121 replies to this topic

[kerriar]

You could try Bruneau - they probably close during August but should be open by the dates you mentioned including I think Sundays. Comparable in most ways with Comme Chez Soi - perhaps it lacks the particular intimate athmosphere and typical Bruxelloise ambience which makes CCS so special. On the other hand, the food at Bruneau is slightly more inventive - CCS is firmly grounded in the classic dishes which are the basis of its reputation over several generations. Another possibility in the same area (Basilique) is Claude Dupont - also has two Michelin stars but I've never eaten there.
The Sea Grill in the SAS Hotel is certainly open on Mondays - don't be put off by a hotel restaurant, this is a serious and fine operation run by a team whose ambition is to get a third star. I also think you should not worry about a Monday night problem - sourcing fresh fish does not seem to be a problem. La Maison du Boeuf in the Hilton is also worth considering - food reflects the name and as with all of these places, the wine list can empty your pocket. Some weeks ago we drank a Grange des Peres 1998 here - it's listed at €110 which is probably reasonable (oops!) when the same wine is retailing for something around €100 on the shelf at Lavinia in Paris.
For Bruneau in particular, you may need to reserve as far in advance as possible.
Weather in Brussels in September is variable but you can be lucky and chance on a balmy late summer night when eating out of doors is an option. In which case, you could take a look at Barbizon in Jesus-Eik - it's in an exquisite villa which looks like it belongs in Deauville and is on the edge of the forest about 15 minutes by taxi from down town. The restaurant has one star and the food and service are correct but not adventurous - the overall impression veers towards haute bourgeoisie but that's not necessarily a bad thing. John Helion, the experienced and dependable reviewer who writes in the Bulletin was here a few weeks ago and wrote a good report but I don't think his comumn is available on-line.

[anil]

In many ways Sea Grill is better than Comme Chez Soi - Highly recommended.

[paulbrussel]

Sea Grill would be the best restaurant, but mainly fish of course. If you go, and you have enough money to spend, do take the "Homard à la Presse".
Wine list is OK, but expensive. Staff is one of the best I know, but that is perhaps because I have been there about 50 times in the last 10 years, and they don't change much.

Bruneau is a lovely restaurant: much more creative as CCS (which I personally don't like that much because of being so classic). The wine list at Bruneau is also excellent, and not expensive at all. I had two months ago a Château Palmer 199 there for 110 €, which is the same price which you will pay on the market.
Bruneau lost its third star this year, although I haven't understood why.

Dupont is a very classic restaurant, and for me not very interesting. The same for Barbizon, in my opinion.

Sea Grill and Bruneau are surely open in September, Bruneau also on Sundays. If you want to see them both: Bruneau offers a good lunch for only 65 €, drinks included (edit: also on Sundays).

Sea Grill is open from Monday to Friday; you certainly need to reserve for Sea Grill on Mondays, since it is the only top restaurant open that very day, and the restaurant is very well known. Bruneau is less necessary to make a reservation since it lost its third star.

Edited by paulbrussel, 01 September 2004 - 08:23 AM.

[raisab]

I will be in Brussels Monday. I have never been there so I will probably hit the touristy area. Can anyone suggest a resto there, where eating alone is not a problem, and isn't a tourist trap? Thanks in advance.

[paulbrussel]

Eating alone is no problem in Brussels, since many people, even locals, do that.

Monday evening however is a bad evening: many restaurants are closed.
Besides the discussion above, the main questions are: what sort of kitchen are you looking for, and what is your budget. Since I know a lot of restaurants in Brussels, you can always ask me directly.

Anyway: the main tourist trap is everything around the Grand Place, and mainly the Rue de Bouchers / Beenhouwersstraat (except for the restaurant Aux Armes de Bruxelles).

[raisab]

Paul,
Thanks for your reply. I sent you a PM also.
My budget is 30-40 euros for meal not inc wine. French/Belgian, small bistro.
I am willing to go out of the touristy area to eat, just not to the bainlieus (assuming there some).
thank you again

[lalala]

Paul,
Thanks for your reply. I sent you a PM also.
My budget is 30-40 euros for meal not inc wine. French/Belgian, small bistro.
I am willing to go out of the touristy area to eat, just not to the bainlieus (assuming there some).
thank you again

I really like le vieux mairie on place du grand sablon. Its a lovely local restaurant with good waterzooi and filet americaine. Its right next to Pierre Marcolini at Place du Grand Sablon, 39. The same owners have a fish restaurant on place st. catherine that is quite lovely.

