West Norfolk’s Bar Man Jeff Hoyle on trip to Ghent in Belgium where he sampled food, drink and some culture

In his weekly The Bar Man column, Jeff Hoyle discusses a recent trip to Belgium to sample the food, drink and some culture…

There is that dead time around 5 in the evening when the cafes have closed and the restaurants are yet to open, but we found a pizza place ready to serve us.

This being Ghent, the pizzas came with suggestions for a beer to complement the food, and we followed the recommendations, choosing a beer from De Koninck, described as amber-coloured, with a beautiful cream-coloured head and tasting slightly malty and slightly hoppy with a hint of caramel.

At 5.2% and 23 International Bitterness Units, it was the perfect choice. Or it would have been if our pizza arrived.

Small groups, large groups, couples all came in and they were all served while we waited and waited. How long before you say something?

The reason we were eating early was that we were heading out to a football match, about ten kilometres away and involving a couple of bus rides.

Eventually I asked how much longer our food would take, and it became clear that the order had not gone through to the kitchen.

The manager was very apologetic and rushed it through. While we were waiting, he was kind enough to, in the parlance of the young, drop us a Bolleke, indeed, he sent over one each.

No harm done as we managed our food, bolted our Bollekes and made the game with time to spare.

Not KAA Ghent, the Buffalos, who were without a game due to an international break, but a suburban third-tier team called KFC Merelbeke, who were playing KSK Heist.

They have recently moved into a very smart sports centre with a number of artificial pitches alongside the grass match pitch, with a fine-looking athletics set-up the other side of the fabulous stand.

The home side ran out the winners 3-0, and we ran out to catch the return bus, seeing it go past the end of the road as we approached the stop.

Still, what is half an hour's wait in the deserted suburbs when you have a chance to watch a live game?

Perhaps not a question to ask the Bar Wife. What could I do to earn a few credits?

The free food tour was great with everything from waffles to frites and chocolate on the menu.

The Mystic Lamb in the cathedral is one of the great works of western art, mostly by the 15th-century Flemish painters Hubert and Jan Van Eyke.

The view from the towering belfry was impressive while the Castle and House of the Alijn family were both well worth a visit.

Fine art and contemporary art abound, but just wandering the medieval streets looking for food and beer was just as much fun.

I did offer to seek out another game on the Sunday, but my offers fell on deaf ears, even when I promised to show the Bar Wife how to add small football logos onto the excellent Football Grounds Map indicating the ones she has visited.

Sometimes women are a mystery. Still, that gave us time to seek out more traditional food such as beef stew in beer, Gentse Waterzooi and hunks of beef or lamb.

We could have done more to seek out the local breweries, but after a couple with supper at Belgian strength, it was enough to return to the hotel for a trippel in the hotel bar before bed.

30 years of the Eurostar and it takes us smoothly under the Channel to Brussels in a couple of hours.

Pity about the delays coming back from London to Lynn, but perhaps these were worth it for such a fabulous trip.

bar.man@btinternet.com