Exploring the world one bite at a time

Category: Brussels (Page 3 of 4)

The City Brussels in Belgium, Europe

Umamido: “Great ramen!”

A new ramen restaurant, quite close to my work place. I really love me some ramen, so I decided to try out Umamido on a hot summer day. I got there early so I could secure a place on the small, yet cosy terrace.

Of course I ordered the weekday lunch menu special: 3 gyozas and a ramen of choice for 14 euros. It is possible to add extra toppings, but I decided to go with the standard option: vegetables, slices of slow cooked pork neck and a half soft boiled egg.

The menu mentions the broth is made from pork meat from the village of Malmedy in the Belgian Ardennes. Sounded nice, I wondered if the taste would be good also.

Turned out I wasn’t diappointed. The ramen was perfect. The broth was very tasty and in my case also a little spicy (I went for the kara miso ramen). The egg was perfectly boiled.The gyoza was also excellent.

Definitely will go back there and perhaps next time I’ll try the kimchi appetizer!

Umamido is a chain with restaurants in four locations in Belgium. I’ve never visited the other locations, but if the ramen is of the samen quality, you can’t go wrong there.

Umamido, Place Sainte-Catherine 1, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.umamido.be/
0032 29116221

Visited August 2015. You can find my review about Umamido also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine: “For burger lovers”

I went to Ellis Gourmet Burger with colleagues for a quick lunch. We ate outside on the terrace because it was such a beautiful day. Service was very friendly and welcoming. I was no trouble at all to accomodate to our special wishes (no onions, extra cheese, no buns). Food arrived quickly and costed about 10 euros for a burger.

If you love burgers, this restaurant is for you, although I have to admit I find the ‘gourmet’ aspect a little bit exaggerated. My portobello burger was nice but contained too much sauce for my liking and too little goat cheese. Two little tomatoes were the only thing accompanying the burger. Luckily I ordered the coleslaw, which was very nice.

My colleagues who ordered the meat burgers liked them fine though. The meat was cooked as ordered and everything was served as asked.

With our meal we drank their lime kiwi lemonade, but we were a little bit disappointed by it. Too sweat for our taste.

This restaurant can get crowded though, even at lunch. So make sure to come early to have a table.

Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine, Place Sainte-Catherine 4, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://ellisgourmetburger.be/nl
+32 2 514 23 14

Visited July 2015. You can find my review about Ellis Gourmet Burger – Place St Catherine also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 4/5, food 3/5.

Noordzee Mer du Nord: “Great atmosphere, excellent seafood”

My colleagues and I go here often for a quick lunch. This place just offers the best seafood in town. Ordering your food can be a bit chaotic though and on a beautiful sunny day the waiting lines can get very long, but the food makes up for it all.

You typically order at the counter and wait until your name is shouted by the staff to collect your food. You eat at standing tables, preferably with a glass of nice white wine to accompany your food. If you don’t like waiting, do try their sandwiches which are also excellent. The shrimp salad or the salmon tartare are really a treat.

Noordzee Mer du Nord, Rue Sainte-Catherine 45, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://vishandelnoordzee.be/
+32 2 513 11 92

Visited June 2015. You can find my review about Noordzee Mer du Nord also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 5/5.

Resto Theatre National: “Excellent place for a quick and healthy lunch”

To find this restaurant you need to go to the second floor of the Theatre National, situated at the Emile Jacqmainlaan. I go there often for lunch with colleagues.

For 12 euro you can enjoy the all you can eat buffet with a large selection of mediterranean inspired dishes. Really love the selection in the cold buffet with the houmous, that lovely spinach dish and all the different kind of vegetables.

The warm buffet offers two different courses, which are ok, but not as great as the cold buffet. The buffet is all you can eat. Most of the time I just go for two plates of the cold buffet. Really a nice place for vegetarians and for everybody who enjoys a quick and healthy lunch.

Resto Theatre National, Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 111-115 Inside the Theatre, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.theatrenational.be/fr/34//
+32 2 219 00 41

Visited May 2015. You can find my review about Resto Theatre National also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Pino: “Great Italian restaurant, albeit a bit expensive”

We had a lovely evening with friends in this beautiful restaurant in Overijse. Staff was very friendly and really attentive. Dishes were excellent. Very high quality of food and you could taste everything was fresh.