I ate at the Hyatt Barsey Brussels and it was quite good also, but really, reallly out of the way.

There are quite a few good seafood places on Place St. Catherine.

lalala

[rlibkind]

There are quite a few good seafood places on Place St. Catherine.

lalala

I second the suggestion of heading to Place Ste. Catherine. Lots of good choices, very nice to eat outside if the weather is temperate. Although it's a very short walk from the Grand Place, the density of tourists is much less.

Edited by rlibkind, 17 September 2004 - 07:42 PM.

[reuvens]

i have been at a restaurant called <belga queen>. it was more a brasserie style restaurant with an interesting design. you will find the adress easily trough google.com

after your meal i would recommend a walk trough <grand sablon> which is a beautiful part of brussels and please check the chocolates at marcollini

have fun,

vue

[paulbrussel]

There is a website for the brasserie: http://www.belgaqueen.be/.
And also for the most famous pastry and chocolate of Belgium: http://www.marcolini.be/. Meanwhile, opposite Marcolini, there is the great competitor, also excellent: Wittamer.

Belga Queen is part of a 'chain' of Antine Pinto, who owns also trendy places like Dock’s Café, Pakhuis, La Quincaillerie, Pasta Commedia (Antwerp, Gent, Brussels). Although the places are quite nice for the atmosphere, and the food reasonably good and modern but safe, his restaurants are more known as sort of 'places to be', not for the very interesting cuisine.

For lunch it is always very busy, but for the lunch menu (12 €) you must be early, otherwise you have to order à la carte, and those dishes are much too expensive for what you get, as is the same for the other places of Pinto.
But nevertheless, you won't be disappointed.

[kerriar]

The most frequent comment you hear about Belgaqueen usually revolves around the toilets!
Apart from being unisex, there is a shock effect generated by what appears to be transparent glass which forms all the partitions and doors - the trick is that the walls and door of the stall become opaque when the door is locked. Result is mild shock and titillation for first time visitors.

Food is so-so, the wine list's usp is that all the growers are Belgians - usually based in France. Good idea for home town patriots but there is not much else you can say about it. Chäteau Carignan is a good dependable Premiere Cotes de Bourdeaux with a high merlot content which makes it easy drinking - can't remember what they charge for it but it is not over expensive.

Setting is good - an old 19th century banking hall well restored - but frankly you can eat much better in Brussels for the same outlay without too much effort. (See elsewhere in this thread) The night I was there it was full of noisy groups who were obviously enjoying themselves but not terribly interested in the food.

[reuvens]

The most frequent comment you hear about Belgaqueen usually revolves around the toilets!

true!!!! i was shocked and fascinated by the toilet.

[YKL]

just back from a weekend in Brussels and had a good meal at Bonsoir Clara - but seem to be having trouble finding its website.

It's a lovely atmospheric place (we were not in the stained glass room) with courteous service and well priced food. Starters for the group were gravadlax, tuna tartare with nori and prawn croquettes - and all were good with the tuna being pronounced exceptional. Mains were the rack of lamb with millefeuille of vegetables and fillets of red snapper. The clean plates are the best indication of delicious food. Sadly we were too full for dessert - but next time!

We weren't really drinking that night so the bill for three of us was just over 100EUR - pretty good value in my mind. and certainly somewhere I want to go back to ..

cheers

Yin

[paulbrussel]

In my view, the best restaurant in Brussels for the moment to go to is: Resource (http://www.restaurantresource.be/).

It has not been in any guide yet, because it opened this year.

The chef has a very good CV; worked at the Ritz in Paris, at Le Grill aux Herbes d'Evan in Brussels and at Le Vieux Boitsfort in Brussels, all restaurant with high notes in GaultMillau and / or Michelinstars.

But I have the impression that at Resoucre, his own restaurant, he seems to be more creative then the chefs mentioned whith whom he worked.
For the moment, it is not too expensive: 35 € for a three course menu, whith interesting choices from the menu for each course.

