Every year, just before Christmas, Vera Slapp and Cyril arrive for a few days on Eurostar. Apart from doing the Christmas markets, they do a commendable amount of drinking and eating. And drinking. Especially mulled wine, or vin chaud. Cyril, poor dear, is a bit hard of hearing, and doesn’t speak any French. Hence the warming libation is now known as a banjo. I did try and introduce them to flavoured genever, but gave up when Cyril kept asking me who was Jennifer. Deaf sod.
Bij den Boer is a fairly recent addition to the fish restaurants on the Quai aux Briques. The €25 four-course menu is extremely good value. The waiters are nice young men, to which Vera Slapp is also quite partial. I don’t think our waiter was used to being called “darling” before the main course, but he took it in good part and didn’t even seem to mind having his bottom pinched. Not the first time, at least.
La Roue d’Or is an old established restaurant just off the Grand’Place. This is a bit pricier – count 50 euros a head for two courses, apéritifs and wine – but well worth the expense. The room is rather masculine, with wooden benches and a slightly austere feel, no background music, no linen tablecloths. The only frivolous touches are the murals which pay tribute to René Magritte. The waiters wear long white aprons and are very knowledgeable about the food and wine, although were too old to interest Vera, who only preys upon defenceless young men. Alongside such Belgian standards as waterzooi and rabbit in Gueuze beer is a more sophisticated French style cuisine with a noticeable emphasis on olive oil.
My carpaccio de boeuf was succulent, served with shavings of real parmesan cheese and drizzled with the beneficial green nectar. Cyril discovered the delights of rillettes, or potted duck meat, which he not only enjoyed but could even pronounce, and Vera had buffalo mozzarella and tomato with a generous drizzle of the old extra-virgin. I am a great believer in olive oil. When you get to my age, internal lubrication is very important, and olive oil is so much more agreeable than All-Bran.
The daily special, Pot au Feu, was homely and warming comfort food, a mixture of beef and rabbit simmered so long it melted in the mouth, with plenty of tender vegetables. Cyril had an elegant and simple piece of cod - the new monkfish, since the North Sea variety has become officially extinct - on a bed of puréed potatoes with huile d’olive. Vera’s caramelised ham hock turned out to be the whole leg of a baby pig, glistening with a caramel glaze. She’s only a small woman, and the jambonneau was bigger than her handbag, but she did it justice, attacking it with gusto, and then with a knife and fork. We washed it all down with a nice bottle of St Nicolas de Bourgeuil, which was served slightly chilled, as befits a Beaujolais. The flavours are slowly released as the wine warms to ambient temperature. Although the speed that Vera and Cyril drink, I’m not sure it ever got to room temperature.
Only Cyril still had room for a dessert, and took a slice of the home made apple cake which he had been eyeing in the elaborate silver dessert trolley – which would look so right in my dining room. We were stuffed to the gills. The graphic French expression “my back teeth are swimming” was an apt description of how we felt after the Roue d’Or experience. Vera, however, still managed to force down a few chockies on the waddle home. I don’t know where she puts it. Still, after all that olive oil, I shouldn’t need to hit the ex-lax for another week.
Both restaurants were packed, despite it being the beginning of the week, but it was the last one before Christmas. My only – very small – criticism of both is this mania for putting the condiments on the table in their original packaging. I enjoy a bit of down-home informality as much as the next girl, but a proper cruet makes all the difference to an elegant table. And as for ketchup (Bij den Boer) – well, one should have to ask for it. Discreetly. This is not America.
Bij den Boer60 quai aux Briques
Tel: 02 512 6122
La Roue d’Or
26 rue des Chapeliers
Tel: 02 514 2554
