Forget mussels – the Belgian capital is a paradise for food-lovers of every description, says Valerie James.
Eating out in Brussels can be an embarrassment of riches. There is a huge choice, from the street food of mussels and chips, to the traditional Belgian dishes found at restaurants such as Chez Vincent, and the modern cuisine of Belga Queen (make sure you venture into the fashionable club downstairs in the vaults of what was once a bank). Not to mention the beer, and the chocolate and pâtisseries from Wittamer, Godiva, Neuhaus and Pierre Marcolini…
Comme Chez Soi
23 Place Rouppe; tel +32 2512 2921; commechezsoi.be
The name translates as “just like at your home”, but this is nothing like eating in my home. With three Michelin stars, it’s cuisine of the highest order, and it’s housed in an old merchant’s residence that is an art nouveau homage to Victor Horta, the Belgian architect and designer of that era, which means plenty of elegant ironwork and glass.
There’s a small main restaurant, private dining rooms, and a large “kitchen table”, which must be booked well in advance. However, the tables at the back of the restaurant have a view through the office and kitchen, so you can get the best of both worlds. The menus include table d’hôte (from €76 for three courses, €147 for six, and €190 for seven) or à la carte – plus, of course, the little amuse bouche, pre-dessert dessert, and petit fours mandatory at this level.
If you can tear your attention away from the food, this is the best restaurant at which to strike a deal: the service is quiet and seamless, and the wine list is formidable with plenty of sensational options if you’ve got something to celebrate.
The food flavours are exquisitely light and clear in dishes such as smoked salmon and eel, and roast Nile perch in a just detectably aniseed clear soup, while the cheese board is wonderfully rich and indulgent, as are the delicious desserts. And if you don’t eat every one of the petit fours, your willpower is stronger than mine.
La Quincaillerie
45 rue du Page; tel +32 2533 9833; quincaillerie.be
As the name suggests, this brasserie restaurant in the trendy Châtelain district is located in an old ironmonger’s emporium. Many of the original fittings and fixtures have been retained, including countless little drawers lining the walls, making for a warm, glittering and original interior. The entrance is particularly stunning – a huge clock tops the imposing central staircase, which leads up to intimate little tables around the galleries, as well as larger private rooms.
It’s a favourite venue with visiting dignitaries and politicians, and since opening in the late Eighties has hosted, among others, Richard Branson, David Bowie and Brad Pitt. Don’t be intimidated though – it’s still a great place to relax with colleagues, or simply eat on your own at the bar in the front of the restaurant.
Seafood is the point here, although there are terrines, and beef tartare as an alternative, and the seafood platter is ideal for sharing. Fish is also featured in the main courses, with roast lobster, seabream and Dover sole, while for carnivores there are hearty options such as veal chops, roast knuckle of ham and traditional Belgian dishes. If you have room, desserts include two large chocolate truffles served on a red berry coulis, fresh fruit plates, tarte tatin, and a great selection of ice creams and sorbets, with “the Colonel”, a vodka and lemon sorbet, leading the field. (Three courses average €50.) There are beers, of course, and a wine list divided into vintages, prices (ranging from €19-€650 a bottle),and appellations.
La Maison du Cygne
2 rue Charles Buls (9 Grand Place); tel +32 2511 8244; lamaisonducygne.be
Facing onto one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, La Maison du Cygne offers old-school Brussels glamour and cuisine. Dating from 1698, the building was once the home of the Butchers Guild, and Karl Marx – the well-known sybarite drafted the Communist manifesto here when it was a tavern.
Above the door is the swan which gives the restaurant its name, and the windows look out onto the square. The lavish interior is panelled and gilded, and packed with overstuffed banquettes, stained-glass windows, and as much fine linen, silver and china as a Michelin star demands.
The bar is the place for a quick lunchtime drink and snack – choose the steak tartare and see it prepared in front of you. This old-fashioned emphasis on making or finishing dishes under the eye of the customer is reflected throughout the restaurant, so it’s not the place to do a tricky negotiation – you’ll lose the thread of your argument.
The chef is Bocuse d’Or finalist Donald Loriaux, and the menu is French with modern influences. A la carte is around €80 for three courses, while the menu gourmand comprises three courses plus coffee and petit fours for €85.
Dishes may include the seasonal white asparagus with a very Flemish hard-boiled egg mayonnaise, monkfish in a strongly flavoured bouillabaisse sauce, Irish fillet of beef with duck liver and tagliatelle enhanced with white truffle oil, while crêpes feature largely in the dessert menu. The wine list, and the sommelier, will provide plenty to keep you amused.
Le Fourneau
8 Place Sainte-Catherine; tel +32 2513 1002
There are numerous bars and restaurants around Place Sainte-Catherine, but the queues outside Le Fourneau tell their own story. (You can’t book a table here, so come prepared to wait.)
Inside, there’s just one big room, and one big spherical bar at which you sit to watch the chefs at their stations before the range (fourneau). You can also observe the couple who have the one-and-only centre table – don’t take this unless you’re happy having fellow diners watching your every mouthful.
The buzz at Le Fourneau is fantastic, aided by people tending to talk to whoever is alongside because the urge to compare dishes is irresistible. The food comes quickly, so this is very much the place for a quick meal in a party atmosphere.
The menu comprises tapas-style dishes with great flavours, and includes pata negra ham, spiced and roasted langoustine with black and white pudding, smoked eel, the sweetest tiny grilled lamb chops, turbot, John Dory, and desserts including a very tempting chocolate trio. Individual dishes cost from €4 to €15, while the wines start at €4 a glass for red or white, €6 for dessert wine and €8.50 for champagne.
Ristorante Bocconi
1-3 rue de l’Amigo; tel +32 2547 4715; hotelamigo.com
If you tire of moules frites, waterzooi and beer, and just want some smart Italian food, this is the place to come. A large contemporary space, with deep red leather upholstery, and rich yellow walls hung with black and white Fornasetti plates, the restaurant looks out onto a busy tourist street leading down to the Grand Place.
The chef is Vincenzo Regine, a southern Italian from Ischia, and the menu reflects the fact that he imports many of his ingredients directly from Italy. If you work your way through a traditional meal with antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti, and dessert, the cost per person would average €80, or there is a gourmet menu for €65 per person.
Dishes include scallops with ricotta and asparagus, pasta with bottarga and lobster in an intensely flavoured sauce, tuna with eggplant ragout, veal osso buco, and a very toothsome chocolate granita with saffron sorbet, chocolate mousse and deep-fried carrot. The wine list is Italian, of course, and the Sunday brunch, Italian-style, is reputedly very good, and costs €55 including a glass of prosecco.
Fact file
Eurostar operates up to ten daily services from London’s St Pancras International to Brussels with return fares from £59. All Eurostar tickets to Brussels are valid to/from any Belgian station at no extra cost. Tickets are available from eurostar.com or call +44 (0)8705 186 186. Fastest London-Brussels journey time is one hour and 51 minutes. Hotel Amigo, 1-3 rue de l’Amigo (tel +32 2547 4725, hotelamigo.com) has rooms from €590.
