The man who wishes to keep his dinner bill below 10 francs or even below 5 need not fare ill at Ostende. In the Grand Place “ Au Gourmet,’’ is the charcutier’s shop of M. Jean Grand Place Bogaerts, who is a “Fournisseur du Roi,” but who modestly describes himself as Traiteur. In his shop window during the shooting season is always some choice game, and relays of fresh trout are sent him daily. On the first floor above the shop is a little restaurant which bears the title “ Au Gourmet.” It is a very unpretending little place, the knives are black-handled and the napery is coarse, but it is perfectly clean. On the mirrors are wafered the names of the plats du jour , the cost of which seem generally to be 1 franc 50 centimes ; a modest bill of fare conveys fuller information ; a little girl sits at the caisse ; and an elderly waiter with a blue black moustache and embroidered shirt and gloomy views concerning life takes one’s orders. Little ♦ K 146 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe things show that the service is good. I ordered some shrimps as hors cT oeuvre, and a finger glass was brought me after I had eaten them, and a large goblet was given me to wash the grapes of my dessert if I wished to. These are quite small matters, but they showed that the waiter, who looked like an Italian Count who had seen better days, knew his business. The prices charged for the game dishes showed me that one could get any of the birds shown in the shop downstairs at their sale price plus 50 centimes for cooking. Shrimps, a baby sole a la meuniere , a roast snipe on toast with water-cress, cream cheese, a bunch of black grapes, a pint of Cerons, and a small bottle of Louise Marie, the best known of Belgian mineral waters, and my bill came to 6 francs 65 centimes. Partridges I noticed were priced on the bill of fare at 4 francs 50 centimes, quail at 1 franc 50 centimes. The wine list, which is short, contains some good names. Volney Santenoy at 10 francs a bottle, and Chevalier Montrachet at 6 francs a bottle, should tempt connoisseurs. My snipe was overdone, but then I omitted to send word to the cook that I was an Englishman and liked my snipe but half roasted, a wise precaution anywhere on the Con- tinent for the man who likes his snipe to have “just flown through the kitchen,” as they say in Ireland. There are Tavernesand Brasseries in number on the Boulevard van Iseghem, and in the Rue de la Chapelle, which runs across the town from the Digue to the harbour. On the Rampe de Flandre, which is the commencement on the seaside of the big street, is the Taverne St. Jean, a cheap and not particularly inviting The Taverne St establishment, which is kept by an ex- Jean, Rampe de head-waiter from Madame Re’s fish Flandre restaurant at Monte Carlo, and he has brought some of the good traditions of that establish- ment with him to the borders of the North Sea, Belgian Towns 147 The Taverne St. Denis is a little eating-house in the main street which is quite clean The Taverne st in its appointments, and where I have Denis, Rue de obtained a quite satisfactory fillet, and la ChaPelle washed it down with some excellent beer from Bruges.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The man who wishes to keep his dinner bill below 10 francs or even below 5 need not fare ill at Ostende. In the Grand Place “ Au Gourmet,’’ is the charcutier’s shop of M. Jean Grand Place Bogaerts, who is a “Fournisseur du Roi,” but who modestly describes himself as Traiteur. In his shop window during the shooting season is always some choice game, and relays of fresh trout are sent him daily. On the first floor above the shop is a little restaurant which bears the title “ Au Gourmet.” It is a very unpretending little place, the knives are black-handled and the napery is coarse, but it is perfectly clean. On the mirrors are wafered the names of the plats du jour , the cost of which seem generally to be 1 franc 50 centimes ; a modest bill of fare conveys fuller information ; a little girl sits at the caisse ; and an elderly waiter with a blue black moustache and embroidered shirt and gloomy views concerning life takes one’s orders. Little ♦ K 146 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe things show that the service is good. I ordered some shrimps as hors cT oeuvre, and a finger glass was brought me after I had eaten them, and a large goblet was given me to wash the grapes of my dessert if I wished to. These are quite small matters, but they showed that the waiter, who looked like an Italian Count who had seen better days, knew his business. The prices charged for the game dishes showed me that one could get any of the birds shown in the shop downstairs at their sale price plus 50 centimes for cooking. Shrimps, a baby sole a la meuniere , a roast snipe on toast with water-cress, cream cheese, a bunch of black grapes, a pint of Cerons, and a small bottle of Louise Marie, the best known of Belgian mineral waters, and my bill came to 6 francs 65 centimes. Partridges I noticed were priced on the bill of fare at 4 francs 50 centimes, quail at 1 franc 50 centimes. The wine list, which is short, contains some good names. Volney Santenoy at 10 francs a bottle, and Chevalier Montrachet at 6 francs a bottle, should tempt connoisseurs. My snipe was overdone, but then I omitted to send word to the cook that I was an Englishman and liked my snipe but half roasted, a wise precaution anywhere on the Continent for the man who likes his snipe to have “just flown through the kitchen,” as they say in Ireland. There are Tavernesand Brasseries in number on the Boulevard van Iseghem, and in the Rue de la Chapelle, which runs across the town from the Digue to the harbour. On the Rampe de Flandre, which is the commencement on the seaside of the big street, is the Taverne St. Jean, a cheap and not particularly inviting The Taverne St establishment, which is kept by an ex- Jean, Rampe de head-waiter from Madame Re’s fish Flandre restaurant at Monte Carlo, and he has brought some of the good traditions of that establishment with him to the borders of the North Sea, Belgian Towns 147 The Taverne St. Denis is a little eating-house in the main street which is quite clean The Taverne st in its appointments, and where I have Denis, Rue de obtained a quite satisfactory fillet, and la ChaPelle washed it down with some excellent beer from Bruges.

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