyed, for the surroundings are charming and romantic. If previous notice for a meal can be given, so much the better ; there is pro- bably a telephone from the town. In trout time this fish should be included, as it is caught plentifully in 1 40 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe restaurateur, and well there for the district, and is, as a rule, fresh and good. As before said, there is no good restaurant in the town, — excepting of course those in connection with the principal hotels, where a table d'hote is usually served at mid-day and in the evening.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

there are other viands, and a table d’hote dinner is supplied in the middle of the day at 2 francs 50 centimes. The food is of the best, while a special feature is made of English beers and other drinks usually sought after by the Briton travelling abroad. The restaurant at the Zoological Gardens is well managed and much frequented, and the Cafe Weber, a big establishment on the Avenue de Keyser, is also highly spoken of. At the Hotel St. Antoine on the Place Verte there is a grill room for outside visitors, but I have found it rather dear. Spa Once upon a time the pretty little town of Spa, situated among the green hills of the Belgian Ardennes, was one of the most fashionable and most frequented watering-places in Europe, but a succession of antigambling regulations reduced its attractions. Although the glories of the place have departed, its natural beauties remain. The Casino has been rebuilt, and both baccarat and petits chevaux were, or are, played there ; but the regulations as to gaming sometimes seem in abeyance in Belgium, sometimes they are severely enforced, and it is impossible to predict Belgian T’owns 139 whether six months hence baccarat will be in full swing at the Club Prive, or whether chemin de fer will be played under the rose, with the constant fear in the minds of the punters that a police raid may take place at any moment. The authorities at Spa quite realise that more people used to come to Spa to try their luck at the tables than to drink the iron-waters at the Pouhon and other springs, or to take the effervescing baths and douches. Of the Spa restaurants as they exist to-day, there is little to be said and less to be praised. To tell the truth, there is not a really first-class restaurant in the place. To nearly all the springs, which are located in easy proximity to the town, so-called restaurants are attached, but the patronage being intermittent and uncertain, the choice of plats is limited, and the service is slow and bad. The Sauveniere Spring is nearest to the town, but the drive there is all uphill, monotonous, and dusty. The Geronstere is more prettily situated, and is a favourite resort for luncheon during the summer season ; but unless the meal is specially ordered beforehand, the visitor will, as a rule, have to be content with eggs, beef-steaks, or cutlets. The Tonnelet is situated on the roadside, and the restaurant there is often uncomfortable and dusty. Those who make the Tours des Fontaines will be best advised to stop for lunch at the Source de Barisart, which is situated in a most s[illustration: Source de Barisart] picturesque part of the woods, 160 feet above the town above the town, from which it is distant about a mile. The much-written-of Promenade de Meyerbeer is close at hand, and a stroll beneath the trees before or after lunch will be enjoyed, for the surroundings are charming and romantic. If previous notice for a meal can be given, so much the better ; there is probably a telephone from the town. In trout time this fish should be included, as it is caught plentifully in 1 40 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe restaurateur, and well served there by the the district, and is, as a rule, fresh and good. As before said, there is no good restaurant in the town, — excepting of course those in connection with the principal hotels, where a table d'hote is usually served at mid-day and in the evening.

The gourmet's guide to Europe