Bite - De Bio-Dynamische Bakkerij
When you’re in a city like Antwerp, there are options aplenty for good lunch spots. When the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, however, you’ll find your choices narrowed down to a select few “good lunch spots with outdoor seating”.
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And that's how a friend and I end up at this lovely little café with an incredibly long name. De Biologische Dynamische Bakkerij (The Organic Dynamic Bakery, if you will) has three locations in the centre of the city, two of which are owned by Chilean-Belgian entrepreneur Carlos Maldonado. But only one - in the Mechelsesteenweg - boasts a charming, leafy terrace at its back.
To get there, we walk through the front bakery area and past a long glass case filled with assorted pies and pastries, many of which are proudly marked "sugar-free". All the baking, we find out, is in fact done at another address, an organic bakery and natural food shop in Amsterdam called 't Zonnemeer.
I make a mental note to save room for dessert and continue heading towards the back of the charming dining room area, furnished with exactly the kind of French countrystyle tables I would love to have in my own home.
It's an odd hour for lunch, late afternoon, but our amiable server agrees to make us anything on the menu. So we take our time looking it over before finally deciding on two warm sandwiches from the suggestions board - and one plain omelette for my friend's son.
In the 10 minutes that we wait for our dishes, my dining buddies happily sip from their glasses of apple-pear juice (from organic farm De Drie Wilgen in nearby Nijlen), while I cup a cappuccino in my hands and soak up the late summer sun.
The three plates arrive together with a basket of thickly sliced organic brown bread encrusted with sunflower seeds. The omelette is as simple as one would expect: thin and golden and not overly cooked.
Both my friend's veggie burger and my baguette with bacon come served on warm, crusty bread with a side of ketchup. Hers is a thick patty made from pumpkin, topped with tangy sun-dried tomato pesto, creamy feta and a few slices of courgette, which could have used a little more cooking time. All in all, though, the burger is well presented, tasty and filled with good-quality, healthy ingredients.
The same goes for my warm baguette, albeit a bit less healthy due to several juicy bacon strips and blobs of melted cheese. But inside there's also courgette, lettuce, tomato, crunchy white onion and some creamy vinaigrette. After a few shakes of the salt shaker, I proceed to devour the whole thing.
Finally it's time to return to the pastry case at the front, where we pick out a slice of rhubarb crumble and a chocolate-dipped hazelnut-spelt cookie. Spelt being one of the most "nutritious" of all grains, I consider this little treat guilt-free. We finish off with a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, a latte and a cappuccino, all made with care.
The bill amounts to a very fair €45 and comes with a helpful set of directions for the best parks to visit in the neighbourhood.
Mechelsesteenweg 78, Antwerp; 03.248.78.00 (also Volkstraat 17 & Cadixstraat 55)
8.00-19.00 Mon-Sat; 9.00-18.00 Sun
Mains: €5-€14
Organic breakfast and lunch café with an idyllic walled garden and loads of charm
About the author
Beer & Food Writer
