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MUSSELS IN BRUSSELS WITH OUR

GALLOPING GOURMAND
by Scott Alexander Young

Our search for

new gastronomic
highs means we
can direct visitors
to Brussels to
two of the best
establishments in
town.

he last time we met was

for my overview of the
private members club
scene, finishing up in
Auckland, where I will
be found propping up a few bars in
2016 on my first trip back to New
Zealand in seven years.
I am more of a frequent flyer to
Belgium than New Zealand these
days, mainly to Brussels, the capital
city, where I have been diligently
eating my way through the better
restaurants of what is undoubtedly
a foodies kind of town.
Belgium has one of the highest

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densities
of
Michelin-starred
restaurants in Europe, and by
inference, the world. It sort of begins,
for me, with the humble potato chip,
pommes fritte in Belgium, but then
the gourmandising runs the gamut
all the way from French fries to
lobster thermidor with Sancere at
the Brasserie Georges in Uccle. Of
which, more in a tick.
Over several visits to Brussels,
this ageing boulevardier has
become almost as fond of Brussels
as the charming Belgian resident he
goes there to visit. The city is Parismeets-Amsterdam (or at least Lyon-

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meets-Den Hague), with a generally

friendly populus and enough
historical points of interest to satisfy
this former guidebook publisher
and editor.
As we are both fond of fine food
and a good drink, the Contessa and
I, we often find ourselves dining
across from each other in good
restaurants, making eye contact
and whispering sweet bon-mots in a
manner that would shame credulity
in a romantic novel.
Dont
go
back
to
New
Zealand, youre too polished and
cosmopolitan, a fellow Kiwi said to
me here recently.
Rubbish, I thought. Polished?
They should meet the Duchess. Be
that as it may be.
Our search for new gastronomic
highs means we can direct visitors
to Brussels to two of the finest

establishments in town, Restaurant

Vincent and Brasserie Georges. They
are at once temples to fine dining
but at the same time busy, everyday
eateries, much beloved by ordinary
Brusselites.
Both places are for anyone who
appreciates good food and can
afford it, which in Brussels seems
to be an awful lot of people at
mealtimes. On that note, visitors
should not expect wide, open
spaces.
At Brasserie Georges they can
find a spot to themselves, but at
Restaurant Vincent they can expect
to literally rub elbows with fellow
diners, at least on weekends. Diners
are packed in tight by Antipodean
standards.
The travelling diner should be
advised that in Belgium, mussels
and oysters are safest to consume
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during any month that ends with a

y.
Restaurant Vincent - Rue des
Dominicains 8-10, 1000 Bruxelles
Our first recommendation lies
along Rue des Dominicains in the
heart of the old town, a little maze
of medieval streets where buildings
huddle
together,
and
every
victualling
establishment
looks
warm and inviting.
Some are more authentically
warm and inviting than others, and
to the Contessa and I, this place is
the bees knees. Large mosaics of
fishermen out at sea in wooden
boats, stained glass windows,
heavy wooden furniture - some
of it in the shape of the boat - and
an open range in the middle of the
dining room where liveried waiters
flambe steaks before our very eyes
- its all here.

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Vincents traditional Belgian

menu hasnt changed much since
it first opened in 1905. As for the
meal, well, oysters from Zeeland (in
the Netherlands) are a reliably tangy
pick-me-up, but may we suggest
their moules lescargot, (ovenbaked mussels with snail butter).
When the mussels are delivered
they may not look quite so very
plump and succulent as the New
Zealand greenlipped mussels I
remember, but actually, coated
in escargot sauce, and in this
environment, they are bliss (aside
from a small trickle of sauce on my
new Charvet shirt).
We
recommend
navigating
through dishes such as their thick
and juicy Chateaubriand with more
care. Oh, and on the way to Vincent,
why not stop for a drink in the dolls
house alternative reality of the
Drug Opera, a bar and brasserie on
several floors, or at A la Morte Subite
(Sudden Death), an impossibly

quaint downtown pub.

Brasserie Georges - Avenue
Winston
Churchill
259,
1180
Bruxelles
This is more out of the way for
the average visitor to Brussels. Out
of the way, but not particularly hard
to find, as it is close to the Winston
Churchill tram stop in the smart,
ambassadorial suburb of Uccle.
Id suggest having the chauffeur
type in the GPS coordinates. Perhaps
the Contessa and I had actually gone
through a portal in the space time
continuum to find a place so, well,
unspoiled, least of all spoilt by loud
and demonstrative tourists.
If we are going to really enjoy
this place - cocktails, oysters and/or
mussels, sides, a platter and main or
so, plus dessert, along with a bottle
of something decent - expect to drop
around 400 euros for two. A bottle
of something potable could include
any of their fine and wide selection
of wines that include Bourgognes,

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Burgundies and Ctes du Rhne,

but our first choice is always the
Sancerre.
A seafood platter at Georges
is a serious proposition. The
Imperial platter, for example, will
cost 207.50, but is worth every
eurocent.
So is the roast lobster with
spices, whatever it costs. Next time
we go there, I want to see what they
make of a traditional country dish
like their Andouillette Chdeville
Cassoulet (casserole).
I
suspect
it
will
be
a
transformative experience.
It turns out we can order gifts and
platters delivered from Brasserie
Vincent direct to our door in the
Belgian, which takes care of this New
Years Eves catering arrangements.
Next year we might be dancing on a
beach in the Bahamas, but this year
is one for cocooning.
At least it seems that way over
here.

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