whats happened to Vivaldis in Wipers

[schoonaert]

hi everybody,

I’m peter schoonaert, the manager (with my wife lieve) of the vivaldi, since 1991

first of all, I would like to say thank you to all our English clients and other English tourists visiting ypres. you are nice people and always (mostly) in a good mood. take them away from ypres and ypres won't be the same.

honestly, I was shocked reading this forum. especially because we take care of our English (and other) clients to serve them in the best way we can. most of our clients are pleased in every way, if something is wrong, I really appreciate it to be informed about it.

about our renewal; there's not one restaurant in the world who pleases everybody, impossible. however, the decoration is "trendy" anno 2005 following Belgian standards and if we had to do it again, we would do it just the same way. as French people say so nice "les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas..."

regarding our Flemish stew: this is made following a recipe as years ago.

note: when a Flemish stew has just being made, it is not as soft as the following day ! and most important: the Flemish stew at the vivaldi is made of 100% beef. a less expensive recipe is 100% of pork or a mix pork/beef. the reason of our success is because all of our products are made of the very best ingredients, a standard which we like to maintain.

you always get what you have paid for, or in other restaurants "mostly"...

regarding the prices, I think we are situated "mid-class". for the same dishes in other cities as Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, you pay +30 % please do not forget the vat in Belgium is 21 % (6% in Holland notwithstanding the same price for the same menu) and the cost for personnel in Belgium is the most expensive in Europe !

coming to the vivaldi ensures you of a nice decor, air-conditioning, air refreshment, high hygienic standards and materials in the kitchen and high quality of food, well trained personnel, good maintenance, ... even the terrace outside is heated when it is cold, but as you know, at the end of the month...

end of the story: we are continuously paying money in equipment, ingredients and others, to ensure our clients the best quality and a fast and fluent service.

if something is wrong, mea culpa, mea culpa, but please, tell us about it.

come and see and convince yourselves, at the mean time, I’m standing a free drink when you first visit the vivaldi again, just ask for peter or lieve !

vivaldi@telenet.be phone +32 57 21.75.21 mobile +32 474 95.75.73

http://www.restaurant-vivaldi.be

kind regards, peter & lieve.

ps my apologies for misspelling

[Steve Bramley]

you are nice people and always (mostly) in a good mood.

Hi Peter,

I'm sure the free drink will help to eliminate the (mostly)

Might just take you up on that sometime!

Regards,

Steve.

[stevew]

hi everybody,

I’m peter schoonaert, the manager (with my wife lieve) of the vivaldi, since 1991 

first of all, I would like to say thank you to all our English clients and other English tourists visiting ypres.  you are nice people and always (mostly) in a good mood.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is really nice to hear from Peter on the forum. I have been reading this post with interest. I am off to Ieper next month and was looking at everybodies comments.

Me personally, I loved the old Vivaldi's. I have been to Ieper once since it has been revamped. I, my partner and our friends who came with me had no complaints with the food whatsoever (We dined their every night on our 3 day visit). I will say I did notice a slight drop in the level of service, but I wouldn't say it was bad just down on what it used to be...........But there is a good chance I'll be taking Peter's offer of a drink!!!!!

[BlackSeptember1918]

O.k....So thats the stew ... I'll be over there in a week and I'm interested to know if there is a better beer ( you Pom's call it lager ) than Stella ?. Being an Aussie I love tasting beer and must admit that I think Stella is pretty much up there with the best of them . Any of the locals have a better drop they would like to inform me about ... ( and is it best drunk with stew ??? (( joking !)) )

thanks.

Oh and p.s. ... I'm really looking forward to seeing your Ypres .. it's been one of my dreams for a long time .

Phil.

[Derek Robertson]

and I'm interested to know if there is a better beer than Stella ?.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Phil,

If you go to Belgium and only drink lager then you're missing out on one of life's great treats as the Belgians have some of the best "real" beers in the world. (second only to the beer produced by the Caledonian Brewery in bonnie Scotland).

[Aurel Sercu]

Phil,

Just a few of my favourites.

(And as you know some Belgian beers are stronger than Australian (?). That's why I mention the alcohol percentage. (Comparing : Stella Artois must be approx. 5.5%)

Duvel 8.5% - Hoegaarden Grand Cru 8.5% -Leffe 6.6% - Brigand 9% - La Guillotine 9% - Judas 8.5% - Gordon Finest gold 10% - Chimay 9% - Trappistes Rochefort 11.3% - Westmalle Trappist tripel 9.5% - Bush - Kasteelbier Blond or Bruin 11% etc.

