Saturday 2 November 2013

PUB CRAWLING IN BRUSSELS

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 - before



                                                                          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.







Tuesday 3 September 2013

PHO !







PHÔ PHÔ is Belgium’s first Phô Bar – Phô (pronounced "fa" "far" or "fuh" depending on where you are) being the national dish of Vietnam, a big bowl of tasty clear broth containing rice noodles, beef or chicken, herbs and vegetables.  It is cheap as chips – in Vietnam, anyway – and very filling.  The Vietnamese eat it at any time of day or night and it is served in tiny restaurants or on the street, with a spoon for the broth and chopsticks for the food.  It was voted one of the world's 50 most delicious foods by CNN Travel website.


Phô Phô opened their first Phô bar on Rue de la Paix at St Boniface, followed by a second on Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, at Rogier.  This is some kind of justice for Antwerp having the only branch of Wagamama in Belgium.


“Phô Phô” bars are modern, stylish and designed for those on the move.  You order and pay at the counter, and choose a seat at a table or one of the high counters.  Your food is brought to you on a tray, and when you’ve finished you stash it in one of those racks like they have in cafeterias.  It’s not fine dining, but it’s not supposed to be.   While you eat you can watch video clips about Vietnam.  During my lunch I was transfixed by “Anh Do does Vietnam” with the sound turned down, which was just as well, as Anh Do has a broad Australian accent.   I look forward to watching Apocalypse Now (The Director’s Cut) on my next visit.

Ha Long Bay, near Hanoi


A medium bowl of Phô – chicken, beef or vegetarian – costs 7 euros, and a large bowl 11 euros.  For a normal appetite a medium bowl is ample.  You can take the Phô + dessert + drink combo for 10 euros or Starter + Phô + drink for 12 euros.  The waitress will bring you spicy sauce if you want it, and all Pho are served with a little side plate containing raw bean sprouts, chervil, a quarter of a lime and a sliver of hot chilli.  The broth is clear but incredibly tasty, having simmered for hours, and contains no fat so is ideal for those on a diet.


If you don’t fancy Phô, you can have Saigon soup, or tasty starters such as cold spring rolls, hot nems (fried spring rolls) or dim sum for a few euros.  Desserts are simple and there are only about four to choose from.   A number of Vietnamese people were eating there when I went, which was encouraging.   7 euros is probably a bit steep for what it is – in certain parts of Paris you can eat Phô for 5 euros or less, and in Saigon you'll pay about 40 pence!  – but you're paying a small premium for novelty in Belgium.    A healthy, tasty and filling lunch for the cost of a lunch voucher.  

If you are on an Atkins diet, eat Phô every day, it's got no fat, loads of protein and will fill you up.  The bad news is, loads of salt, but you can't have it all ways.




Phô Phô isn't the only place that offers Phô, but it is the only restaurant that only does soup as a street food concept.  You can even get it delivered if you sign up to Take Eat Easy delivery service.There are a number of Vietnamese and Viet-Thai restaurants in Brussels where Phô is often a staple on the lunchtime menu but a more solid and sophisticated menu is also available.  





PHÔ PHÔ

Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 6 (Rogier, St Josse)

Rue de la Paix 27 (St Boniface/Matonge, Ixelles)

KIM VIET THAI
Rue des Malines
(near Rogier)
only open lunchtimes Monday to Friday, but best 
Phô in Brussels 