Really loved my asparagus with carpaccio and the risotto was also nice, although not exceptional. My only remark is that the prices are rather high. 20 euro for a starter is the norm. Didn’t get to try the house wine, because I was the designated driver.

Would definitely come back, though.

Pino, Brusselsesteenweg 505, Overijse 3090, Belgium
https://facebook.com/RistorantePino?ref=ts&fref=ts
+32 2 657 22 57

Visited May 2015. You can find my review about Pino also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 3/5, service 5/5, food 4/5.

Muntpunt Grand Cafe: “Nice terrace, decent food”

This is a lovely place to have lunch on the terrace on a sunny day. When you sit inside though, the restaurant can be very chilly especially when you are sitting close to the very large, impractical (but beautiful) doors.

Food is ok. Quality varies depending on the dish you choose. I recommend trying one of the daily specials. Recently I had a great salad with spring rolls (rolls made of rice paper, carpaccio and vegetables). I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. The best I’ve had in this place up to date.

Staff is friendly, but not very attentive (you sometimes have to jump through hoops to get their attention).

Muntpunt Grand Cafe, Rue Leopold 2, Brussels 1000, Belgium
https://www.muntpunt.be/content/muntpunt-grand-caf%EF%BF%BD
+32 2 218 39 18

Visited May 2015. You can find my review about Muntpunt Grand Cafe also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 3/5, food 3/5.

De Markten Cafe: “Beautiful terrace”

De Markten is a place I mostly visit in summer time. When the weather is nice, the big terrace beneath the beautiful trees is an ideal place for a quick lunch with colleagues. Food is simple but decent. Do try the recommendations which change often. Also a lovely place to just have some drinks with friends. The service can be a bit chaotic, but the prices are low, so definitely worth your money.

De Markten Cafe, Rue du Vieux Marche aux Grains 5, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.demarkten.be/
+32 2 512 34 25

Visited April 2015. You can find my review about De Markten Cafe also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Strofilia: “Lovely Greek cuisine”

Lovely Greek restaurant in the heart of Brussels. A friend who loves Greek food recommended this place. Our group consisted of sixteen people, so we got our own table in the beautiful brick cellar of the restaurant. We really liked the fact that we had some privacy and didn’t need to worry about disturbing the other guests.

The staff suggested a group menu with a variety of mezes. Throughout the dinner we were presented with tiny cold and hot dishes. All very tasty en nicely presented. We really loved the taste of authentic Greek food. The wine was average at best, but the food was more than excellent. A nice introduction into the wealth of the Greek cuisine.

Strofilia, Rue du Marche aux Porcs 13, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://www.strofilia.brussels/
+32 2 512 32 93

Visited April 2015. You can find my review about Strofilia also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 4/5, food 4/5.

Black Pearls: “Not living up to expectations”

Fish restaurant in Brussels airport. Food is ok, I guess, but way to expensive for something which was cleary reheated. We got our food quickly, so we didn’t need to worry about missing your flight. Staff speaks French and English (no Dutch, sadly). They also serve fresh oysters, which I didn’t taste yet. It is a shame that the food does not live up to expectations, because the restaurant itself looks nice enough. Wine was ok, though.

Black Pearls, Brussels Airport – Connector, Zaventem, Belgium
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Pearl-Restaurant/161958177165389
+32 2 719 77 48

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Black Pearls also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 2/5, service 3/5, food 2/5.

Al Jannah: “A tasty yet affordable lunch”

A local restaurant situated in the ‘Marollen’ which offers some delicious Libanese food. We went there with a large group of fifteen people. The interior of the restaurant is nothing special. A counter where you can order all the dishes to take away and some simple wooden tables and chairs. The place could do with some better lightning, it was rather dark inside. Not really place to have a romantic dinner, but ideal for a quick cheap lunch. Dishes are savory and fresh. I ordered the Assiette Orientale, which was very nice. Next time though, I think I will go for my own selection of dishes so I can taste more of what Al Jannah has to offer.

It is possible to have lunch outside on plastic chairs, if you enjoy sitting on the sidewalk in this busy area of Brussels.

Al Jannah, Rue Blaes 59, Brussels 1000, Belgium
http://aljannah.be/en
+32 ()02 514 08 44

Visited March 2015. You can find my review about Al Jannah also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

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