http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34627 For too long this historic bar had wallowed in its own smoky grime, trading on its reputation of years of epic chess matches, rumours of original tiled bathrooms, and its most famous customer, René Magritte. Coming back I’m astonished at the transformation: it’s almost too new, and so shiny that Magritte would probably not recognise it. It’s certainly no longer a place where I can imagine any scruffy artist at the window trying to sell paintings. I haven’t yet spotted any chess players, either.
It took a private Dutch investor and some regional subsidies to finally save this listed building from leaks and bring it up to modern standards. Sitting in here you feel like a drinker in the first class lounge on the Titanic. I’m told by one of the waiters that Magritte used to sit in the right hand window viewed from outside - in any case, that table is always occupied! Drink one - drink three - but I think the food is better elsewhere - best to head next door for that (or try one of the many other restaurants nearby).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34627 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33954 buzzy Asturian community centre, open Friday to Sunday evenings and staffed by volunteers for the last 20 years. Inside older community members prop up the bar, and tables of Spanish speakers alternate with other nationalities, all happily gorging on generous plates of gambas, ham, cheese, sardines and calamares – washed down with beer for 1 euro or Asturian cider, poured from a great height to get the air into it. Past the bar with its photos of landscapes and Asturians proudly wielding their prize-winning cabrales cheese, the centro gives way to a village hall atmosphere, complete with functional tables and plastic chairs. Last time I was convinced our table of seven had over-done it: we’d ordered nearly everything on the menu, twice! But we still managed to finish everything – and three bottles of rioja - for the princely sum of 20 euros per head.
Open Friday and Saturday evenings and for lunch on Sunday.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33954 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33531 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33531 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33530 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33530 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33529 shunned expansion and stuck to its retro-style packing, discreet service and pralines named after Princesses past and present. This is about class, but there is nothing to be concerned about on price! Chocolates are still made by hand by around ten employees in a former armaments factory.
A browse through the brochure reveals that chocolates should be kept between 15 and 18 degrees, avoiding rapid changes in temperature. “In truth, however, our chocolates seem to disappear rather quickly.” You bet they do.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33529 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32588 When I return a few days later, chef Nicolas is in the process of gutting a tuna. He’s forgotten our appointment, so I ask my questions while he prepares his fish: this way I’m learning by watching and listening. I discover that there is no English translation for the Lake Geneva fish I ate on my visit; that Nicolas’ favourite ingredients are seasonal vegetables; we debate the colours (and English translations) of yellow courgette, marrow, pumpkin and squash; and I try to persuade him of the merits of swede. He looks at me quizzically. Even if he doesn’t know my favourite vegetable I cannot accuse him of being boring. After all I enjoyed his mystery Geneva fish (Féra) with sage, melon and dill; followed by ray poached in bergamot broth; beef cheek with root vegetables; a quince compote and a chocolate mousse. “Why five little plates?” I ask, “Surely that’s more work?” “No, it’s more fun”, he says. “And this isn’t work!”
Nicolas’ weekly changing menu is all about delicate flavours: nothing dominates. It’s about tempting your tastebuds rather than overpowering them: “I like to take my customers on a journey through several dishes”, he says. This means no butter, no cream, locally produced food and organic wines – “fins et légers”, to match his cooking. This former wine bar owner is inspired by childhood memories, markets and eating round his grandparents’ table in the Haute-Savoie. And he dislikes too much formality: customers see him at work, sneak a glance in his fridge and wander through his kitchen.

The five course tasting menu costs 39 euros a head, not including wine. A three course lunch menu costs 25 euros Book at least a week in advance.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32588 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32431 and set out on their own. So, what did friends Stefan and Régis - those intrepid chefs - do next? They began selling homemade tarts and quiches from a cart at Flagey market, using recipes from their respective grandmothers. I wasn’t in Brussels then, but I know that I would have approved.
Over the last twelve years the tarts have moved inside from cart to shop, and some recipes have
evolved, but others have stayed exactly as they were, including the grandmothers’ Linzer raspberry tart and the frangipane. However it was the lure of lemon that first drew me into their shop on the rue de la Paix, and I am happy to learn that the tangy, creamy lemon tart and the raspberry Linzer one are the bestsellers! There is one other shop run by the friends, and a few franchises, but Régis says they have no plans (or scope) to expand outside Brussels.