But since it will be mentioned in the 2005 guide and getting high rates, I am afraid prices will rise.

[LARRY WIENER]

We just returned from a tour of Brussels, Brugge, and other cities. We had two nights free on our own in Brussels, one of which we spent exploring within the Place Ste. Catherine area. There seem to be any number of seafood restaurants. I suppose that any of the guidebooks that mentions the area will indicate their favorites. Expect prices to be slightly higher than in some of the more touristy areas, but the food and service will be worth it. There are a couple of places that specialize in lobster, and we ate in one of them. As I recall, the prices for the lobster dinners were in the 50 euro range.

One observation by a couple of dumb yanks: we never did get the tipping issue settled. Our tour guide said 10 percent and the seasoned travelers in our group said "nothing," except for exceptional food or service. Generally, we opted for the latter, but were uneasy about it for a while.

[vox]

any options for budget travellers?

i'm looking to spend 25 euros top on a meal...are tehre a lot of options, recommendations?

i'd turn to guidebooks but they generally favour price of quality (not written by foodhounds/cooks).

any help would be appreciated...also, recommendatiosn for bruges as well.

[paulbrussel]

any options for budget travellers?

i'm looking to spend 25 euros top on a meal...are tehre a lot of options, recommendations?

i'd turn to guidebooks but they generally favour price of quality (not written by foodhounds/cooks).

any help would be appreciated...also, recommendatiosn for bruges as well.

What sort of restaurants do you like?
Furthermore: in Brussels lunches are generally much, much cheaper then dinner.
Is 25 € including drinks or only for the meal?

For dinner I can only recommend for that price: De la Vigne... à l'assiette, r. Longue Haie 51, 1000 Brussels; tel. +32.2.647 68 03.

[kerriar]

If you are happy to eat your main meal at lunch time and order wine by the "pichet" rather than from the wine list, you should certainly be able to eat enjoyably in Brussels whilst respecting your budget.

There should be a few previous threads on the site with suggestions.

I see that Chez Marie has retained it's one Michelin star. It's at rue Alphonse de Witte 40, 02/6443031 - a bit difficult to find but first get to Place Flagey, then it's just behind the church near the police station.

On a previous posting, I mentioned that the €15 lunch menu might well be among the cheapest in any one star Michelin and nobody has come back to contradict this. Best to book.


I can endorse De la Vigne... à l'assiette but think that perhaps €25 may be before you start hitting te wine list.

[paulbrussel]

Chez Marie is not easy to find indeed. perhaps only the lunch menu (16 €) might be interesting; for dinner it costs à la carte between 46 and 60 €, according to Michelin. The a la carte menu is rather short and expensive (they don't serve prix fixe menus for dinner). The dishes are really good, but in my view not very interesting culinary wise.
Do mind that the wine list is big but also quite expensive.

For De la Vigne...: the wine list starts with quite moderate prices (14 €?), and a good prix fixe menu is served for dinner at 20 €; for lunch there is a menu for 12 €.

As regard starred restaurants, you good also try Le Passage, which has a lunch menu for 20 €. For dinner it has become more expensive over the years.

The best value for money lunch, I think would be the two starred restaurant (uptill 2003 three stars) Bruneau where you can have a three course menu (several choices), which comes with three amuses-geules and including an aperitif and drinks for 65 €. (Without drinks: 45 €.)

[vox]

thank you!

keep the suggestions coming! i guess i'd be willing to stretch the budget up to 40 euros, not including wine...

i'm a cook so i'm really interested in food across the spectrum, classic and contemporary that captures the spirit of belgium, i guess...

