Antwerp/Brussels: informal dining recs (Merged)

[anil]

I've been told by a respected FFlyer not to miss De Matelote , a small be excellent seafood restaurant in Antwerp.

Has anybody here been there ? also any other place in Antwerp ? Will be there end of this month.

[anil]

No feedback on food in this lovely town ? How about *not* food ? Diamonds !!!!!

Would you fly to Antwerp to buy one ? How far would you go to buy one ?

[ maybe this will get some discussion, while i fly away manana ]

[pirate]

Sorry I missed your original post. De Matelote had one Michelin star when I ate there a few years ago and that rating was correct. It's very small and you must reserve. I'm not sure it still exists but the Sir Anthony Van Dyck restaurant at that time was the best place at which I ate. Antwerp is a wonderful city.

[anil]

Sorry I missed your original post. De Matelote had one Michelin star when I ate there a few years ago and that rating was correct. It's very small and you must reserve. I'm not sure it still exists but the Sir Anthony Van Dyck restaurant at that time was the best place at which I ate. Antwerp is a wonderful city.

Wow did not know that De Matelote was a starred restaurant -Not that I am enamored, my FFlyer buddy did not mention it -- Sir Anthony Van Dyck is a good suggestion, will ask our hotel to arrange a reservation for us.

Thanks

[anil]

Quick update

Sir Anthony Van Dyck was an excellent recommendation. It is in the small alleyway behind a door that opens to the street.

One is bound to miss it. They have essentially one seating for lunch. EUR43,50 per was what we chose (Ouch ! those Euro's are killing us who come from this side of the pond)

.............more on my BE trip later

[hornet]

Any suggestions of good restaurants in Antwerp? I am looking for 1 relaxed place and a more formal one for a group of 5.

[spanky]

I had a wonderful birthday meal at Restaurant Aurelia on Wijngaardstraat. It's a small restaurant--about 20 covers, maybe?--but the service is wonderful and the food (as far as I can remember after two or so years) was delicious. As for being relaxed or formal, I suppose I might call it formal with a relaxed feel.

Cheers,

Spanky

[TrishCT]

Hi all, is anyone familiar with Antwerp, Belgium and its chocolate offerings? My son is spending a semester at sea this summer through his school (State Univ. of NY Maritime College). One of his ports of call is Antwerp. He said he is willing to go to a chocolate shop, buy some for me and store it in the ship's fridge for safekeeping.

The question is where should he buy it? I have done some googling on Antwerp and chocolate and have found something called the Hans Burie chocolate factory. I don't know if this is a place to send him or not. (He will be using public transport and feet to get around.)

I would really like some top quality chocolate and bon bons as my souvenir. Your thoughts and input are appreciated.

[kellytree]

The best chocolates I found there were simply the fresh chocolate shops on the street. I never ever had any bad ones at these places (which are all over)

[kerriar]

Something your son should take account of is that in the better Belgian chocolate shops many of the "pralines" will contain fresh perishable ingredients such as cream. As such they are not intended to be kept any more than a few days and ideally should be put in a refrigerator.

Tell the shop that the chocolates are destined for the US and may not be for immediate consumption - they are generally understanding and will guide your son accordingly.

[TrishCT]

Thank you for the very sound and practical advice!

[plattetude]

Refrigerate chocolate? Isn't that flavor- and texture-killing sacrilege, on the order of refrigerating a perfect, ripe summer tomato? Cool, dry, and dark storage is one thing, but refrigeration is something else entirely.

Christopher

[markemorse]

Hiya,

There are a couple of pretty old threads about eating in Antwerp, and the Brussels threads I've seen seem to focus on more upscale stuff...I'm wondering if anyone has some good updated bar/bistro type recommendations for these cities. My wife will be in Antwerp for sure and maybe Brussels within the next two weeks, staying for a couple nights each. Anyway, whatever you've got, we're all ears. Also any unmissable street food that we don't see over here in Nederland...