If you want more, ask Dave Croonaert !

Which ones go with stew ? You'll have to ask Peter or Lieve ...

Aurel

P.S. Don't try all of them on one evening. And if you do, try them after, not before, the Last Post. Or else you won't see the difference between the Menin Gate and the Cloth Hall.

[Mark Hone]

Phil-If you think Stella is a good Belgian beer, then you're in for a treat or perhaps a shock. Serious lovers of Belgian beer don't normally give Stella a second glance. In Ieper there will be loads to choose from, including fairly locally made product such as Passendale and Hommelbier. At the St Sixtus monastery near Poperinge they sell their home-made stuff in large quantities. Belgium probably brews more different kinds of beer than any other country-and much of it is not Pilsner-type lager. In fact at the 'Little Bruges Bear', (in Bruges of course) one of the greatest pubs in the world with hundreds of different Belgian beers available, they don't sell any pilsner. (shock horror)

[PPCLI]

Hi Phil.

Aurel just beat me to it! Was about to say that Stella would be considered a fairly weak beer in Belgium. Also, was going to mention to be careful about anything that has Trappist or tripel in the title, or you may be left trying to remember if you actually did go to Belgium for your holiday

Derek - oh for a guid pint o' echty shillin'. I'm back up in Scotland for my sister's wedding in July, so will have to hold out till then

Cheers,

Stuart

[BlackSeptember1918]

Thanks for the tips mates !!.

Better take this step by step .

Derek , I guess your right mate about the real beer , I've a brother in law in Hemel Hempstead that wouldn't touch lager...but what can I say , dad weened me on the lager since I was old enough to annoy him at barbies , and nothing seems right to me except the lager ( also a father in law in Manchester that drinks Boddington's like it's nectar of the gods.....so you won't think so bad of me , also a few of the wifes grandparents were from Aberdeen ..but I survived there on the whisky ! .)

Stuart , Mark and Aurel

Those percentages are up there with the A league !! .. I guess it's lucky it gets dark so late in the Northern Hemisphere , so I'll still be out on the battlefields and won't have very long at the pub to do too much damage ... I hope !

I'm not too sure how us Aussies would go drinking 10% beer all the time ... we are silly enough without that !! .

Thanks for the names of those beers , I'll write them down and give them a go .

I guess I may be able to push myself to a pint of Guinness at the Shell Hole to fit in though .

I suppose I could always take the precaution of attaching a tag to my wrist saying " if found in a gutter , please deliver me back to Ariane Hotel " .

Thanks a lot fella's !.

Phil.

[John_Hartley]

Boddington's like it's nectar of the gods.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Used to be, until the brewery was taken over by one of the major corporates. Now it's just like any other southern manufactured gnat's p**s.

Convince the father in law to migrate to Hyde's (which was always the better Manchester brew) Or Stockport's finest - Robinson's (still family owned - and it shows)

My deep attachment to Robinsons, over many years, is one of the major reasons why I am now on the wagon (63 months and 19 days - not that I'm still counting, of course)

John

[schoonaert]

It is really nice to hear from Peter on the forum.  I have been reading this post with interest.  I am off to Ieper next month and was looking at everybodies comments.

Me personally, I loved the old Vivaldi's.  I have been to Ieper once since it has been revamped.  I, my partner and our friends who came with me had no complaints with the food whatsoever (We dined their every night on our 3 day visit).  I will say I did notice a slight drop in the level of service, but I wouldn't say it was bad just down on what it used to be...........But there is a good chance I'll be taking Peter's offer of a drink!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hello again,

Thx for your reaction.

To avoid any misunderstandings, the “smiley” next to “1991” was meant to tell you that there is no “new ownership”

On the other hand, we certainly have no problems that people are discovering other and new restaurants, so don’t feel embarrassed if you talk about other restaurants. My wife and I are often visiting other places and we also like to discover “the new ones”, even in Ypres. The sun is shining for everybody ! Off course, we try as hard as we can

I’m really interested in what people say and think about our place, negative as well as positive thoughts, it’s a adequate way to be informed and to know what action has to be taken to improve …

There is indeed a big difference between the “old” vivaldi and the “new” one, but the old one was build in 1986 and at present time, there’s a difference of 20 years, didn’t we all change

We are just following the trend setting in Belgium as well as in other countries and I am convinced that we have token the right decision. A year ago, I was afraid it was to futuristic for a small town like ypres, but when we see the people are coming again and again and when we talk to our clients and we hear all the positive noises, I don’t doubt anymore, we have done the right thing…

So, the offer for the free drink is still valid !!!