[Culinista]

Just reporting back from Belgium:

We enjoyed Comme Chez Soi's famously charming and intimate Art Nouveau interior. The food was very good but does not quite measure up to the raves I hear, possibly from overly patriotic Belgian friends. I do like the fact that Chef Wynant has resisted all of the Adria-inspired fads and gone his own way. In fact, his classic nouvelle Belgian-French cuisine with fusion flirtations looks almost rebellious in a sea of foams and liquid nitrogen. The amuse looked circa 1970s, and the escargot on orzo with tomato sauce tasted more Chef Boy-ar-dee than I imagined possible for snails. At first we were both put off by the first fishy bite of the scallops mi-cuit sandwiched with cream of foie gras, but with each bite, we grew fascinated by the play of flavors of the scallop, foie, radish, cauliflower florets, arugula, sesame and balsamic vinaigrette. The fishy sensation disappeared, and instead of growing tired of it, I wanted more with each bite. This was a gutsy dish of strong, odd flavors. Next came the gros langoustine, which the waiter announced as jets de houblon, probably because the hop shoots outshone even the langoustine crusted with pine nuts in a cream and coral sauce with seaweed. Jets de houblon look like large bean sprouts and remind me of white asparagus and bamboo shoots and other heralds of spring. The two-inch square of turbot was topped with bone marrow and oysters, making each bite quite a contrast. The we had three cubes of almost marbled seared duck breast perched on a round of herb-stuffed rolled duck leg, roquefort souffle in lieu of cheese and a gratin of coconut and mango for dessert.

Aux Armes de Bruxelles is probably the only real restaurant on the r. Bouchers, although I thought the celebrated frites tasted somewhat bland and almost commercial, as did the mayonnaise base for their tartar sauce. The outstanding dish was white asparagus a la flamande. I normally hate eggs, but the egg, parsley and butter sauce was lovely, and the perfect texture very difficult to achieve. (We had better frites at 'T Kelderke, but the sauce flamande was far inferior.) The waterzooi of turbot was also excellent, the eels in green sauce quite good for stewed eels, and the calves' brain only OK. They were out of raw mussels, or I would have tried them.

I took BON's suggestion and tried Yamato, a tiny but astonishingly authentic ramen bar near Porte de Namur. You can't beat it for a budget lunch, since their most expensive dish is 10 euros. They serve both miso and shoyu ramen as well as katsudon and gyoza in the evening. I found the shoyu soup to have great meaty flavor but almost criminally salty--maybe they had let it get too concentrated, since most people were ordering miso ramen. The noodles were terrific, imported frozen from Japan. Hours were irregular, and they don't take reservations. If you are a Tampopo fan, this is a good place to go.

In the same neighborhood, we had our best meal in Brussels at La Creche des Artists, a small gem of an Italian restaurant ar 21 rue de la Creche (02) 511 22 56. This is the holy grail, a modest neighborhood restaurant with a chalkboard menu dictated by the market and fantastic homestyle Italian food, no dish exceeding 20 euros. The restaurant is run by a Tuscan mother, Neapolitan father, with a Congolese treasure of a chef. We started with a sauteed calamari in a piquant tomato sauce tossed at the last minute with fresh tomato and arugula, served straight from the battered skillet. (Since the tiny open kitchen was just steps away, this service optimizes what Grace Young would call the "breath of the wok.") Salami and Parma ham were already on the table, on the house. The penne came with a veal ragu to die for, deglazed with Brunello di Montalcino and served with the same (1998 Brunello de Montalcino Fattoi. We had already polished off a Mezzopane 1999 with a friend who had to leave after antipasti). The sauce was enriched with a little veal liver and celery. Then we had thin slices of tender roast lamb with stewed endive, but we nearly came to blows over the tiny roasted new potatoes. They came out of the oven beautifully crusty all over and creamy on the inside. Then they brought us cheese--a very young pecorino exploding with black truffle, and the best aged Parmigiano I've ever had. We shared a hunk of classic tiramisu and somehow managed to walk to our hotel on the other side of town after being plied with grappa di brunello di verbena and limoncello, respectively. The brief but well selected wine list had only Italian wines at good restaurant prices, starting around 20 euros and going up to the 2001 Solaia at 235 euros.

Some people might sniff that 'T Kelderke is touristy, but they have the best frog legs I've ever had, and I've rarely liked them when I've had them. These were pan fried to an addictive crispness that did not make them tough. They were drenched like escargots in garlic and butter. They also had great beers, and I've always hated beer. We tried Blanche de Wittekerke, Chimay Bleue, and Mort Subite Geuze Lambic. As I said, I liked their frites better than Aux Armes de Bruxelles', but not their sauce flamande. We found that mussels steamed in vin blanc retain more of their pleasant mineral flavor, while mussels in beer have a sweet taste.

