Volkshuis

Left wing pub in the Turkish quarter of the city, brown, spacious and friendly atmosphere, visited many times in all those years I've been going out in Ghent (and have seen at least three different proprietors pass by during that time). Not sure if this deserves a rating here as a beer place per se, selection is okay but nothing exceptional, just your average Ghent pub in that respect, with only Belgian classics (trappists, Duvel etc.) as well as Ouwen Duiker from local Hedonis on tap. Nice place with a mixed but usually young-ish clientele, can be a bit crowded on a Saturday night, but in summer it can be pleasant enough to sit in their courtyard with an Ouwen Duiker, chatting with the 'locals'. Still: difficult to judge positively from a strict Ratebeer point of view...

Volkshuis is a Bohemian café quite close to the city centre but well away from the main tourist drags so that it attracts mainly local clientele. When we arrived, on a Thursday evening, it had quite a buzz about it. It wasn’t immediately obvious what was in the two unmarked taps at the bar (the third was Stella) so we asked the barman. He said that one was Valeir Blond and wasn’t sure about the other but he was just going to change the barrel. He dashed off into the cellar, briefly displacing a couple of customers who were sitting at a table over the trap door, and came back to tell us that it was Dupont Monk’s Stout. Just the ticket! “It’s a saison” he said, helpfully but inaccurately, as he served it in a saison glass. We sat down at one of the wooden tables quite close to the cellar hatch so that I could have a nosey next time he went down there but there wasn’t much to see except for the broad stone steps leading down into the abyss. There’s just one long, low room in the cafe and it was lit mainly by candles in bottles, which gave the place a cosy feel. There’s a tiled floor, wooden tables and chairs and stools at the high wooden bar. The walls are dominated by large square paintings which are quite brutal portraits in a way but they really draw the eye, as does the black, red and white 1950s Soviet-style frieze over the bar depicting workers, all looking like serious revolutionaries. Other décor was more homely - a vase of red and yellow wilted roses on the bar and a collection of CDs and old 12 inch records, some of which were painted. There’s a raised area towards the back where music and poetry recitals are staged and a small bright courtyard garden. Amongst the bottles I noticed that they had Boon Kriek for E2.50 – quite a bargain. (Visited 9 June 2011).

Bar catering for ’left leaning’ Gent locals at the start of the Turkish restaurant area, between Aba Jour and Multatuli, 10 mins walk from the centre. The Croatian landlord has a keen interest in beer, which is reflected in his fairly short, but interesting list. Live music, poetry and discussions are also held.