Brussels, Belgium: Eats and more!

I had been to Brussels several times, but most of the time, meeting up with friends and ex-colleagues.  I never played as tourist.  A friend of mine wanted to see Brussels and it was a great opportunity for me to hop on an intercity train (without HT hubbie) and be a Brussels tourist for a weekend.

Where did we go?  I'll save that for later as the main subject for this post is...where did we eat?  (We ate more and spent more time walking to our eating destination than looking for tourist attraction - yes, indeed, my friend is also a foodie)

After checking-in in our hotel at past 22:00, we went out to walk around and stumbled into this crowded friture/frituur.  We grabbed a portion of frites (fries), and chose our own sauce (selection: tartar, mayo is common, curry ketchup, etc).  It was addictive and the portion was good for 2.  It's almost everywhere in Brussels, but I suggest to check out the crowd in the middle of the night (that's where locals flock after a lot of drinking :)). - ~3.2 euros ~this one is in Rue Henn Maus (street)

 Never leave Brussels without grabbing a waffle.  (it's all over the city - you won't miss it).  You can get it with whipped cream, some fruits on top - but for no-frills, get a plain one orwith smudged-dark chocolate.  This one is in Belgaufra (Rue de Neuve shopping street) ~2 euros a piece.

 

 For lunch, we went to Nordzee, Mer Du Nord @ Rue Sainte Catherine.  We checked on what they offer for that day from the hanging whiteboard, placed our order, paid, left our name, and waited until we hear them shouting from the top of their lungs - yes, we rushed to get our lunch treat.

 

Fish Soup/Vissoep- lots of taste, veggies and chunks of fish.  My favorite.  We went back the next day and ordered the same for breakfast.  We had bigger chunks of fish when we were there around 11 before the crowd starts to prowl the area. ~5 euro/serving

 

shrimp croquette/garnalenkroket - my friend loved this.  Best eaten when warm - tasty and chunky. ~8 euros for 2 pieces

 

 

Mussels/mosselen -  the season for this shellfish - the 'BER' months!  Cooked with white wine and herbs - it was perfect as a bread dip. (they served unlimited bread).  ~ 8 euros

 

washed off with white wine - they have spanish, french, italian ~ 2-4 euros 

 

Around the area are bar type tables where you can placed your plates and start digging in.  Love this street food feeling with real plates.  There's a square in front of the place where this lovely church stands...lovely food in a lovely area...what more can you ask for.

 

For dinner, we had 2 places on the list - but we decided to go old-school.  Les Brassins - a restaurant near Port de Namur/Naamsepoort.  We took chance and didn't made any reservation.  We arrived around 1930 and they had a few tables where the walk-ins can sit, were still free.  But after half an hour - suddenly the place was packed. 

ham on the bone - I always like eating ham in a Belgian place.  I'm not sure why,but it's been a staple.  This was huge, quite salty (for my friend) but it was fine for me.  It was slightly overcooked as some parts are quite tough. ~ 17 euros

Hare leg stew -  the reason why we went to this place.  I remember HT hubbie saying that it's typical for them eating hare when he was younger so here we are (2 asians curious of how it taste like).  Their version is simmered with kriek bier - cherry beer.  I was disappointed because there's not much taste from the sauce to the meat.  They offer 1 leg or 2 legs - glad we sticked to 1 leg.  ~13 euros

Both dishes came with this sides - fries and stoemp(stamppot in dutch) - mashed potato with beans (there are different varieties, such as with creme spinach, farmer's cabbage, etc.)  Again, these were all bland. 

 

The prices of the dishes was reasonable but the food was so-so.  If you wanted to try old Belgian fare for experience, this is the place to go (or better yet go to Brugge).  Otherwise, i suggest to go to some place, where you can get a good burger or pasta or even korean fare.  After all, Brussels, is quite multinational as a city.

 

After dinner, we were looking for a Belgian dessert.  We rushed to our 2nd place in our dinner list- which I read good reviews on their steak/fries (steak frites) and burgers - but we only had space for a piece of cake.

 

quirky backdrop of Houtsiplou - Placce Rouppe 9 - a modern simple restaurant...

 

We ordered speculoos cheesecake - the bottom is made up of speculoos cookies.  The cheesecake was not too sweet and has a smooth texture ~5.50 euros

 

TIP: Check out this shop for speculoos cookies and spread take home.

 

 

It was quite windy and cold that night - so my friend and I decided to grab some hot drinks i.e. coffee for me and I started playing with her chocolat chaud aka hot chocolate with our speculoos cheesecake.

