Afspanning De Kroon

The meat was tender and delicious, falling right off the bone, and I’d happily stay here again. We had dinner, though the beer took its time coming through the tap 🤣🍺. The barbecue sauce wasn’t quite my style: it tasted more like sweet chili sauce with chili flakes. I prefer the American kind, usually based on brown sugar. I spotted the same sauce at the next restaurant we went to, so maybe that’s just how it’s made around here 😉. The location in this little Antwerp suburb is lovely, and breakfast was good too. It costs extra, but 15 Euro seemed fair for yoghurt and a good big cup of tea.

After my group had finished eating, I waited 40 minutes for a replacement steak, and it was even more overcooked than the first one. I’d ordered it saignant, but it arrived cuit/bien cuit, dry and nothing like I’d asked for. When I politely requested another, they took the steak they’d already served, cooked it even further, and brought it back to me 😄. I asked again, and eventually they brought a new one.

The staff were nice and friendly, check-in and checkout were quick and easy, and the place was clean. The pub was cozy, too. But room 222 had a lot of problems. You can’t sit straight on the toilet because it’s fitted so close to the wall and another fixture. There’s nowhere to put shampoo in the shower except on the floor, and the bed wasn’t comfortable. The chairs looked like they were for relaxing, but felt so unstable that I fell off one and hit my head on the wall. Parking isn’t really available at the property. You have to drive around to a street at the back and park for free, then walk 200m. There was no air conditioning, just a cheap 20€ Chinese fan, and the room was very stuffy. Breakfast wasn’t included. For 125€ a night, you’d think eggs or sandwiches might be offered.

The room was average, and the Wi-Fi didn’t work in there. It was cold, the heating wasn’t working properly, and I saw insects and a spider crawling around.