|
In the fish restaurant area of St Catherine I was given the following
advice by an Irish caterer who has lived in Brussels for 15 years:
the Rugbyman restaurants are the place to eat lobster. For moules,
you should go to Jacques and for general seafood go to Francois
which I can recommend but it is quite pricey.
Exki, various outlets around Brussels
This is closest you will come in Brussels to a Pret a Manger. Excellent
baguettes, soup and quiches but poor for fruit and crisps. Also
pretty poor for coffee. They lull you into a false sense of security
regarding coffee as the menu says all the right things but the quantity
and quality are both poor.
I Latini, Place St Catherine2
Very pleasant restaurant and it is possible to sit outside. This
can have its downside as the vast bulk of Brussels' jakeys sit in
this square adding to its “rich” atmosphere. I had an
excellent linguini di mare here with beautifully cooked pasta and
a good selection of seafood and shellfish in the dish. This was
followed by a superb mousse au chocolat which was so thick, they
gave it to you as a couple of slices. Waiter appeared to be very
grumpy but maybe it was just me. He was wearing glasses and had
slicked back hair. £20 for two courses and a couple of glasses
of wine.
Yaki Snack, Rue des Poissonniers 6B
Cheap and cheerful Thai/Vietnames snack bar close to the Little
Asia part of Brussels. Ok green curry with chicken. Possible to
sit outside but given the standard of Belgian driving and youths
going past with music blaring out of their cars, its not that attractive
an option. £9 for curry and a couple of beers.
Restaurant Pataya, Rue Antoine Dansaert 49
Only went in here because the Green Papaya next door was closed
for holidays. Very, very average spring rolls as a starter. The
portion was small and did not appear home made. I then had a Thai
version of chicken fried rice as a main and it was ok. This place
is expensive for what you get and there are much better places nearby.
Owner is a miserable fucker. £14 for two courses and a beer.
Le Pre Sale, Rue de Flandre 20
This place is highly recommended in the guidebooks and it is easy
to see why. Ate here several times and was never disappointed. This
place serves traditional Belgian food such as rabbit, huge pork
chops, eel and beef stew (carbonade) with stoemp (mixed mashed carrots
and mashed potato). On one occasion I started with the tomatoes
stuffed with brown shrimp and on another shrimp croquettes, both
traditional Belgian dishes and both tasty. The mains took a bit
of time to arrive but were well worth the wait. The steaks are enormous
compared to what you get in the UK and come, as ever with frites.
My veal kidneys in a mustard sauce would probably have made a great
starter but were a bit samey for a main. The moules, as sampled
on a second visit, are excellent as is the rabbit which is cooked
with more than a hint of saffron. There is a wide selection of Belgian
beers and a good range of wines. This place gets very busy so if
you have not booked, turn up early but don't expect too warm a welcome
as the owners do not seem too keen on tourists though the maitre'd
does speak perfect English. Whilst the menu might seem pricey, the
quality of the food is very high and the portions are big. £30
two courses and half a bottle of wine
Hong Hoa, Rue du Pont de la Carpe 10
Very very good, if not the best, Vietmamese restaurant in the St
Catherine area. Pretty small and gets very busy but well worth a
wait for a table. The Vietnamese soups are a speciality and are
served as mains. These are very tasty and very filling with a good
range of soups and the freshest of ingredients. Trying something
different, I went for the Vietnamese crepe with a filling of fresh
bamboo shoots and roast duck. This was not like a French crepe but
was crisper and had been deep fried. For a main, I had “marmite”
rice which was like special fried rice given that it consisted of
a variety of meats and seafood. Another winner. Not much in terms
of beers but very friendly staff. £16 two courses and a couple
of beers. Cheaper if you go for the soup option.
Amadeus, Rue St Catherine 28
Part of a Belgian chain which specialises only in ribs and red
wine. Would like some more ribs with your ribs, Sir? In an eat as
much as you want deal, the ribs don't stop coming. They are served
along with a baked potato, and again, the potatoes don't stop coming.
On each table there is a large screw top bottle of red wine and
the waiter will mark how much you have had and charge you accordingly.
