Exploring the world one bite at a time

Category: Belgium (country) (Page 2 of 8)

The Country Belgium in Europe

A Pilori Taverne: “Mediocre at best”

We ended up having lunch on the terrace of A Pilori during a class excursion. The terrace is nice, but to be honest, the food is mediocre at best. But what can you expect from 15 euro for a main course, including a glass of wine? The white wine we ordered was served warm, a mistake not easy to forgive on a warm summer day.

The staff was not very good at their job and seemed to be uninterested in providing for their customers. (I have to say though, some staff members were clearly still in training). After having to drink warm wine, the tagliatelle with salmon wasn’t served hot enough and the creamy sauce seemed very un-Italian. They also somehow forgot to bring the bread, which arrived when everybody’s dishes were almost finished.

Clearly this restaurant’s staff is badly organized and the food is really not very good. A pity, because the location actually is very nice.

Information
Brasserie taverne A Pilori
Place du Marche
4000 Liège
Belgium
+32 4 250 03 01
info@pilori-liege.be
http://www.pilori-liege.be/
https://www.facebook.com/lecomptoirliege

Visited July 2017. You can find my review about A Pilori Taverne also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 4/5, service 2/5, food 3/5.

Humphrey: “Food sharing”

Had a lovely lunch on the cozy terrace of Humprey in Brussels, not far away from the historical heart of Brussels. The start of our lunch was a bit chaotic and we had to wait a while before our drinks arrived and we could order, but the waiter explained his colleague was sick, so he had to serve the guests all alone. He was very nice though, explaining the menu in Dutch although his mother tongue was French.

We were very charmed by the food Humphrey served us. The Humphrey’s concept is all about food sharing, which I absolutely adore. We ordered five different dishes: spicy ahi poke, Filipino beef tartare, cauliflower chimichurri, grilled zucchini bellpepper and accras with yuzu (fish cakes), which was enough for four persons. The food was inspired by the Filipino cuisine and downright delicious. Every dish was presented on a different plate (with the meat served on a dried ham being the most spectacular). When fusion is done right it is an absolute delight.

Lovely place I will definitely visit again.

Information
Restaurant Humphrey
St-Laurensstraat 36-38
1000 Brussels
Belgium
info@humphreyrestaurant.com
http://www.humphreyrestaurant.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Humphrey-177005805983919/
http://instagram.com/humphreybrussels

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

Best sushi in Leuven – Top 3

So, as you have guessed by now, I am a big fan of Japan and Japanese food. When I’ve had a hard day, there are a few dishes that will surely cheer me up. Naturally sushi almost always does the trick. Since most of my friends know how much I like sushi, I often get asked which is my favorite sushi restaurant in Leuven. The answer to this question is not straight forward. It depends. If you want your sushi delivered at home, I would recommend Saki Sushi or New Sushi Palace, but if you’re looking for a nice sushi meal with friends or the love of your life, I have a totally different top 3 for you.

Number 1: Wabi Sabi Sushi Bar
Perhaps not the best sushi in Leuven, but close enough. I like this restaurant, because the interior is very beautiful and stylish. The building which now hosts Wabi Sabi, belonged to an antiquarian before and it shows. Moreover Wabi Sabi is the biggest sushi restaurant in town: you’ll almost always guaranteed to find an empty table due to its sheer number of seating places. Even on a Saturday evening it is possible to find a table for two. In summer you can enjoy your sushi outside on the terrace in the Muntstraat and enjoy the vibrant atmosphere. Service at times can be a little slow, but the sushi makes up for it.

Info
http://www.wabisabisushi.be/
Muntstraat 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
+32 16 74 77 54

Number 2: Inari
Inari sushi was the first sushi restaurant that opened its doors in Leuven and it remains one of the best (but sadly also one of the most expensive). After all these years it still exists, which in itself proves that Inari has a loyal audience that loves coming back for more. The sushi is really great, although due to its popularity, the restaurant can get rather busy and loud. Tables are put a little too close to each other to my taste, so make sure not to share a big secret over your sushi boat. (Yes, I know, no Japanese sushi chef in his right mind will even serve sushi on a boat.)

Info
http://inarisushibar.be/
Parijsstraat 18, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
+32 16 43 38 43

Number 3: Sakura
Sakura is a more spartan restaurant: simple tables in a mostly white, rather narrow restaurant. It is possible to sit outside on the terrace in the Muntstraat, but there are only a few tables available. The sushi is very good though, although waiting times can vary. Due to the simplicity of this restaurant and the fact that upon entering the first thing you’ll see are the sushi chefs at the counter working their magic, this restaurant has the most authentic Japanese vibe to me.

Info
http://www.resto-sakura.be/
Muntstraat 21, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
+32 16 22 26 28

The three restaurants mentioned all offer take-away. Sadly none of them has a delivery service. Be warned though: in Leuven you won’t find any sushi restaurant run by Japanese people. If you prefer your sushi prepared by a Japanese chef, you’ll have to travel to Brussels or Antwerp.

If you have other recommendations, please let me know in the comments.