We went to Francois for seafood on Place de Ste. Catherine--very nice place, if somewhat gruff service. We had the bouillabaise du Nord as part of a very reasonable 33 euro menu, starting with a half-dozen oysters on the half shell and ending with chocolate mousse. The grilled turbot was also very good--simple, not overcooked, with fresh vegetables in a light vinaigrette.

We did make a side trip to Bruges and de Karmeliet, but that is for another thread.

[kerriar]

In the same neighborhood, we had our best meal in Brussels at La Creche des Artists,

Good choice and well worth finding in the somewhat dingy back streets near Ixelles town hall.

It's a personal favourite and fills up easily. There is occasionally a temptation to keep places like this to oneself but it is generally counterbalanced by the sharing of pleasure.

Culinista has has got the food just right in this description - the only suggestion I can add for the benefit of anybody who now wants to go to the Creche is to try the zabaglione for dessert.

[Culinista]

I might add that I saw a scrumptious-looking jambonneau caramelisee special at 'T Kelderke. Too bad we had already ordered!

We left our menu at La Creche up to Enzo, the owner's son. That was a good call.

Edited by Culinista, 08 April 2005 - 12:14 AM.

[YKL]

Friends and I had a very good meal last Saturday at Senza Nome restaurant (22 Rue Royale Sainte-Marie, Schaerbeek area of the city)

As you might have guessed by the name, it's Italian (believe the owner is Sicilian specifically) and currently holds one michelin star.

I had a tartare of scallops on an artichoke cream to start, - which was light, fresh and flavoursome - a very good beginning. I also got a taste of the sardines starters (can't remember what they were stuffed with) which were good. I followed with involtini of beef with a very good onion / balsamic sauce - I particularly liked the balance of sharpness and sweetness. Can't recall what my friends had.

Too full for dessert - although there were good reports for the chocolate marscapone cream. But pleased that they made mint tea with fresh mint.

total bill for three of us for pre-dinner Kirs, starters, mains, a bottle of wine and some water, one dessert, three teas / coffees and a grappa and limoncello or two was less than 200 EUROS - so very good value I think, particularly when service was so engaging. We'll be back

cheers

Yin

[TGullet]

Hardly see any posts for Brussels. Am I missing the location on EGullet?

[Gifted Gourmet]

You're in the right place and I located a couple of things which are about Brussels:

restaurants in Brussels for vegetarians

Brussels Christmas Market with some nice photos.

Everything else that came up on a search focuses on Brussel sprouts ...

[TGullet]

Gifted: it is very kind of you to respond with the above info. The reason I posted my inquiry is the very few and not really current threads.

All of us here surely have more info and experiences?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Speaking of Brussels, and we were doing so just this week, there is a most delectable and visually delightful thread on the pastry of Brussels right here and, if you are awaiting some beautiful pastry shop photography, just scroll down to Schneich's post ... wow! That is impressive indeed!

[kerriar]

Brussels is one of the great food cities of Europe. It doesn't get so much attention on this thread for some reason - perhaps people who visit or live here simply have their own favourites.

There is info buried in old postings. Try some of the following:
What else in Brussels?
or
Hof van Cleve in Belgium 3 Michelin stars, Benelux new 2 & 3 star restaurants 2005
or
Recommendations for Brussels, Home of gastronomy

A search on the site may turn up more. This is just a quick check but you should find plenty of useful stuff. Try going for places that are not listed in the more commercial tourist guidebooks - they often have the best surprises.

[rockandroller]

Hi all,

I'm planning a large meeting for work this fall. We have a very small office in Brussels and they will be attending and we'd like to feature them somehow. My boss had the idea of one of our snacks or breaks being focused on "featuring" Brussels somehow. The obvious idea that came to mind was a Belgian chocolate on everyone's plate after they return from break (any recommendations as to brand, preferably one available somewhere in the US?), but is looking for some other way to incorporate Brussels, perhaps in what we direct the chef to make for lunch one day.

Am admittedly clueless as to what dishes would make easy-to-prepare, good corporate lunch food. Can anyone make recommendations as to dishes and/or recipes that are signature dishes of Belgium?