HONG HOA
Rue du Pont de la Carpe  (St Géry) 
Tel:  02 502 87 14
 
VIETNAM EXPRESS
rue de la Paix 14, Ixelles
Tel: 02 511 19 23

LA BAIE D'HALONG
Rue Stévin 180, Schuman area
Tel:  02 734 54 38

MELI MELY
Chaussée de Louvain 523 (Meiser)
Schaerbeek
Tel:  02 726 21 31

LE VIETNAM
Rue des Eperonniers 49 (near Grand'Place)
Tel:  02 512 31 68 

POUSSIERES D'ETOILES
Chaussee de Boondael 437 (ULB)
Tel:  640 71 58

L'ORCHIDEE BLANC
Chaussee de Boondael 436 (ULB)
Tel:  647 56 21

AUX QUATRE SAISONS
Rue Melsens 18 (Ste Catherine)
Tel:  512 35 60

INDOCHINE
Rue Lesbroussart 58 (Flagey/Louise)
Tel:  649 96 15

Rue Sainte Catherine 8b
Tel:  02 502 88 36
With Phô at 12 or 15 euros I'd go for a more sophisticated dish, this is a high end restaurant with the advantage of having a renowned lady chef, Quyen, author of two best-selling cookbooks, who gives lessons in Vietnamese cuisine.  
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And just to turn the tables, so to speak, if you find yourself in Hanoi with an insatiable longing for carbonnades flamandes and a Duvel, try this:
1 Au Trieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi 
Tel:  04-39381769



Wednesday 7 August 2013

PURE DAPHNE


 



"I used to be Snow White .... but I drifted."   (Mae West)

I only opened with that quote because someone snorted in derision at the name "Pure Daphne".  How very dare they.    



Rest assured I have not taken holy orders.   Pure Daphne is the name of a new line of frozen croquettes I spotted in my local Delhaize, and of course, in view of the name, had to buy them, photograph them and post them on Facebook.  I was intrigued by the name and Googled it, only to find that the lady behind them is really Daphne Aers, finalist in the 2010 Flemish TV cooking competition  "De Beste Hobbykok van Vlaanderen". equivalent of Masterchef - who used the publicity to launch a line of frozen croquettes and a restaurant in which to eat them, in her home town of Ghent.   


So of course I had to go to Ghent for the photo-opportunity.   The restaurant is situated on Gebroeders Van de Veldestraat just a few minutes' walk from the historic town centre.   Pure Daphne products line the walls of the stylish green and black interior alongside bottles of wineI had arranged to meet up with Gantoise Ivana Tramp - who was already resting her impressive embonpoint on the table when I arrived.   Daphne's partner was behind the counter, and told us Daphne would be along shortly, just as soon as they'd got the childcare handover organised.






We ordered a couple of large glasses of rosé wine, while we waited for our croquettes to be cooked.  Typically Belgian croquettes are essentially a sort of deep-fried prawn cocktail.  They are usually served as a starter in more traditional restaurants.   Pure Daphne croquettes ring the changes with different flavours, offering cheese,  lobster, prawn, fish with prawn, or goat's cheese, cooked with a dash of chilli or garlic.  They are served in the restaurant as a kind of tapas, for a light snack rather than a whole meal.  My Delhaize bought croquettes were still sitting in the freezer (or so I thought - little did I know  my lodger had already got there before me) so this was going to be my first taste of Pure Daphne.


  



Ivana Tramp and I went for the "tapas" style plate for 12 euros, offering 6 croquettes in 3 different flavours and an elegant little salad to go with it. I was a little disappointed that the lobster croquette did not contain a big chunk of lobster - I think I was expecting something akin to English-style scampi - but was more like lobster flavoured sauce in a crunchy deep-fried casing. Still, they were fresh, light, and fun. They can also be ordered as a takeaway dish, eaten with bread.  Prices varies according to how many pieces you wanted - roughly working out to 2 euros a croquette. 



The lovely Daphne Aers arrived in due course and we did our photo-op - twee Daphnes.   If you can't get to Ghent to sample the goods hot from the fryer, check out your frozen food section in Delhaize, Carrefour, Spar or OK.   I'm not sure how long a restaurant with basically one dish will last, but it works for fritkots so I don't see why croquettes shouldn't make the jump from tablecloth to street, especially in view of the emphasis on street food at this year's Culinaria.  




Before leaving Ghent, I called in to Ye Olde Mostard Shoppe, Tierenteyn-Verlent, as recommended by Vi Hornblower, where I purchased a small jar of their famed mustard, its recipe unchanged since 1790.  It is runny, with a fruity taste, only lasts 6 months, and BOY IS IT STRONG!   In fact, it would go rather well with Pure Daphne croquettes, I thought.  Of which there were none left when I got home.










Pure Daphne
Gebroeders Van de Veldestraat
9000 Gent


Tierenteyn-Verlent
Groentenmarkt 3
9000 Gent