L'Affenage — Restaurant in Érezée

Saturday, November the 10th, 2018,||||Saturday morning we drove to Redu (a well known book village in the Ardennes), to meet our friends for lunch at Le Fournil, a local brasserie (pub) with the village church as his closest neighbour. The weather, already wet and rainy leaving home, would continu all day long. But that couldn't spoil our weekend! ||||After lunch, a short walk through the village center and later that afternoon, along the banks of the river Lesse. The 6 km forest walk was decorated in colours of brown, yellow, ochre and red, all gleaming wet. The running water looked almost playful, splashing over polished rock formations in the river-bed.||||About 5:30 pm, Blier, a hamlet of Erezée, came in site. The castle farm on top of the hill, looked impressive at twilight. Our 'hotel de charme' was housed opposite the courtyard, in a renovated barn. Checked in, the rooms divided, it was time to get ready for the gourmet menu, which we were served later that evening.||||The other guests in the restaurant, also travelled from different regions in Flanders to spend a gastronomic weekend in the Ardennes. Our host took very good care of the service, while his wife performed her culinary talents in the kitchen. Well, I never, the food was so tasty! First a glass of Crémant and fingerfood were served, followed by two starters, main and dessert. Accompanying wines came with every dish, white and red, some even of Belgian origin.||||After a good cup of coffee, we moved to the drawing room for a night-cap. The dog of the house, named Stitch (a French bulldog 3 years of age), turned out to be a real little rascal who felt very much at ease and spontaneously came up with his favorite toy, to play. Oh my!||||The starry sky spread over the fields and in the silence of the night dreams took over of what had passed and was yet to come.||||Sunday, November the 11nd, 2018,||||On Sunday morning an extensive breakfast with coffee, bread, croissants, fruit juice, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, preserves, charcuterie and cheeses awaited. Ready for the next walk. Some 9 km through the forest, no rain and mild temperatures. At the start, crossing the shallow river water, it immediately went uphill (estimated at a 10% slope).||||The increase continued for a considerable time. We climbed from 330m to 470m (above sea level) in 1 1 / 2h time and for non - experienced hikers like us, that was quite a challenge! A break from time to time was therefore a welcome relief. Just back from the walk and changing footwear, it started to rain again. Perfect timing!||||We drove to Durbuy for lunch. We expected the smallest town in Belgium to be crowed, but on the contrary, it seemed quite calm. Perhaps the rain was to blame. After lunch, umbrellas in hand, Durbuy we strolled through his narrow streets. To end in a little bistro over a hot cup of chocolate, before returning to our hotel.||||The other guests seemed to have left, so we had the hotel to ourselves. Plenty of time for our hosts to spoil us with another delicious 3-course menu. A pâté of goose liver came with a rhubarb wine, which tasted surprisingly pleasant. For the real wine lovers among us it was rather 'not done'. Sometimes you have to push your boundaries a bit, but not everyone shares the same conviction.||||Sunday evening ended, like last night, around the burning wood stove with the necessary night-caps. Stitch wasn't in site tonight. A night's sleep ogled, awaiting a new day.||||Monday, November the 12th, 2018,||||We woke up in the silence of the Ardennes landscape. After breakfast, time to pack, check out and say goodbye to our weekend retreat. The luggage loaded, we drove off to Wéris, a cosy village lying in a valley, surrounded by afforest hills. A final, short walk into the fields, uphill. The sun was out, it even felt pleasantly warm. The weather gods turned out to be favorable.||||We walked along fallow fields with open views, forest avenues leafed in autumn colours, green pine trees, with an occasional break to catch our breath. And believe it or not, we just finished our walk... you guess, the rain shower went on again. By that time we found shelter in the local brasserie for lunch and the tasting of a locally brewed beer, la Wérilienne.||||Around half past three, memories of a great weekend in mind, we said goodbye to each other and drove back home. With next year already in...

