Year: 2017 (Page 6 of 8)

Intermezzo: “Lovely pasta!”

25th June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Intermezzo is a traditional Italian restaurant which serves great food. The place is always packed at lunch time, so that speaks for itself. A colleague and I had lunch on the terrace on a very hot spring day. The interior of the place is very nice, with a beautiful wooden floor and ceiling with a real authentic feel to it.

it was a bit of hassle to order, because the menu was written on a chalk board inside, so we had to go inside to see what our options was. After we decided on our order, the waiter returned after a few moments to tell us they run out of the dish my colleague ordered. Defeats the purpose of a chalk board, if you asked me, but she changed her order.

We didn’t had to wait long for our pasta, which was perfectly cooked. I really enjoyed my spaghetti cozze with large mussels. The combination with the tomato sauce was just perfect.

Information
L’Intermezzo
Rue des Princes 16
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 218 03 11
https://www.facebook.com/L-Intermezzo-1424337587799300/

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Intermezzo also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

Cafe Bota: “Good pasta, service could be better”

21st June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Café Bota is the restaurant in the same building as the popular music venue ‘Botanique’. The place has a beautiful terrace overlooking the gorgeous Botanical Garden of Brussels. Sadly when I went there for lunch with some colleagues, it was just way to hot to sit outside on the terrace in the sun. It was a pity that staff didn’t open more parasols to provide their customers some shade.

Luckily we found a table on the inside of the restaurant where it was nice and cool. When we wanted to order there were already lots of plates sold out. A bit of a shame, since it was only 12.30h. But no worries, we found a dish to suit everyone. The wait was kind of long for a quick lunch (more than half an hour), but the pasta really was excellent. My pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce with white truffles and cherry tomatoes was really perfect. The home made lemonade was also excellent.

Staff should work on their hospitality and friendliness though.

Cafe Bota, Rue Royale 236, Brussels 1210, Belgium
http://botanique.be/fr/cafe-bota-fr
+32 2 226 12 28

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Cafe Bota also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 2/5, food 4/5.

a la becasse: “Traditional Belgian beers”

21st June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We stopped at the pub À La Bécasse during a guided tour through Brussels with as topic Belgian beers. So it is easy to guess, what the main reason for our visit was. We had some ‘Lambic’ and ‘Kriek’ beer, accompanied by some traditional Belgian ‘blood’ sausages and cheese. If you want to soak up the atmosphere of traditional Belgian pubs, this place is ideal. You’ll feel like you got transported back into time when visiting this pub with its wooden interior and a very classic vibe. If you’re visiting with a group, you can pour your own beer from large pitchers.

Be warned: the entrance is easy to miss, since it’s only a small door leading to the pub.

a la becasse, Rue de Tabora 11, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.alabecasse.com/en/info.html
+32 2 511 00 06

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about a la becasse also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

Vooruit Arts Centre: “Lovely terrace, simple food”

21st June 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Went for a quick dinner on the lovel terrace before going to an event in the Vooruit. Since it was gorgeous summer weather lots of people had the same idea. It was quite crowded on the terrace, but we managed to find a table. The vibe on the terrace really is lovely. This is a great place to enjoy drinks of go for something simple to eat. The many is rather limited and only contains sandwiches and snacks. You have to place your order at the counter. After ordering you get a small gadget that buzzes when your food is ready. It can get rather busy at the counter when the terrace is crowded, so it is possible you’ll have to wait in line.

I really enjoyed my sandwich with salmon and guacamole. All ingredients tasted fresh and were well balanced. Loved the little salad that came with it. The sparkling wine was a festive touch to start off the evening with.

Vooruit Arts Centre, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, Ghent 9000, Belgium
http://vooruit.be/nl/
+32 9 267 28 28

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Vooruit Arts Centre also on TripAdvisor.

Chez Tchoutchou: “Great Asian cuisine”

28th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

We found this Asian restaurant through tripadvisor. To be honest, if the reviews hadn’t been good, I wouldn’t have gone inside. From the outside the restaurant doesn’t look like much, but once inside you’ll find a very pleasant and welcoming restaurant with nice furniture and lots of Chinese decorations.

My boyfriend and I were the only people that went for lunch Chez Tchoutchou on a beautiful sunny Sunday. The service was very friendly (we even got a hesitant ‘Bonjour’ from the toddler) and welcoming. Their French was very good. I even got a scarf as a mother’s day gift!

The menu is impressive, to say the least. So much to choose from: Japanese, Chinese, Thai and even Korean food! I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be able to order bibimbap (a house specialty) in this southern village in Belgium!

We started with some excellent dim sum, which I followed up with some bibimbap that really reminded me of the bibimbap I had in Seoul. The bibimbap was served in a hot stone pot and really excellent! The lady mixed it up for me (probably thinking I didn’t know what to do with it). The bibimbap was really lovely and the portion was very big. My boyfriend also enjoyed the peking duck a lot. To be honest, I had more than enough to eat after the dim sum and the bibimbap, but how could I resist some icecream mochi? A perfect way to end a lovely meal.

Chez Tchoutchou really offers excellent Asian food. Only minor complaint is that our lunch took a bit longer than expected, but to be honest, we really didn’t mind. When passing by, I definitely will visit again!