Once again, my apologies for eventual misspellings.

Kind regards,

Peter

[schoonaert]

O.k....So thats the stew ... I'll be over there in a week and I'm interested to know if there is a better beer ( you Pom's call it lager ) than Stella ?. Being an Aussie I love tasting beer and must admit that I think Stella is pretty much up there with the best of them . Any of the locals have a better drop they would like to inform me about ... ( and is it best drunk with stew ??? (( joking !)) )

thanks.

Oh and p.s. ... I'm really looking forward to seeing your Ypres .. it's been one of my dreams for a long time .

Phil.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Jupiler is known as the best lager in Belgium, available in draft. when you visit belgium you absolutely have to try LEFFE BLOND "draft", a abbey beer, really appreciated by the belgian people, but, order it after the last post

peter

[Patrick H]

Now it's just like any other southern manufactured gnat's p**s.

At least we southerners in Essex get a PINT not one with a 3 inch collar

Patrick

[KIRKY]

What a nice man the owner comes across as! Not afraid to take criticism and open to ideas.

I intend to vist Ypres in next year and based on his positive attitude will pay him a visit!

Tony

[Mark Hone]

If you're staying at the Ariane then nothing beats a cold glass of their draught Leffe Blond after a hard day cycling or walking the battlefields.

[Derek Robertson]

P.S. Don't try all of them on one evening. And if you do, try them after, not before,  the Last Post. Or else you won't see the difference between the Menin Gate and the Cloth Hall.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To the Pals on tour in April - why does that strike a chord?

And where is Chocolate Soldier now anyway?

[John W]

To the Pals on tour in April - why does that strike a chord?

Now I notice somebody mentioning the Passendale beer, what do they know that the Pals on Tour didn't I am sure Derek claimed to have liberated the last bottle to live in Exile in Scotland

[chrislock]

At last! Jupiler gets a thumbs up! Had a chewing off last year from Chris Baker, when I mentioned that I liked Jupiler! Well, I thought my taste buds were shot through, but all is well after all. Go and drink draught Jupiler with the rest of the Ex Pats in Sante and you,ll see why, its superb! The bar is also full of locals too and guess what they are drinking? Trouble is, I keep walking into the fish slabs on my way home!Hey Patrick, Ive just eaten your marmite cheddar,all gone,ha!

[Aurel Sercu]

To the Pals on tour in April - why does that strike a chord?

And where is Chocolate Soldier now anyway?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not sure I understand, but is this a request for me to go to the Cloth Hall right away in order to try to find out if a certain Chocolate Soldier - the poor man, recovering from 2 Duvels, 3 Kasteelbiers, 4 Chimays and 5 Trappistes Rochefort - is still standing there waiting for the Last Post to sound ?

Aurel

[shinglma]

Now it's just like any other southern manufactured gnat's p**s.

At least we southerners in Essex get a PINT not one with a 3 inch collar

Patrick

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A myth - no self-respecting northerner would accept anything less than a full pint of beer. When you see a pint with a large head in the north of England it is invariably keg, served from a measured electric pump in to an oversize glass to allow for the head.

Still a pint of liquid though.

Mike

[BatterySergeantMajor]

To the Pals on tour in April - why does that strike a chord?

Now I notice somebody mentioning the Passendale beer, what do they know that the Pals on Tour didn't I am sure Derek claimed to have liberated the last bottle to live in Exile in Scotland

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not too smart to liberate it: it's finished with Passchendaele beer. Maybe still a few places who have some small stock left? Might become a collector's item.

Erwin

[Mark Hone]

Erwin-are you saying that they've stopped making Passendale beer? I've got the last bottle from my most recent Belgian visit sitting in the fridge at the moment! I must admit that I used to really like it when it first came out but I've become less keen on it recently. I think that the taste varies quite a lot and it can be bland or sickly sweet.

I've suddenly realised that the ending of Passendale production was obliquely referred to in the Pals Tour thread. I haven't been to Ieper yet this year so could someone fill me in? Talking of disappearing beers I haven't seen 'Witches Cauldron' or 'Ypresman' lately.

[kaisersoffensive]

I suppose I could always take the precaution of attaching a tag to my wrist saying " if found in a gutter , please deliver me back to Ariane Hotel " .

Gooday

At least you should be in good company!

No body mentioned Quack but stay clear of the Gurzer which is very much

an aquired taste.

Good on you mate

Douglas Jardine