Failing that you just drink the whole bottle. Service is good but
the background music was terrible, pishy 30's trad jazz. £22
a head for loads of ribs and a bottle of red wine
Thai Bangkok, Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 54
Average Thai just north of De Brouckere. Fish cakes to start were
rubbery but had a hint of fresh herbs. Sadly the same freshness
could not be found in a mediocre Pad Thai with chicken. It was a
Monday night and I made up 335 of the clientele but would not rush
back. £20 two courses and a beer
Le Papaya Verte, Rue Antoine Dansaert 53
Very good Vietnamese and Thai eating place that also features in
some guidebooks. To start with I had four very tasty tempura prawns
followed by an excellent duck in an orange sauce with rice, the
duck being perfectly cooked. The food was so good that I barely
noticed the large woman sitting at the table in front of me whose
pink and “tangerine” thong had ridden up to what looked
a very uncomfortable ten past eight position. She also looked like
she cut her own hair but like I said, i was concentrating on the
food, not surprisingly. £20 two courses and a couple of beers
Il Colosseo
Cheap but very good Italian just north of De Bruckere. I had a
good sized portion of spaghetti carbonara with a glass of red wine
for £7.50. Handmade pizzas also available
Maison du Dragon, 146 Boulevard Adolphe Maxlan
This is part of an hotel just across the road from the large Sheraton
on Place Rogier. The hotel appears to cater mainly for Chinese tour
parties, so thinking they must know what they are doing if they
serve to Chinese tourists all the time I went in. It was ok and
the thing that really sticks in the mind was the 8 euros for a pint
of Bitburger lager which was possibly the tastiest thing I had.
A chicken egg roll followed by Singapore noodles is not exactly
pushing the boundaries but if the basics were good, everything else
should follow. £18 for two courses and a pricey pint.
Bij Den Bouer, Quaix au Briques 60
Probably the best value restaurant in the St Catherine old fish
market area for traditional French cooking. The fixed price menu
has to be one of the best, if not the best, in Brussels. They offer,
every night, four courses for 25 euros. The sweets are normally
a bit of a disappointment but by the time they arrive you don't
care as you have been so well fed up until then. A place where the
locals are heavily present, turning up without a booking could lead
to you ending up in the back room where a tourist apartheid appears
to come into play. The service is less frequent and the staff appear
less jolly when serving you but stick with it as the food is excellent.
On my fist visit i had soupe de poisson, mushroom rissoto with three
large unpeeled prawns, confit of duck with small potatoes and white
asparagus. The duck was very tender but my companion thought the
gravy too salty. The sweet was a bit slapdash with a coffee mousse,
vanilla ice cream and canned cream in the sort of glass you get
a vodka and coke served in in a Dumfries bar. On another visit,
before an Anderlecht game, oysters and wild boar were included in
the 25 euro menu so that was definitely a pre match meal to end
all pre match meals. Highly recommended with an excellent beer and
wine list. £20 for four courses, wine extra.
Frederic Blondeel Chocolatier, Quaix au Briques 24
This place is a pure joy, basically because you can get a decent
cup of coffee in here. However, forget the coffee and go straight
for the hot chocolate unless you are a diabetic. The only place
I have ever been where you can decide the level of pure cocoa in
your hot chocolate. 80% tasted pretty damn fine to me and the fact
that you get a couple of hand made chcocolates along with this mug
of heaven is amazing. And all this for 3 euros! They make the chocolates
in house and it is possible to view the chocolatiers at work in
the back.
L'Entree des Artistes, Place du Grand Sablon 42
Up the tastier end of town in Place Sablon, this restaurant can
look slightly daunting from the outside with a tasty array of dishes
up on a noticeboard but get on in and enjoy some real Belgian treats.
In at least one case, the traditional dishes served might be, literally,
too close to the bone. The bone in this case is braised shine bone
served with toast. The idea being you scoop out the marrow from
the bone, which they have spliced in two for you, spread it on the
aforesaid toast and then eat it. Yum, yum, eh? Fortunately i did
not order this but saw it being served on my way out. What I did
have was an excellent terrine of ham with a line of foie gras going
through it. Very tasty. This was followed by a Belgian Cumberland
sausage type main served with stoemp. My companion had an excellent
canneloni. I went back here on New years day but after waiting 5
minutes to be acknowledged by the staff, gave up and went elsewhere.
The Place Sablon is well worth a wander, for a drink, a coffee and
a seat outside just watching the world go by. £25 two courses
and a beer
Darjeeling Restaurant, Rue Stevin 160
A suburban British curry house comes to Brussels and it is complete
pants. The service, the food and the clientele, made up of EC types
from the hq across the road, generate flashbacks to the early 80s
where people thought the only time to eat a curry was post pub.
Everything you get, you deserve for frequenting such a place. So
if you like overcooked food served with a miserable looking lettuce
garnish which had a sell by date of 01032004, this is the place
for you. Avoid at all costs.
Comocomo, Antoine Dansaert 19
Interesting place this which is like a Basque version of Yo Sushi.