 

I skipped buying marcolini chocolates, as I have a new favorite - Pierre Ledent's macarons - a friend of mine once bought a box for me...and I just love it.  I got a box of 8 for ~12.50 euros for HT hubbie.  I love their flavors - green tea, rose water, mint and mojito among others.

 

 

 

And where did we go?

Grand Place/Grote Markt in the evening.

 

Grand Place/Grote Markt in the morning.

 

 

 

Manneken Pis with clothes

 

Manneken Pis without clothes

 

Another Manneken Pis in action

 

Appreciating the whereabouts in Brussels..

 

We were lucky to witness this parade...

and more...

 

I enjoyed my short weekend in Brussels.  Next time, i'll play as HT hubbie's tourist guide.

Brussels, Belgium - Seoul Korean Grill

Once you see these...

flat chopsticks

healthy knick knacks on the table

clear, spicy soup

gyoza with chili oil (though in the menu, it's called ravioli :D)

raw marinated meat

and being cooked in front of you..

until it's chow time!

We really had a nice korean treat! 

And of course, we didn't end the night without dessert.

It's always nice to be in an asian restaurant serving authentic cuisine at this side of the world.

Price Summary (in euro)

This set menu cost 31 euro

Seoul

1050 Ixelles Brussels



Belgium, Brussels - a guide for the sweet tooth

HT couple visited a friend who will be living in Brussels for 18 months for work!  Imagine being surrounded by life's greatest...chocolates here, beers there and more chocolates on that side and beers this side!  It's almost a few steps away to heaven. :)  Though she's not fond of chocolates (bummer), but beers are to her liking (belgium is not bad for her after all :D)

HT couple loves chocolates.  It's not our routine to have desserts everyday but a piece of chocolate everyday is a must!  There were a few times that we just can't sleep as we didn't had our chocolate dosage.  And for a couple having the same passion for chocola (dutch), that can mean war.  Luckily, we have our own preferences, HT hubbie is into milk chocolates and i'm into the dark ones.  So, all is fair in love and chocolates. :D

Brussels isn't my favorite place (as what my friends said, i should go there on days when I seem not to appreciate The Netherlands :D ) except for the chocolate shops every corner.  I have my favorites, of course...

Pierre Marcolini 

4 years ago, i first landed in this shop in Sablon area at the center of Brussels (so expect that it is a tourist trap).  Acclaimed to be the world's best chocolate, it wouldn't hurt to try once.  I got their sampler box (i think about 30 pcs for 'effin 20 euros) which my wallet didn't like the price tag but tastebuds came knocking on the door not to bother about the numbers.  I can still remember, that their pralines were nice but what i can't  forget are the grand cru's thus, this 2011, PM chocolates and I got reunited.  But this time ( i settled down with Saveurs du Monde- 16 pcs for 12 euros).  I just prefer my chocolates, simple with that good cocoa kick and no flavors added.  Equateur is my favorite.

I'll be honest that I forgot to consider HT hubbie's milk chocolate preference (oopsie), thus i have to get this superman's kryptonite-looking chocolate which name has "tiramisu" in it out of guilt for being a selfish chocolate addict.

It was difficult to resist....

It's made of cream ganache covered with nougatine and mild dark chocolate.  Harmoniously done, each ingredients went well together but for 3 euro for this small piece, it's a bit overpriced.  But still, it's nice to try their new creation once in a while.

I did notice that the chocolate sizes were smaller.  I guess, with the economic crisis, putting up the prices (higher than 20 euros), for a box of chocolates, is not a good idea thus, de-sizing is the only option.  Also, i've read somewhere that Nestle has bought more shares to sustain this infamous PM.  And with it's availability in Japan, expect more expansion in Asia and who knows it might just be across your doorstep.  Then make sure to try it!

Next favorite is Wittamer, which is a few blocks away from PM.  A small fact: Pierre Marcolini worked in Wittamer and was trained here :).

We didn't buy chocolates there anymore as we also got a few at Leonida's (where truffles are nice for 6 euro a box i.e.250 g - 1/4 of the price of what is being sold in Wittamer).

this can be finished by HT hubbie in one seating...so HT wife supervision is much needed :D

We decided to stay indoors where we got the peace and quietness as outside seating was fully occupied by residents and tourists (as the sun has been visiting us for days now).  We just wanted to relax a bit before we go for a walk again.
And with the warm weather...nothing else came into my mind but a good glass of ice cream and a good dosage of caffeine so I can walk the next stretch.

