Het Rand — Restaurant in Bruges

We stumbled across Het Rand by chance… And we’re so glad we did!

We went to Bruges for our friend’s 40th birthday and it was super busy due to the Christmas markets. Every restaurant she chose was fully booked so we checked on an app which helps identify available tables at restaurants across the city.

We chose Het Rand as it was close to the hotel and the reviews looked pretty good.

However, the reviews do not do this place justice and if people knew how good it was then the place would not have had available tables during Christmas market season.

My partner had a steak and he said it was the best steak ever. This is someone who is usually disappointed every time he eats steak out as it’s frozen. But he likened this to a stained glass window, saying that the steak looked amazing inside, and it was cooked to perfection.

I had the South African stew and chips. Oh my word! The chips were even better than the chips served at the Frites Museum and the stew was lovely.

My friend had the same as me and his partner had the ribs. High praise from both of them!

Owners, Richard and Kobus, clearly really care about the food they cook and the service they provide. They chatted to us for ages about their lives and business aspirations, even though they must have been busy with clearing down the restaurant.

Someone in the restaurant got given a birthday cake and they did not hesitate to bring us out a cake seconds later when they found out it was my friend’s 40th! What were the odds…?!

Please don’t be put off by the “1 hour” slot on the booking page, as you’re not restricted to eating within 1 hour, which we thought was the case. It actually means that Kobus will only cook for a certain amount of tables every 1 hour, so he can focus on the quality of the food.

Afterwards, we went to the underground bar which the pair have just opened. It’s beautifully decorated and they offer some great drinks. What an amazing atmosphere!

I can highly recommend this restaurant. You will not be disappointed by the service or the quality of the food. It was very reasonably priced as well, working out at about £40 per person for starter, main and wine!

It made the holiday (and my friend’s birthday)...

Normally when a customer has a complaint about the service. One would just expect an apology, not a lament about how hard it is running a restaurant, or how tired you are after a days work. The story as it actually happened, not how you expressed yourself to the other customers: We took our seat and waited patiently. It looked an upstanding establishment and we saw other tables being served. People arriving after us got served first. Which is not a big thing. However it's strange when we winked the waiter, who responded with a nod. Just to serve an adjecent table? Getting a bit tired. We cleared our own table after the previous customers and headed towards the bar. Once there, we were ignored for a minute, and even we're obliged to wait while fresh newcomers got served first. Wel, being skipped four times, even after a wink/nod with the waiter. I think any normal person would ask what's happening, why he's being ignored. Well, no apology. No, just complaining about your hard life, how South Africa is different, ... Sorry, just a customer here. To repeat my answers: I have no trouble ordering at the bar, I even have no trouble helping a bit, clearing out the table. And so on... but no name calling, no insults, shouting or demanding anything.

I understand you, and especially your staff, who made a mistake, or lead to a misunderstanding. So what, just say sorry and get on with it. We didn't got a sorry, but didn't make a fuzz about it too. Just ordered, paid, drank and left. Normally that would've been the end of it. But the patron thought it would be nice to address everyone, suggesting to just order at the bar and don't make a scene. A scene? Bullocks! You claim that it was busy. It wasn't really packed? You couldn't even serve half the drinks we ordered. No Ice tea peach, and no cappucino´s? Really, and you felt that I made a scene? Maybe I should have? Now let´s share this with the world. Too bad, we were interested in the...

Visited this establishment yesterday, 29 July 2024. We made a reservation before arriving. We were warmly greeted at the door and given a choice of seating options. Both waiter and waitress were very kind and polite to all guests. When I heard South African and bunny chow, my patriotic tastebuds were aroused, and adventure filled my being. Upon arrival of the meal, I was surprised by the presentation, as I'd never seen a bunny chow like it, and as a native South African I've always eaten a bunny chow with my fingers. The filling on the inside was delicious, I would describe it as a lamb stew, more than a lamb curry. It was very delicious. The meal was served with French fries and a carrot salad, also freshly prepared and pleasant on the palet. Definitely NOT a bunny chow. I made a bunny chow in my kitchen and this is what a bunny chow is, every South African knows that. If you are in Bruges, please support these guys, I will certainly be returning and seeing...