Phase 4 of the "deconfinement" arrived in Belgium on 8th June, and although I didn't rush out to bag my spot at the local pub, I have been out for two carefully planned lunches since then. Lunch is a safe option as although I can drink many people under the table in the evening, I don't drink wine or alcohol at lunchtime.
So on 11 June I ventured, masked and sanitized, to Pizzeria Salvarino on Place Meiser, with my French friend la Duchesse de Médeux. They had installed perspex partitions between tables, and the owner/waiter was masked up. (You could still tell he was handsome though, it's all in the eyes).
Salvarino do great pizzas, but also great classical Italian dishes. I had a favourite lunchtime standard, the mozzarella bufala and tomato salad. It was certainly more than a salad, with a whole bufala cheese perched on a bed of grilled aubergine, lightly boiled carrots and green beans, red lettuce and grilled datterino tomatoes. The Duchess went for the orecchietti pasta in an arrabbiata sauce. Both dishes were attractively presented and delicious. My only complaint was the dessert, I asked if the panna cotta was home made and the charming masked seducer confirmed it was. When it arrived it was a little congealed, as if it had been sitting around for a few days. I had this problem once in the Dordogne and I sent it back and got an apology from the Chef. However, this was not quite so old, so I ate it. Panna cotta has to be eaten within 12 hours or it starts to turn into something else.
I checked Trip Advisor afterwards and Salvarino has got a few dreadful reviews. Most of the bad reviews related to being told there was no English menu, or getting the dish wrong, which can happen anywhere. Many good reviews however. Perhaps stick to the pizza next time.
Last Sunday I went with Aunty Marianne and The Bloke to an local haunt of theirs, the Heydenberg brasserie. It used to be charmingly olde worlde and full of pensioners, but it has had a makeover and a change of management and is a lovely modern brasserie now (though still frequented by pensoners, viz moiself).
I love to go out with Aunty M and the Bloke (aka Mr Brexit) as they are so charmingly olde-worlde about Going Out to Eat. They DRESS UP. Aunty was wearing a lovely red and black frock with big roses on. The Bloke had put his spats on specially. I had made an effort and put on makeup for the first time in over a month, earrings and a decent pair of elasticated-waist trousers instead of the rancid old trackie bottoms I spent most days in. It does make you feel different, a bit more alive. The Bloke complimented me on my appearance. He really can't help schmoozing, bless him. They are certainly the power couple of the Brussels British expat community.
Before we went out, we had an apéritif at their place. As I was driving, and as mentioned above am not a great lunchtime drinker, Aunty broke out the non-alcoholic gin. Yes, you heard me. NON-ALCOHOLIC GIN. And tonic. And do you know what, it was surprisingly pleasant. I might even buy some. At least it'll be safe from Gorbals. Aunty M and The Bloke are regulars at the Heydenberg, as you could tell from the socially-distanced warm welcome and the length of time it took to get from front door to table. The Bloke had booked us a nicely safe corner table behind a perspex screen, so we could safely take our masks off.
Aunty was certainly in the mood for raw things, as she ordered six oysters to start. The Bloke, who is apparently notoriously unadventurous in what he eats, ordered "scampi sauce diabolique" which he'd had before. Scampi in Belgium is not the same as scampi in the UK. It is large prawns. "Crevettes", the classic French word for prawns, refers to the tiny grey ones that they use in croquettes and stuffed tomatoes.
I find I can't manage a full meal with starter and main course any more, makes me feel really uncomfortable afterwards. Another side effect of ageing, and yet another handicap for a food writer. So if everyone is going for two courses I take two starters, usually the first cold, the second hot. Add to this, I am on doctor's orders to lose weight, and am on a low-carb diet. Why do I bother continuing to write about food, one may ask, given that the gods of the kitchen seem to be conspiring against me? Let's say I like a challenge.
Mozzarella and tomato salad is always reliable choice. This one was as pretty as a picture and the size of a pizza. The tomatoes were sweet and juicy, and the mozzarella was creamy and copious. Quite, quite different from the one at Salvarino. Light and refreshing.
So to our mains. Aunty's slice of cow was brought back cooked to perfection, nice and pink in the middle, with a gratin dauphinois. She set to with gusto. The Bloke had lost his shit in a moment of madness no doubt brought on by the non-alcoholic gin and gone for something different to his usual choice - CHICKEN with Archiduc sauce! I had garlic prawns.
The Bloke's chicken arrived with decorative bits of broccoli and beetroot, which made him squirm a bit. He has a visceral distrust of vegetables, as befits a British man from north of the M25. I helped him out with the broccoli and also with some of his red wine, which comes from a vegetal source but he seems to be able to manage it. We were terribly reasonable on the booze front, and even then the volume of conversation went to 11 on occasion. (UNLESS someone* had sneaked one or two in before i even arrived).
Ther thing about having lunch with Aunty M and The Bloke is, we never stop talking. Often all at the same time. We spark off each other, jumping from one topic to another and never at a loss for a subject. After months of lockdown, you could have wound this up to the power of 12 last Sunday. It must have sounded like playing Newsnight back at 78 rpm.
Tarte Julie serves quiche. Just quiche. And salads and soups. It's a handy lunch place when I was working at Spart Towers. I met up with my German colleague who had popped into the office to pick up something.
Although I have adapted well to lockdown, being fundamentally antisocial and ever so slightly lazy, it was great to get out and see people again.
SALVARINO
Place Meiser
Schaerbeek
Tel: 02 734 5806
BRASSERIE HEYDENBERG
Avenue Heydenberg 17
Woluwe St Lambert
Tel: 02 771 7929
TARTE JULIE
Boulevard Emile Jacqmain 56
Brussels
Tel: 218 5389
*No names no pack drill.