Cafe Liegois (10.50 euro)- glace (ice cream) with cafe Costa Rica and chantilly.  It was perfect!  The sweetness of the ice cream was a good complement of the bitterness of the coffee.  It was refreshing!

My friend, Cinderella ordered Dame Blanche ou Noire (10.50 euro).

Cinderella poured the thick chocolate over her ice cream even if she's not fond of it to give it a try.  She thought it was ok.  I don't know if that circular meringue beside the ice cream went well with all the fancy ingredients. 

They don't have an English menu so either you wanted to be surprised or to be sure, bring out your iphone for translation :D.  Also, everything is quite expensive, even though it is good, i don't think it was worthy from what you get..

See that big smile?   Somebody was successful with her chocolate shopping :D.

Brugge, Belgium: Brugge's fine food (Belgium)

August 1, 2010 was our 1st anniversary as husband and wife.  We celebrated once in Singapore 2 months earlier, as we wanted to have fun in the place where our love and relationship flourished and grew.

As much as we love food, both of us love diving and travelling.  We skip diving for now and reserve it when we're back in Asia and decided to travel in an old city which we usually enjoy.  With hubby's driving and direction skills, we've reached Brugge one Saturday afternoon.

Brugge is famous for its old landmarks i.e. the square, churches and towers.  It's always nice to walk around in a place bringing us to the old times and preserving history.

But walking around will only be fun if there are nibbles and eating in between...agree?   Below are my foodie survival tips in Brugge...

Foodie Survival Tip # 1:  Enter a tea room with colorful window or a recommended place from the world wide web...whichever works for you.

Order their best drink...a hot chocolate, and you get a cup of milk and chocolate syrup on top

Make your own cup of hot chocolate

Ta-dah!  Enjoy the cup with all types of chocolates (dark, milk, white) and whipped cream. (hot chocolate was good, but don't expect anything special other than the presentation.)

Order more even if you think you're already having sugar rush.  (this black forest cake was a bit of a disappointment though)

Foodie Survival Tip # 2: If you passed by a window like this...stop for a while.

take a closer look...

enter the place and order a freshly cooked pasta even if you're full...you don't want to screw up your holiday not having a share of  pasta of this humble eatery, Pasta Maria (locals favorite).  Usually, the pasta comes in a pasta cornetto (just like chinese take away boxes).  Hubby and I shared a portion for only 4 euro.  Not bad, for a decent meal, huh?

Foodie Survival Tip # 3: Walking around makes us thirsty...better look for this small alley in Breidelstraat..and you can't go wrong once you enter.

De Garre, crowded with tourists and locals...you just have to find a place to seat whether you have a table or not...

Drink as much cherry beers (krier beer) as you can..

and for strong beer lovers, Triple Van De Garre shouldn't be missed... (3 euro for any beer glass) Quite unique is the sign that warns you are only served a maximum of 3 of their stronger beers, to make sure it stays enjoyable and noone leaves drunk.

Foodie Survival Tip # 4: For dinner, look for a restaurant that serves authentic Flemish dishes.  Avoid the major square and tourist traps.  Instead, walk in a quiet street like this, and sure there would be a hidden find.

You get complimentary fresh bread in their branded paper bag...

For main course, get a typical Flemish dish, Stoofvlees (beef stew) simmered for hours in beer! I have blogged about stoofvlees in Dutch Snacks 101, but that one is certified no alcohol.  Together with apple mousse, you sure can't go wrong with your order.

up close with the beef (took this for Harris hehe)

best enjoyed with eat-all-you-can frites

 It's disrespectful not to have mussels in this country.  (mussels in beer*again*)

Top up with more beers, as the belgians drink it like water.

Foodie Survival Tip # 5: Be a tourist.  Order nice waffles in a tourist place before you leave the country.

Foodie Survival Tip # 6: Don't leave the country without buying good, rich decent chocolates.

how can you resist big chunks of chocolates in all sorts of colors?

With these bonbons, the drive or flight back home wouldn't be as boring as it used to be.

Tea Room and Restaurants with prices (in €):

De Proeverie = 15 € (for a cup of cappucino, hot chocolate and cake)

Pasta Maria = 4 € for 500 grams of lasagna

De Garre = 3 € per glass

De Vlaamsche Pot = 53 € (2 glasses of beers, Mussels with frites, Stoofvlees with frites)

Cherry Waffles = about 9 €

The chocolate line bonbon = about 5 € per 100 grams

Location: Brugge, Belgium