Resturant Review: Carpe Diem Tearoom

The quaint interior. We came at a slower time.

Their decorative napkin.

As my friend was in charge of the Brugge leg of our short Western Europe trip, and she was fully responsible for our reservation at the lovely Fort Lapin, I wasn't worried when she suggested we have afternoon tea and Belgian waffles at Carpe Diem tearoom. Of course, there are several places in Brugge for a tea date or Belgian waffles; however, Carpe Diem tearoom is one of the best as shown by their high online reviews. Therefore, I was excited about are visit. What better place to try a Belgian waffle than in Belgium, right?

A horse and carriage
going by!

The fireplace next to our
table.

The environment of the tea house is extremely laid back and relaxing. The lighting is low, and it feels like you have your own little corner although the main seating area is quite open. If you don't want to sit indoors, you can choose to sit in their outside space where it seems people congregate. I preferred our place inside. While the decor has an antiquated feel, it didn't feel dated. Instead, it felt like sitting in a noble's house. Too bad we didn't wear frilly dresses to go along with the ambiance.

My tea set.

Each of us ordered tea and a waffle. Our tea came first on a cute tray with a personal teapot for refills. As with many proper tearooms, the tea was accompanied by a small treat and a trio of sugar: white, brown, and pure cane. The snack was a small shortcake and chocolate biscuit, both delicious! Along with my tea came an orange slice, which was a nice change of pace from the usual lemon. My orange tea complimented the treat well.

Orange slice + orange tea = heaven!

My waffle with pistachio ice cream

After a round of tea, the main attraction came—our waffles! My friend sometimes claims I'm a bells and whistles type of person. Although I argue that this isn't the case, it sometimes rings true, especially when it comes to food! I can be a fickle person by nature; it's often difficult for me to make a choice about what to eat when everything looks delicious. 

Thankfully, Carpe Diem tearoom has the perfect waffle for people like me, the "everything waffle"! Naturally, it's not called that, but there is a waffle topped with a fruit salad and I choose that one. My friend has simpler tastes and selected the strawberry waffle.

The waffles at Carpe Diem tearoom come with the customer's selection of ice cream. I asked the waiter to tell me the choices, and there are quite a few including vanilla, chocolate, mint, butter pecan, etc. My friend went with classic vanilla while I selected pistachio.

My friend's waffle, a classic choice I'd say.

My waffle was a burst of flavor, it was like having my cake and eating it too—or having my waffle and eating it too? Anyway, it lived up to its Belgian waffle fame, slightly crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. The powdered sugar was a nice touch and added another dimension of sweetness. 

All in all, I'd say any visitor to Brugge should have brunch or tea time at Carpe Diem. It lives up to its name, and it is probably the best place in the city to try Belgium's most famous treat.