Chez Oki: “Great Japanese food”

Marvelous Japanese restaurant.

I had dinner at Chez Oki with friends and we had an absolutely lovely evening. The French speaking waiter was very friendly and gave us the opportunity to choose the table at the window. He also recommended some nice wines with our food. The restaurant is very beautiful and stylish with a small pebble garden on the inside. Toilets were also very clean.

But enough about the decor, let’s talk about the food! Superlatives need to be used here. We all went for the four courses surprise menu and we were very impressed. Every course was very refined and beautifully presented. The taste reminded me of some of the best food I enjoyed in Japan. The chef really is an artist.

Highly recommended.

Information
Restaurant Chez Oki
Rue Lesbroussart 62
1050 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 644 45 76
info@chez-oki.com
http://www.chez-oki.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chez-Oki/143547759047782

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

Knees To Chin: “Lovely spring rolls”

Greet place if you enjoy spring rolls (rice paper rolls with different fillings). The concept is fusion: of course spring rolls are Asian, but Knees to chin gives some of them a local touch. You order at the counter and the staff brings your order to your table. I tried the Peking duck and the smoked salmon, which were both freshly prepared and really excellent. The prices are very reasonable, so you can also eat one of them when you’re craving a healthy snack.

The interior is simple, but cosy. Loved the big chalkboard!

I’m a fan of the Knees to Chin concept!

Information
Knees to chin
Vlaamsesteenweg 28
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 503 18 31
info@kneestochin.com
http://www.kneestochin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kneestochin/

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Knees To Chin also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Brasserie 28 Caulier: “Beer, burgers and food sharing”

Brasserie 28 is a fairly new place to have something to eat and (their specialty) enjoy a Belgian beer. The location couldn’t be better: the restaurant is situated inside of the Brussels Central train station. Ideal for travellers. They even have a little terrace outside. The interior is spacious with lots of light pouring in through the windows. I find the interior hard to describe, since it is such an interesting mix of styles. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself.

So, is the food any good? Since my company and I had to catch a train, there wasn’t enough time to try the food sharing formula, which sounded really lovely. I’ll have to come back for that another time. The concept of Brasserie 28 was developed by Caulier, the producer of the only naturally sugar free beers in the market. Since I don’t drink beer, I can’t comment on the quality of the beers, but I’m sure they’ll find a health conscious public for their product.

I can comment though on the Buffalo Burger I ate. The burger was really nice, with an unexpected combination of organic beef, mozzarella, tomato confit, basil and rucola pesto. I quite enjoyed it. With the burger came some very thinly slice potatoes, which were really to salty for me. The waitress recommended we order some extra fries with our burgers, but I actually had enough with the burger alone. A big eater would really need those fries, though.

I got the impression staff wasn’t trained well enough. The girl (who was friendly) didn’t know the wines on the menu. So Brasserie 28 can improve on that part. I would definitely come back here for a drink with friends though, because the wine was nice and not expensive at all.

Information
Brasserie 28 by Caulier Brussels Central Station
Boulevard de l’impératrice 3
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 511 05 31
http://www.brasserie28caulier.be/
https://www.facebook.com/b28centralstation

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Brasserie 28 Caulier also on TripAdvisor. My scores: value 5/5, service 3/5, food 4/5.

Skylab: “Great terrace, good cocktails”

Great place to enjoy cocktails in the sun. The terrace is really lovely and in summer you’ll have a hard time finding a free seat on the terrace. The cocktail menu is extensive and the cocktails are reasonably priced (lots of cocktails at about 9 euro).

I enjoyed met daiquiri with basil and honey very much. A special touch to a classic drink. Since the weather was gorgeous my friend and I enjoyed our drinks outside (the cava was also very nice), but the interior of Skylab is also really gorgeous, witch nice sofa’s and a lovely bar. A classy place to enjoy a cocktail or two.

Skylab, Quai au Bois a Bruler 9 métro Sainte Catherine, Brussels 1000, Belgium
https://facebook.com/skylabloungebar/
+32 2 203 03 50

Visited June 2017. You can find my review about Skylab also on TripAdvisor.

Gatsu Gatsu – Wok Alley: “Fast food done right”

Gatsu Gatsu is a Asian style restaurant which tries to emulate Asian street food. The interior really evokes the atmosphere of a traditional food alley in an Asian city. The concept is simple: you choose the ingredients for your wok (rice or noodles, meat, fish or tofu, vegetables) and the food is made while you wait. It is very nice that you can see the cooks do their magic.

If the weather is nice you can eat outside on the terrace with wooden tables and red plastic stools. When I went to Gatsu Gatsu, not long after they opened, I got the feeling that the staff was not yet used to the concept and they needed to streamline their process a little more.

The wok I had was very nice though. Love the fact that they offer udon noodles!

Information
Gatsu Gatsu
Rue du marché aux herbes 99
1000 Brussels
Belgium
+32 2 514 15 95
http://www.gatsugatsu.be/
https://www.facebook.com/GatsuGatsuBxl/

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

Intermezzo: “Lovely pasta!”

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.

a la becasse: “Traditional Belgian beers”

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.

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