When it comes to Brussels pubs I have an aversion to the British style pubs around the Commission and the Parliament which are full of suits during the week and unshaven blokes watching football at weekends. I much prefer Belgian bars, where each beer has its own glass and you don't have to shout to make yourself heard. Of course, this is because I am a laydee. In England I sit in the snug and drink a sweet sherry, and only on Sundays.
It was Gorbals' birthday last week so we ventured out for a midweek libation. We kicked off at the Muntpunt Grand Café, the spiffy
new bar attached to the newly revamped Muntpunt Flemish library (which also
incidentally has a good English section). Only in Belgium would a library have a bar. The area around the
Munt/Monnaie opera house (where the Belgian revolution kicked off resulting in
Belgium's independence in 1830) has undergone some regeneration recently and from Place
Brouckère you cross a wide open concourse with ground-level fountains, past
the ambitiously named Champagnothek (formerly the theatre bar) and turn right
into Rue Leopold opposite the trendy new Dominican Hotel.
I got there first and settled in with a Leffe Blonde
and a copy of Flanders Today. It took Gorbals a while to find the door,
and after some pawing at the window he disappeared for five minutes and ended
up coming in through the library. He hadn't started celebrating early, it was the fault of the door, which is huge, swings on a central axis and looks like a big
plateglass window. Look for the name of the cafe stencilled with
opening times and feel around for the handle.
The cafe inside is predominantly black, and Cuban rhythms merengué quietly in the background. So far, so trendy. The clientele is predominantly Flemish hipsters, and the attachment to the library/cultural centre means occasional live music or a DJ. The staff are young and
efficient, and speak Flemish, English and French. Food is available, a fair selection of well known Belgian beers, hip cocktails such as mojitos, and trendy tea and coffee. One reviewer complained that the "chai" lacked ginger. Oooh get you. Wi-fi is of course available,
which allowed Gorbals to show off with his new tablet
computer. I was most impressed by the toilets. This part
of the building being less than two months old, the basement loos are spotless,
and even smell brand new. I have to give them the award of Cleanest Bogs in
Belgium. How long they stay that way is another matter.
Hoppy Loft, Delirium Café
Jeanneke Pis, Impasse de la Fidelité
We gave Churchill's a miss and moved off down Rue de la Fourche in the direction of
the Ilot Sacré, the maze of bars and restaurants just off the Grand’Place. The mecca of beer lovers is the Delirium
Village, a cul de sac where every door leads to a different part of the Delirium
franchise. As it was a Wednesday, the village was merely busy and not overflowing as is the case on weekends. The absinthe, vodka, tequila and rum bars were empty, but the
basement Delirium Cafe and ground floor Tap House were pretty busy and noisy, so after paying our respects to the Jeanneke Pis, we went upstairs
to the Hoppy Loft which is where serious beer lovers congregate. It was quieter and more manly. The beer menu is worth a good perusal, but most of the beers on it I had
never heard of. The barman asked us what
we liked, to help identify what we should try.
When I said Leffe Blonde or Barbar, he said “Sweet beers, huh? We don’t sell them here. This is a bitter bar.” He recommended a Witkap Pater Tripel for me,
and Gorbals had already decided on a Duvel Tripel. These beers are not cheap – between 3.50 and 5.00
euros a pop – so we just had the one and amused ourselves reading the beer
signs all over the walls.
La Réserve
Our third and final stop was La Réserve, a discreet
(male) gay bar in Petite Rue au Beurre, behind St Nicholas’ Church, the polar opposite of the Hoppy Loft. The tinted lead-paned windows give the place
an air of an ancient estaminet. Inside
it is cosy and warm, and most importantly safe and unexposed to the
street. I was the only woman, but that
doesn’t bother me at my time of life, and patently didn’t bother the punters. We had a couple of Jupilers in there before
heading off to the metro via the chip shop.
Other favourite watering holes:
Au Laboureur
Au Laboureur is a traditional bar down in the Sainte-Catherine district where the clientele is predominantly francophone, a nice mixture of age groups, and visibly regulars. In summer the terrace is always full.
Le Monk - after
Le Monk
in rue Sainte Catherine has reopened but is nothing like its former
bustling, smoky incarnation. On the up side, you can now get served
within an hour. Orval costs 4 euros which is a bit steep. The huge
smoking room at the back has been turned into a restaurant serving only SPAGHETTI (??), and smokers
must now go outside. Still has live music, and a spiffy website, but
has lost some atmosphere in the process.
New Plasky on Square Eugène Plasky in Schaerbeek is one of my new locals. It's quiet, has a fair selection of beers and an impressive selection of whiskies, and has a nice local vibe. Never packed, you're always served within two minutes of sitting down. There's an impressive selection of magazines (many of them petrolhead oriented) and French BD's for the kids (and Gorbals). The sort of place a laydee like moiself can go in on her own and not feel out of place or be molested. Unlike some places around Schuman I could name.
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