A Liège of its own: Bruges Waffles & Frites comes to Provo
The Machine Gun Sandwich made with Moroccan spiced lamb sausages and Andalouse sauce next to the Meltdown Sandwich at Bruges Waffles & Frites in Provo. See our review of the new restaurant at www.heraldextra.com.
The Liege Waffle with creme fraiche and mixed berries.
The Machine Gun Sandwich made with Moroccan spiced lamb sausages and Andalouse sauce is worth a visit to Bruges Waffles & Frites all by itself.
The Machine Gun Sandwich, left, next to the Meltdown Sandwich, right, and Liege Waffle, center.
I won’t pretend to know much about Belgium.
It’s located next to France, right? They speak … Flemish?
Ignorance turned into bliss this past week, when I met a few friends at Bruges Waffles & Frites in downtown Provo. Bruges has been a mainstay in Salt Lake City for some time now, and just opened its Provo location a few weeks ago. For some people this is a big deal. When I texted my friend about this new location, his response was passionate — too passionate to reprint here, unfortunately.
I’d only been to Bruges once before. That tasty waffle with fresh peaches haunted my dreams for far too long. Looking at the Provo location’s menu last week, peaches weren’t there. A pang of disappointment ricocheted within me. I got over it quickly, though, once our orders were placed in front of us.
Bruges has more than waffles and frites. (Belgians call fries “frites” — I’m learning Belgian things, see?). They also have a bunch of sandwiches. Some of these are waffle sandwiches, with waffles replacing the normal bread.
I got the Meltdown, a waffle sandwich with brie cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato and caramelized onion. I was enjoying this until I took a bite of my girlfriend’s Machine Gun Sandwich. It comes with two merguez sausages (from local grass-fed lamb), a heap of Belgian frites and Andalouse sauce (a Belgian specialty that includes mayo, tomato paste and peppers), all on a fresh bun. Game over, y’all. I’m a big proponent of fries on sandwiches. The Machine Gun is a powerful, tasty testament — the best sandwich I’ve had in Utah. Truthfully, it might make Bruges’ other sandwiches obsolete. One Machine Gun wasn’t enough: I returned to Bruges a few days later for a repeat tasting.
We also ordered the Flemish Stew, a beer-braised beef stew that, for a couple extra bucks, also comes with fries. Get the fries here, and mix it all together. That’s what my friend did, and I sneaked a few bites while he momentarily left the table. I’ll be going back for the Flemish Stew sometime soon, I bet.
Of course, a trip to Bruges wouldn’t be complete without some waffles. Bruges has a few different waffle options, but we went with its classics — the Liège and Brussels Waffles — some topped with blueberries, some with strawberries, and all topped with crème fraîche (freshly whipped cream). The Liège is dough-based, and a little heavier than the fluffy batter-based Brussels. I’ve gone back and forth on which I liked better, and I still can’t decide. Best to get both, just to be safe.
Basically, there’s a lot to love about Bruges. The sweet stuff was perfectly sweet, the savory items deliciously savory. And, if you’re like me, you’ll learn some things about Belgium too.
BRUGES WAFFLES & FRITES
Where: 42 W. Center St., Provo
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Sunday.
Cost: $3-$10
Info: (801) 377-3214, brugeswaffles.com, facebook.com/BrugeswafflesProvo