Chez Tchoutchou, Rue d’Arlon 188a B-6780, Messancy 6780, Belgium
http://www.chez-tchoutchou.be/
+32 63 67 84 29

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about Chez Tchoutchou also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 5/5, food 5/5.

La Cucaracha: “Authentic Mexican food”

28th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

La Cucaracha is one of those restaurants in Leuven that have been around forever. La Cucaracha serves authentic Mexican food in a relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant is decorated with very colorful wall paintings, so when eating there you’ll have an instant holiday feeling. Be sure to make reservations though, because certainly in the weekend it can get very busy.

The food at La Cucaracha is very good, I have been there multiple times and never have I been disappointed. The service is also very friendly (although they don’t always speak Dutch). Last time when I ate there we got served by a lovely Spanish lady. So nice to be able to practice my Spanish a bit!

Only complaint: sometimes it takes a bit too long before the food arrives on your table. So make sure, that you have enough time, when you visit La Cucuracha.

La Cucaracha, Tiensestraat 21, Leuven 3000, Belgium
https://facebook.com/La-Cucaracha-121619677914990?__nodl&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLa-Cucaracha-121619677914990&ref=www.facebook.com&_rdr
+32 16 23 44 68

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about La Cucaracha also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

ko’uzi: “Sushi magic!”

28th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Ko’uzi is a superb sushi restaurant with a real Japanese sushi chef, that no sushi lover should miss. Of course you can go for the classic sushi here, but why not try some of the creative sushi’s on the menu? What about sushi with scallop, mushroom and walnuts? Of how about tartar tuna with basil oil and crispy quinoa? Or smoked eel and beetroot? Every sushi is a work of art in itself and a feast for the senses. I enjoyed every bite of it!

The restaurant itself lies next to the shop and is lovely and light, but not very big. So make sure to have a reservation, if you want to visit. Ko’uzi works in two shifts, so if you come early you’ll have to leave at eight o’ clock in the evening.

Highly recommended!

ko’uzi, Leopoldplaats 12, Antwerp 2000, Belgium
http://www.kouzi.be/
322322488

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about ko’uzi also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 5/5.

Wineport Bistro: “Good local food”

27th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

The Wineport is a friendly pub which serves local pubfood with an emphasis on local produce from Arran. We went here for a quick lunch. I had the creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted homemade bread topped with goat’s cheese, the men in our company really enjoyed the pork & chorizo burger with arran cheese and my female friend had the crab roll with lemon mayo. The food was decent and the service really welcoming. You can also try the local beer, brewed in the Arran Brewery next door.

Wineport Bistro, Cladach Brodick, KA27 8DE, Scotland
http://www.wineport.co.uk/
+44 1770 302101

Visited April 2017. You can find my review about Wineport Bistro also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

ViaVia: “Dreadful service”

27th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

The ViaVia in the Parkstraat lays a bit further away from the touristic heart of Leuven in a neighborhood where there aren’t that many restaurants. The concept of this bar and brasserie is the same as the one in Leuven: a relaxed place where you can enjoy drinks or order some daily specials (written on a chalk board).

I have to be honest, it has been a while since I met a waiter that was so rude and unhelpful. When asked if we could have a look at the menu, he at first declined to bring one and just pointed at the chalk board, saying to my friend: “You have been here before, you know we only serve what’s on the chalk board.” But I was the only one who wanted to order food, my friends just wanted some drinks. So then my friend asked: “So can you please tell me what beers you have?” The waiter let out a big sigh, turned around without saying anything and brought back some drink menus. We were quite taken aback by his attitude.

I was contemplating just leaving right there and then, but since it was such a beautiful summer evening and I was very hungry, my friends and I stayed. The first dish I tried to order was sold out (not that the waiter made an effort to erase this dish from the chalkboard), so I went for the chicken tandoori. The chicken tandoori was fine, I guess, nothing special and the meat was a little bit dry. But the dish wasn’t that expensive (15 euro), so no complaints there.

When we wanted to leave the ViaVia, it took us some convincing before the waiter brought us the bill. I guess he must have had a really bad day? O yeah, he also couldn’t be bothered to clean our table. Such a shame, because the patio is a great place to sit outside for drinks in the summer.

ViaVia, Parkstraat 146, Leuven 3000, Belgium
http://viavia.world/nl/content/wiewaar-4
0478-36-24-82

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about ViaVia also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.

Wagamama: “Asian fast food”

27th May 2017 / Carolien Coenen / 0 Comments

Of course Wagamama is a fast food chain, so you get what you pay for. The restaurant in Antwerpen is conveniently situated on the Meir, the big shopping street, nearby the Central Station. The interior is nice and modern, with big wooden tables. The staff could be better trained though. You would suspect that a fast food chain would have efficient and friendly staff, but the waiters who served us lacked on both fronts.

I ordered the wagamama ramen, the portion was very big, so no complaints there. Sadly I found the broth rather tasteless and as the broth is the ingredient which gives the ramen its flavor, I was kind of disappointed. Perhaps this was due to the fact, that the broth was made of vegetables.

Good for a quick meal, nothing more.

Wagamama, Keyserlei, Antwerp, Belgium
https://www.wagamama.be/
+32 3 234 99 80

Visited May 2017. You can find my review about Wagamama also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 1/5, food 3/5.