It’s a good thing they enjoy it: Stefan and Régis get to work at about 6am producing their daily tart selection. Theirs is an enticing window display of chocolate, raspberry, apple and brown sugar – in mini tarts and larger versions for you to take away - or step inside to savour them all on the premises where they are made.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32431 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32331 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32331 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32013 Delecta is another of my favourite small Brussels bars, an intimate after-work venue both in summer and winter, where you can share bottles of wine and plates of antipasti or huddle round the stove when it’s cold. There is a good selection of beer and light meals: more interesting variations on the ubiquitous croque monsieur, quiches and lasagne. Thursday evenings host the popular “les apéros
du Delecta”, complete with DJ.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32013 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32012 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32012 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31758 The hulking monolith of the European Parliament dominates one end of the square. Wandering around it won’t reveal anything of what actually goes on in there, so I would recommend contacting your MEP some time in advance and requesting a guided visit.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31758 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31659 I particularly like the fluffy, light, lemony fromage blanc speculoos, the tangy tarte citron meringuée, the pêches framboises, the sucre brun, the barbecue quiche, the gourmand au chocolat … I’d better stop there. Perhaps they won’t travel well, perhaps you’ll have no dinner party to go to, but you can still enjoy one in the gardens of the Abbaye de la Cambre, a short walk away. The residential area around the abbey, Ixelles ponds and Place Flagey area is a good place for a wander.
A New York outpost of Les Tartes de Françoise opened recently, the first outside Belgium. Surely the first of many …]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31659 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31344 Of course there are typical Belgian flavours to choose from, including Liège waffle, salted butter caramel, dark chocolate and speculoos. However for me it’s always vanilla that is the yardstick by which all other flavours are judged, and here the vanilla is very good indeed: not artificial or overbearing; while the mandarin sorbet is delicate and fruity. Once the ice cream has gone finishing the cone is normally a chore. Not here: the crisp, not over-sweet wafer is dispatched within seconds.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31344 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31223 Try and sit at Magritte’s table: solid, wooden and smooth from years of elbow rubbing; although it too is like a school pupil’s desk with no strange etchings to be found. Sneak in here one afternoon to enjoy a strong beer – a spontaneously fermenting lambic, gueuze or kriek would seem an appropriate choice, accompanied by the special house pralines – and before long voices recede into the distance and you find yourself contemplating the mysterious phrases on the walls….. Hmm, perhaps this place is surreal after all!
“Nul ne m’est étranger comme moi-même.”]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31223 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31222 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31222 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31059 Then some rowers got to know about it, and before long TV cameras turned up and things started getting busy. Last time I heard the friterie had sold out of T-shirts and its newly famous creation, the “Texas King Burger”, had received copyright status.
It’s the perfect macho challenge: eat one giant burger and you win a T-shirt; eat a second and you will have earned a two week break in the owners’ apartment in Spain. Easy enough, you think, until the monstrous 1.2kg burger advances across the room and you feel your bravado – and hitherto voracious appetite- wilting away!
The challenge was dreamed up on a trip to New York, but you should know the owners and their creation are about as Brussels as Brussels can be: with stories, attitude, laughter and that accent indicating we shouldn’t take anything we hear too seriously. The dinner plate-sized homemade burger will be assembled in front of you and served encased in baps and encircled by frites - tasty, worthy rivals to other offerings in this chip-blessed city. Just remember, there’s absolutely no shame in failing to finish a Texas King, but the owners will never tire of watching you try!
A Texas King Burger will set you back 12 Euros, and can easily be shared. I’m told that only three people have managed to eat two.
To get there, take bus 95 in direction of Wiener and get off at stop Arcades.
The friterie is open every day from 18:00 until 22:00 and also for lunch 12:00 – 14:00 Monday to Friday.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31059 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30993 particular fan of the carbonnades here, but in fact everything on the menu I’ve ever tasted has been excellent.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30993 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19454 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19454 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19451 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19451