Bruges Waffles & Frites from the mouths of the web staff

UVU Review

January 31, 2015

schedule 5 min read

IMG_1638

Tiffany Frandsen | Deputy Managing Editor | @tiffany_mf

Bruges is this magnificently Europeanesque experience found conveniently on Center Street in Provo.  Inside the eatery is little Belgium, complete with the Manneken Pis (you know, the naked boy statue fountain that looks like its peeing), brick walls with antique waffle irons hung up and open windows that give the whole dining area almost a street café feel. The waffles – oh, the waffles! – are real Belgium Liege waffles. Sugary, warm crispy waffles topped with light, sweet (but not overbearingly so) crème fraiche are a primo choice for an afternoon bite or an evening end-of-date treat. I took my waffle with crème fraiche alone, but I’ve gotten blueberries with my caramelized waffle in the past, and I don’t believe I am mistaken in saying that accompanying a Bruges waffle is the highest and most noble honor a blueberry can aspire to.

20141220_182006

Haley Madison | Blog Editor | @haleyshantelle

I have heard about Bruges many, many times. I was anticipating their Provo store opening to get a taste for myself. They’re known for their waffles and like an idiot, I didn’t order a waffle. I got a hamburger. Apparently, when the web staff gets together, something comes over me and makes me want to order a burger. I rarely eat hamburgers but I’m at 50% when I’m with the web staff.

I ordered the Ricky Burger which is a pork burger with “Ricky sauces” and fried onions. The sauces turned out to be a barbecue like sauce and another creamy sort of sauce. I got it in a combo which included a heaping pile of fries. I chose two sauces for my fries: a spicy fry sauce and a garlic-y aioli. They were both delicious. I can see why Bruges takes such pride in their fries. They were perfect. They had a lot of flavor and were the perfect size and shape. I could eat a whole meal of just the fries.

The burger was interesting. I didn’t realize it was pork until I looked it up and that makes a lot more sense. The burger itself had a sort of crust around it and the texture of the meat was not what I was expecting with a beef burger. The flavor, however, was really nice and it went perfectly with the barbecue sauce and the other mystery white sauce. The crispy onions added a little burst of flavor every few bites which kept it interesting. I got full about half way through the meal. Luckily, we carried on a conversation long enough to be able to slowly work through the rest of the burger.

Because of the sauces, this burger was a mess. If you let yourself enjoy it, you’ll be fine. I used a good amount of napkins but I ended up okay.

The restaurant itself is really cute on the inside. It feels like you’re in a little European cafe. I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Bruges and plan to return to actually try a waffle.

InstagramCapture_55d9a011-9f92-4dfe-b7cd-2dff974a4dd5_jpg-2

Kenzie Jones | Sports Editor | @KenzieScribbler

The night that we met at Burges I was in a rather adventurous and experimental mood as well as straight up starving. I was stupid and forgot to pack a lunch to eat at work, so I literally hadn’t eaten all day. All of this accounts for the way I ordered, well at least explains it.
I glanced at the menu and skimmed the details of the first thing that had a name that sounded good and gave the impression of a lot of food. The Italian Waffle Sandwich jumped out to me right away. It was two savory waffles perfectly crisp on first bite that turned to this amazing soft texture as you chewed. They were stuffed with Italian ham, a giant block of mozzarella, which happens to be my favorite cheese, tomato, lettuce, pesto, and balsamic vinegar.
My only half regret about this visit is that I have no idea what the sauces for the massive order of fries I got are called. I was starting to get grumpy from not ingesting anything all day, so by the time it was my turn to order I wanted to get it over with fast so that I could sit down and start sipping my soda in an attempt to trick my mind into staying in a pleasant mood. When the very nice lady who was taking my order asked what dipping sauces I wanted I glance at the menu of 12 options I thought, “nope, not happening,” and pointed to two at random.
The random ordering of my food turned out to be one of the best choices that night. It made the whole experience of trying a new place all the more fun and exciting. I highly recommend you doing this, if not at Burges, at some other restaurant at some point in your life. Just do it a little bit smarter then me and pay enough attention to remember what you ordered so you can order it again when you go back because you are craving it.
The sandwich turned out to be incredible. I’m talking so good that even in my ravenous hunger state of existence I took the time to eat it slowly and actually enjoy tasting my food. It was the mix of savory flavors from the waffles, tangy tartness from the vinegar and cheese, and slight sweetness from the pesto. All that mixed with the amazing salty crispiness of the fries and the sweetness of one dipping sauce along with the spicy tang of the other sauce made my mouth go on the adventure that my mind wanted to experience.