Saturday, November the 10th, 2018,||||Saturday morning we drove to Redu (a well known book village in the Ardennes), to meet our friends for lunch at Le Fournil, a local brasserie (pub) with the village church as his closest neighbour. The weather, already wet and rainy leaving home, would continu all day long. But that couldn't spoil our weekend! ||||After lunch, a short walk through the village center and later that afternoon, along the banks of the river Lesse. The 6 km forest walk was decorated in colours of brown, yellow, ochre and red, all gleaming wet. The running water looked almost playful, splashing over polished rock formations in the river-bed.||||About 5:30 pm, Blier, a hamlet of Erezée, came in site. The castle farm on top of the hill, looked impressive at twilight. Our 'hotel de charme' was housed opposite the courtyard, in a renovated barn. Checked in, the rooms divided, it was time to get ready for the gourmet menu, which we were served later that evening.||||The other guests in the restaurant, also travelled from different regions in Flanders to spend a gastronomic weekend in the Ardennes. Our host took very good care of the service, while his wife performed her culinary talents in the kitchen. Well, I never, the food was so tasty! First a glass of Crémant and fingerfood were served, followed by two starters, main and dessert. Accompanying wines came with every dish, white and red, some even of Belgian origin.||||After a good cup of coffee, we moved to the drawing room for a night-cap. The dog of the house, named Stitch (a French bulldog 3 years of age), turned out to be a real little rascal who felt very much at ease and spontaneously came up with his favorite toy, to play. Oh my!||||The starry sky spread over the fields and in the silence of the night dreams took over of what had passed and was yet to come.||||Sunday, November the 11nd, 2018,||||On Sunday morning an extensive breakfast with coffee, bread, croissants, fruit juice, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, preserves, charcuterie and cheeses awaited. Ready for the next walk. Some 9 km through the forest, no rain and mild temperatures. At the start, crossing the shallow river water, it immediately went uphill (estimated at a 10% slope).||||The increase continued for a considerable time. We climbed from 330m to 470m (above sea level) in 1 1 / 2h time and for non - experienced hikers like us, that was quite a challenge! A break from time to time was therefore a welcome relief. Just back from the walk and changing footwear, it started to rain again. Perfect timing!||||We drove to Durbuy for lunch. We expected the smallest town in Belgium to be crowed, but on the contrary, it seemed quite calm. Perhaps the rain was to blame. After lunch, umbrellas in hand, Durbuy we strolled through his narrow streets. To end in a little bistro over a hot cup of chocolate, before returning to our hotel.||||The other guests seemed to have left, so we had the hotel to ourselves. Plenty of time for our hosts to spoil us with another delicious 3-course menu. A pâté of goose liver came with a rhubarb wine, which tasted surprisingly pleasant. For the real wine lovers among us it was rather 'not done'. Sometimes you have to push your boundaries a bit, but not everyone shares the same conviction.||||Sunday evening ended, like last night, around the burning wood stove with the necessary night-caps. Stitch wasn't in site tonight. A night's sleep ogled, awaiting a new day.||||Monday, November the 12th, 2018,||||We woke up in the silence of the Ardennes landscape. After breakfast, time to pack, check out and say goodbye to our weekend retreat. The luggage loaded, we drove off to Wéris, a cosy village lying in a valley, surrounded by afforest hills. A final, short walk into the fields, uphill. The sun was out, it even felt pleasantly warm. The weather gods turned out to be favorable.||||We walked along fallow fields with open views, forest avenues leafed in autumn colours, green pine trees, with an occasional break to catch our breath. And believe it or not, we just finished our walk... you guess, the rain shower went on again. By that time we found shelter in the local brasserie for lunch and the tasting of a locally brewed beer, la Wérilienne.||||Around half past three, memories of a great weekend in mind, we said goodbye to each other and drove back home. With next year already in...

We stayed at L'Affenage for a weekend to play golf and had a great time. The hotel is located in a castle courtyard, dating back from the 19th century. It is a quiet setting, at a half hour walking from the village.||The hotel facilities are simple, but adequate. The first room was small as was the double bed, so we asked for another room. This one was better, with 2 narrow single beds, which slept OK. Also the bathroom is quite small and simple, with a shower, but everything does function.||There is no elevator, so you have to carry your luggage.||Wifi is for free, but weak and mainly working in the reception and restaurant area, not in the rooms.||Whereas the rooms are simple, the restaurant is superb! They serve a set menu, although they take care of your dietary wishes. Food is excellent and at Michelin standard! They bake their own bread, also for breakfast, which is gorgeous!||We enjoyed the recommended wine arrangement (not cheap) and were surprised by some great wines, fitting well with the dinner. Also the service was perfect!||All in al a...