I believe in the Basque country they do not serve tapas but pintxos
and this is what you get here, small dishes going round on a conveyor
belt and you can help yourself. The dishes are colour coded so you
know the price of what you are eating. The price can mount up but
there are a few interesting tastes. The cream cheese with walnut
oil is very tasty and that is coming from someone who does not normally
care for either cream cheese or walnuts. Its an idea to go when
it is busy as the turnover of dishes means you will not be stuck
with a dodgy bit of fish which has been circling on the belt like
a plane waiting to land at Heathrow. Very popular with families
for some reason.
Rosa's Restaurant, Rue de Flandre 10
Interesting small cafe bar which appears to specialise in sandwiches
and paninis but produced a very tasty minestrone soup followed by
a good quality entrecote steak with tagliatelle in a tomato sauce.
This probably does not sound as good as it was. Good selection of
wines from around the world as well. The waiter was helpul in choosing
the wine and its that sort of intimate and friendly place. £20
for two courses with wine
Phat Thai, Rue Jules Van Praet 32
One of a number of Thais in this street where you are literally
spoiled for choice in terms of Thai restaurants. The menu looked
pretty bland on first inspection but I ended up being served good
fresh produce. All the dishes are reasonably priced as you would
expect with so much competition on the doorstep. I started with
deep fried won tons and had fish in coconut milk as a main. The
fish was very tender and of a high quality. Any of the Thai places
in this street would not disappoint. £20 for two courses and
a couple of beers
Au Palais des Indes, Avenue Louise 263
Very good Indian a bit off the main tourist circuit down Avenue
Louise. Beautifully decorated restaurant in a classic art nouveau
style building. The menu in the window offers a much more limited
range of dishes than the menu inside which is a bit weird but all
your expected staples are there and the service is good. If you
are down this end of the city it is worth walking along Avenue Louise
to the Warwick Barsey Hotel. This is an upmarket hotel but not well
known. If you walk through the hotel you will come to a lovely garden
where, if the weather is good, a very pleasant evening can be had.
Intersting array a up market hookers passing through as well! £25
for two courses and a beer
L'Express Quality, 8 Rue des Chapeliers
On the receipt from this cafe it says, “The Art of Lebanese
Cooking”. Don't let that put you off as this is strictly painting
by numbers as opposed to any dadesque attempt to serve a kebab consisting
solely of a carrot. All the basics are here in a friendly cafe with
a bewildering number of waiters and servers. Fresh fruit juices
are produced in quick time and you can also get a beer. This place
is between the main kebab drag and the Grand Place. Go easy on the
garlic sauce or your breath will be minging for hours if not days.
£6 for falafel, fries and a wee beer
Aglio e Olio, Chausee de Vleurgat 25
Again off the beaten track but this place is heaven if you like
rustic Italian cooking. It is also my favourite restaurant in Brussels.
The menu consists of 5 starter and 5 mains all chalked up on a small
blackboard. Get in early as dishes are cooked in limited quantities.
The owner's first love is wine and the place has a bewildering array
of Italian wines on display. Whilst not speaking English, the main
man's enthusiasm for the dishes and wines he serves comes through
in a variety of well known Italian terms and some frantic hand gestures.
Ate here three times and was never disappointed. I had hoped to
eat every dish on the menu by the time I left but didn't quite manage
it. Where to begin? The mixed antipasti is a real treat. Excellent
sundried tomatoes along with carpaccio of salmon and beef plus artichoke
hearts. The grilled aubergines in a tomato are also excellent. If
you go to this place at the right time, the first that greets you
as you walk in is a large box of mushrooms, freshly picked from
a secretive forest glade or some bollocks like that. The main dish
of lasagne with cep mushrooms and black truffles is a real treat
but very very rich. If you can imagine eating a quarter of a pound
of pate, that is what it feels like. The other main to look out
for is the fagottini which consists of the pasta triangles stuffed
with spinach. These are then baked in a gorgonzola sauce. Normal
pasta dishes are available and are normally served in the pan on
the table so you can help yourself. As for the sweets, there is
only one dish to have and that is then zabaglioni, custard with
madeira wine. When I say “with” madeira wine, this dish
has been soaked, immersed and sunk in madeira wine. To inhale the
fumes sends you reeling. This is also served in a big pan which
everyone can tuck into. I had this dish each time I went to this
place and each time someone took a photo of the dish. It wasn't
a particularly attractive method of serving it but it was a vast
serving of alcoholic custard so all I can say is “Yum yum”.
£30 three courses and wine |