Thanks!

mark

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

As a general rule for Antwerp, avoid restaurants in the centre of town (cathedral area) which mostly cater for tourists. The best area to eat is the southside (called "'t Zuid", especially the neighbourhood surrounding "Vlaamse Kaai", "Waalse Kaai" and the Museum of Fine arts).

A few personal favourites:

- 't Pakuis: combination of brewery and restaurant serving a combination of classic Belgian food and lethal beers.

http://www.pakhuis.info

- La Riva: old seaman's mission in the middle of the harbour. Decent seafood-centred menu among stunning surroundings (complete with live DJ set on some nights)

http://www.lariva.be

- Kommilfoo: a bit more upmarket but does absolutely stunning tasting menu's

http://www2.resto.be/kommilfoo/

Also, have a look at http://www.resto.be which is a pretty good online resource of Belgian restaurants, complete with consumer reviews, contact details, the lot.

Hiya,

There are a couple of pretty old threads about eating in Antwerp, and the Brussels threads I've seen seem to focus on more upscale stuff...I'm wondering if anyone has some good updated bar/bistro type recommendations for these cities. My wife will be in Antwerp for sure and maybe Brussels within the next two weeks, staying for a couple nights each. Anyway, whatever you've got, we're all ears. Also any unmissable street food that we don't see over here in Nederland...

Thanks!

mark

←

[markemorse]

Thanks, perfect...she'd already had her beady little eyes on 't Pakhuis, but was a little distracted by the appetizer prices (10 euro for a shrimp croquette?)....is the food worth it?

And resto.be initially looks really helpful but the website is a bit user-unfriendly...but we're working through it...

thanks again,

mark (+ mara)

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

Mark, to be honest the starters aren't up to much and the shrimp or cheese croquettes won't be any better than you get in Holland out of the wall. Think I stuck to the beersoup...

The mains though, especially the beer flavoured ones, like the casserole and the rabbit are huge, homely portions of comfort food. On the whole, 't Pakhuis is OK but more about beer than food really.

Resto.be is a bit strange...it has consumer reviews and general information but also hosts several of the restaurants' websites (for a fee I would imagine) so there's something of a conflict of interests at times. However, it was a great tool when I was exiled in Antwerp for 6 months with work and needed a different place to eat each night

Thanks, perfect...she'd already had her beady little eyes on 't Pakhuis, but was a little distracted by the appetizer prices (10 euro for a shrimp croquette?)....is the food worth it?

And resto.be initially looks really helpful but the website is a bit user-unfriendly...but we're working through it...

thanks again,

mark (+ mara)

←

[paulbrussel]

Resto.be is a bit strange...it has consumer reviews and general information but also hosts several of the restaurants' websites (for a fee I would imagine) so there's something of a conflict of interests at times. However, it was a great tool when I was exiled in Antwerp for 6 months with work and needed a different place to eat each night 

resto.be has changed a lot. It was in the past possible to insert negative comments, but later on they were all removed. So the customers comments are not reliable at all, since they are only positive.

As a data source for info however it is quite good.

[paulbrussel]

Not informal restaurants but very good reports are given about:

Restaurant De Koopvaardij (in Stabroek) near Antwerp - indicated as worth a Michelin star in 2008.

http://www.dekoopvaardij.be/

Restaurant Kasteel Withof (in Brasschaat), also near Antwerp.

http://www.kasteelwithof.be/.

[markemorse]

Has anyone been to

Pazzo

L'Epicerie du Cirque

Ferrier 30

O'Kontreir

Just checking, these are some recommendations from a previously untested source. And is hertenkalf really what I think it is? Bambi, no!

thanks!

mark

Edited December 8, 2006 by markemorse (log)

[paulbrussel]

I only went to Pazzo. It is mainly known for its extensive wine list and the enthousiastic owner who is also the sommelier.

I certainly can recommend the place. It is informal, food was good and wines indeed interesting.

[nikkib]

Is Tonys pizzeria still open? that was a great local italian - scampi pizzas etc and a great, genail host. If it is i would highly recommend that