BRASSERIE DE LA PAIX (*), Bruselas

Fuente fotos: http://www.sensum.be/

Inaugurada en 1892, la Brasserie de la Paix nacio como pequena taberna informal a la que acudian los trabajadores del matadero de Anderlecht / antiguo mercado de animales (situado justo en frente) antes, despues, o durante las pausas de su dura actividad laboral.

Con el tiempo, la gestion de Nathalie Obbiet (hija de Roland et Jeannine Obbiet, que todavia corretean por la sala para prestar su ayuda), y la presencia del chef David Martin (Corte de la Reina de Inglaterra, chef adjunto de Alain Passard y del 'Jules Verne' de Paris, chef del restaurante del Hotel Meridien 'L'épicerie' de Bruselas y chef adjunto de Jean-Pierre Bruneau), el lugar evoluciono hacia lo que es hoy : una referencia absolutamente imprescindible dentro del panorama gastronomico de Bruselas y uno de sus lugares mas emblematicos.

El lugar guarda el encanto de las sillas de madera mil veces reparadas en las que un dia se sento una generacion que todavia no conocia los coches, otro dia la de las guerras mundiales, y al siguiente la de la exposicion de Bruselas del '58, hasta hoy; de la autenticidad de los platos blancos de brasserie, de un lugar en el que, como antano, los "annonces" transitan del comedor a la cocina (moderna y abierta al comedor) en voz alta y sin miramientos, de las cosas bien hechas, de la elegancia como traduccion de la mas desbordante simplicidad, de un servicio talentoso, profesional y conocedor del producto que tiene entre manos, de la regularidad y la calidad a lo largo de las decadas.

A degustar sin ambiguedades entradas especialidad de la casa como los 'Croustillants de pieds de porcs Basque désossés, à la moutarde' o el 'Chaud-froid de boudin Basque poêlé et tête pressée'.

En cuanto a los platos, merece caer en la tentacion de la 'Blanquette de jarret de veau de lait de Corrèze « Tradition / Evolution', el 'Filet pur de boeuf Simmental de Bavière', el 'Filet de selle d'agneau de La ferme de Belle-Vue, Alexandre & Véronique Dupont, tartufata', la 'Echine de porc pi noir du Pays Basque, chez Pierre Oteiza au jus de cuisson' o el 'Poulet Pattes noires des Landes « Label Rouge » rôti au foin en cocotte'.

Tratandose de una brasserie, el 'Filet américain préparé en salle' es siempre una opcion segura y acertada.

En relacion a los vinos, la Brasserie de la Paix cuenta con 120 referencias y una filosofia dificil de encontrar en algunos restaurantes actuales laureados con estrellas Michelin : margenes modestos, el precio de una botella siempre debe permanecer proporcional al montante de la cuenta.

http://www.lapaix1892.com/

La Brasserie de la Paix ha recibido, entre otros, los siguientes reconocimientos:

- Mejor brasserie del ano 2008 (Gault & Millau)
- Grand de Demain Bruxelles (para el chef David Martin), Gault & Millau 2009
- 1 estrella en la Guia Michelin, 2009.

BRASSERIE DE LA PAIX
Rue Ropsy-Chaudron 49
1070 Bruselas (Anderlecht)
Tél. : +32.2.523.09.58
Cierre : sabados, domingos, y todas las noches excepto la del viernes.

Nota: 8/10

L'EPICERIE FINE DE LA SENNE, Bruselas

He aqui una tienda de comestibles (épicerie) gourmet ubicada en el centro de Bruselas que conoci hace poco gracias a mi amigo Marco.

El lugar, de toque informal y desenfadado, propone una cocina belgo mediterranea de corte sano y con estilo.

En su carta no faltan las sopas del dia, las quiches, los tortellini, los antipasti o las lasagnas, todo hecho en casa y con cierto carino.

Las estanterias de madera que rodean el espacio y que le confieren un estilo rustico y acogedor sobresalen por la cantidad y la calidad de los aceites de oliva, de los vinagres, de las mostazas, de los vinos y las salsas para aderezar los platos de caza, asi como por las conservas, las pastas y las especias, todo ello a la venta en el mismo establecimiento.

