Barchel - Antwerp

Since going out for brunch on Saturday, to catch up on the past week, is a bit of a habit of ours, the boyfriend and I decided to go back to Barchel. We had been there before but as they were closed for a couple of weeks and only re-opened recently, I insisted on going back!

Even though Barchel is located a bit further away from the city center (close to the National Bank and the Stadspark), it's very known among locals and it's becoming a true hotspot that attracts more and more trendy hotspot seekers from abroad as well. It's always a challenge to get a table but after a 10 minute wait we got seated and after a brief look on the menu, we knew what to order.

As the kind waitress was very occupied, she only managed to take our order after a 20 minute wait. By that time it was already 5 past 12 so she told us breakfast was no longer served. A bit disappointed and hangry, we picked something from the lunch menu.

Luckily we were sitting at the front window with a lookout on the street so it gave us the ultimate spring feeling as we were sitting there with our Americano and the sun rays on our faces, waiting for our food to arrive.

After the first bite, we immediately "cooled down" and forgot the disappointment we felt at first because the food made SO up for it. I ordered the flatbread with mashed avocado, feta, pomegranate and poached eggs. BEST.COMBO.EVER. I'm definitely going to try to recreate this at home.

Rik went for the Turkish bread with grilled chicken, tomato salsa and a lime-cilantro dressing. I didn't try it since it had chicken on it but apparently it was really tasty as well.

As we love to share something sweet after our savory dish, it was a pity we couldn't order the breakfast pancakes (we order them every time because they are too good to be true). Luckily Barchel also has a selection of sweets at the counter but as we had eaten quite enough, we didn't order a piece of pie.

Besides the good food, I'm head over heels with the interior, the high ceilings and the building in general. Both their plates and the space are very appealing so I love being at Barchel. The only downpart is that basically everyone seems to share this opinion. So as the place is packed on Saturday, it sometimes feels as if they are a bit understaffed. Nonetheless, the food and friendly service make more than up for this. The perfect place for extensive brunch!!