Servicio atento, joven, natural, y con ganas de hacerlo bien. Degustaciones periodicas de cualquier cosa buena. Posibilidad de encargar cestas. Ideal para antes de un espectaculo en l'Ancienne Belgique.

L'Epicerie Fine de la Senne

Rue du Bon Secours 4

1000 - Bruselas

http://www.epiceriefinedelasenne.be/

Nota: 6/10

Fuente foto : http://noisette-et-renard.over-blog.com/

1st YEAR of TAULES del MON !

Taules del Món (Tables du Monde) was 1 year old on 4 November!

Thank you all very much for keeping this blog alive through your great contributions and your enthusiasm from all over the world!

As you see, I decided to give the blog a very special present... a new look!

Since 4 November 2008, the blog has been visited 6,483 times (3,490 unique visitors, 2,210 first time visitors, and 1,280 returning visitors).

The top-5 countries where the blog is most visited from is the following one: 1) Belgium (43%), 2) France (20%), 3) Spain (18%), 4) Canada (2%) and 5) USA (2%), etc.

From the period between 4.11.2008 - 4.11.2009, there were posts from restaurants in countries such as Belgium (29), France (2), Greece (2), Sweden (1), The Netherlands (1) and the USA (1), totalling 36 different posts.

In addition to this, the blog has provided two recipees (thank you Isabel and Peredur), 6 articles on Belgian beers (thank you Olivier), and a wealth of photographs of specialities from several countries (from Brazil to Lithuania and from the USA to Spain).

I really hope we can celebrate the second year of this blog in 2010!

Antoni

LA BRANCHE D'OLIVIER, Uccle, Bruselas

Fuente fotos : http://www.sensum.be/

Hacia muchisimo tiempo que no disfrutaba tanto en un restaurante. Y es que la experiencia del pasado sabado en 'La branche d'olivier' dejo tan precioso recuerdo que mis papilas gustativas tardaran en olvidarlo.

Situado en el limite sur del barrio de Uccle (Bruselas), al lado de la reserva natural de Kinsendael, 'La branche d'olivier' (propiedad de Pascal Grare y con Jean-Claude Demurger en la cocina) es una brasserie gastronomica acogedora, de aspecto calido, y de servicio atento, agradable y dispuesto a ayudar.

Sus platos, perfectamente ejecutados tanto a nivel de contenido como de presentacion, destacan por el frescor y la altisima calidad de los productos utilizados, generalmente de temporada (ciervo, setas, caza en general, caracoles, calabaza, etc.), por la intensidad de los sabores y tambien por la sencillez elegante que respiran.

Merecen una mencion aparte platos como el 'filet pur boeuf avec girolles', 'le pot-au-feu aux coquilles de St. Jacques et aux poissons', 'le filet de biche' (acompanado de una manzana rellena de granada, verduras y 'stoemp').

Todos los postres, absolutamente todos (y eso que yo prefiero el salado al dulce!), estan deliciosos, empezando por la 'tarte très chocolat', siguiendo con 'la tarte tatin faite maison' y 'la dame blanche' y acabando con la especialidad de la casa, un 'café bruxellois' (hecho aqui con 'glace aux spéculoos' y no con moka).

La carta de vinos tiene verdaderas joyas, sobre todo en forma de pequenos grandes Bourgogne. A descubrir.

Como dicen los belgas, el restaurante 'vaut bien le détour'!

Nota: 7.8/10

La Branche d'Olivier
Rue Engeland, 172-176
1180 Bruxelles
Tel : +32 (0)2 374 47 05
Ouvert de 12h à 14h 30 et de 19h à 23h.

Fermé le samedi midi et le dimanche.

BELGA QUEEN, Brussels

Source photos: http://www.belgaqueen.be/

Whereas some people will say that Belga Queen is a chic, pretentious and superficial restaurant obsessed to show off but where you can indeed get the same Belgian traditional food as in any brasserie in a hidden neighbourhood, others will say that this original restaurant was absolutely necessary to give Brussels a new shed of light to the town's contemporary food scene.

Whatever the truth is however, the fact is that Belga Queen, the former Hôtel de la Poste and Crédit du Nord building reshaped by acclaimed designer Antonio Pinto (sometimes Belga Queen is better known by its designer than by its chef!), has the ambition to be an ambassador of the food and drinks made in this country.

More than that, the place offers fresh and good seafood (écailler), nice (Belgian) wines and good Belgian specialities (many of them cooked with national beer).

However, from all the good things I have learnt in this restaurant, I have to highlight the (re)discovery of the smooth but tasteful "coquilles de Saint Jacques", a delicious starter that I have spotted in most of the menus of modern French and Belgian restaurants recently.

The place is quite noisy and the toilettes hide a (nice) surprise, but Belga Queen, where the service is quite attentive and the clientele is quite diverse, is as nice for a dinner with friends as for a business lunch or a cocktail in the basement bar in a more romantic mood.

Belga Queen has a brother restaurant in the Belgian city of Ghent. Antonio Pinto has recently designed "Midi Station", a new, modern, contemporary restaurant in the South of Brussels.

http://www.belgaqueen.be/

Rating : 7.3 / 10

Belga Queen

Rue Fossé aux Loups 32

1000 Brussels

Tel. +32.2.217.21.87

LE GRILL DU VIEUX BOITSFORT, Brussels

It is with great pleasure that I went to 'Le Grill du Vieux Boitsfort' (opened in 1993) again after my first visit 4 years ago, when I was there for a business dinner and I left with the expectation to go back again and pay more attention to the food, the service and the place.

This 'brasserie bourgeoise', which is placed in the middle of Boitsfort - a green neighbourhood that really looks like the central square of a small village - is a convivial and welcoming place whose very Flemish-like rustic decoration seems to have been directly pulled from 'Flamant', the famous furniture store (big white counter, elegant brown and orange painted strips on the walls, etc.).

The place, run by restaurateurs Philippe and Nadine Gillet (runners of other restaurants such as Au Vieux Boitsfort, Mamy Louise and Table de Mamy), and who were once awarded with a Michelin star, prepares classic, somewhat foreseeable brasserie style dishes, but quite tasty and with an innovative touch.

Starters may include the unavoidable 'fondus aux deux fromages' (cheese croquettes), the 'salade de pommes de terre à la ciboulette et boudin blanc grillé' (potato salad with a white sausage typical from Belgium), the 'croquettes de petites grises' (shrimp croquettes), but also things such as the 'saucisson de Lyon aux pistaches et pommes nouvelles aux échalotes' (sausage from Lyon with pistaccio, potatos and oignons) or the 'œuf poché la moelle et croûtons frits à l’ail' (smashed egg with garlic bread dies).

However, I strongly recommend to try the 'tartare de thon et roquette au vieux parmesan et fleur de sel'. The mix of the tuna with the rocket is very well balanced and the salt grains found in the mixture add a very tasty final touch without the whole becoming too salty.

Some good examples of classic brasserie with a refined style are proposed among the mains : 'poêlée de filets de bar aux pâtes fraîches, beurre de tomate à l’estragon et olives' (sea-bass), 'blanc de cabillaud, stoemp de poireaux et crème de ciboulette' (cod), 'jambonneau rôti au four, mousseline moutardée à la ciboulette' (quite decent indeed!), 'andouillette de Chédeville "5A" grillée sauce dijonnaise' (typical French sausages) or the 'cuisse de canard confite, persillade et mijoté de lentilles du Puy' (duck).

If you are still hungry, do not hesitate to order the typical dessert in this place, that is, a 'trio of chocolat mousses'. It is really caloric (a lot!) but it is a delicious composition of black, light black and white chocolate... and you don't eat this everyday, do you?

The service is clean and attentive but not enthusiastic (it even seems a bit tired from time to time), even if the cook, Daniel Lopes, who works in an open kitchen, seems to have a good time while cooking.

However, I found that Le Grill du Vieux Boitsfort has two downsides: 1) The music. I really believe that the place could be a more pleasent restaurant if the radio was simply switched off and some jazz or a similar music style was played instead and; 2) The chairs. Why most chairs in brasseries are so rigid and unconfortable?

The place is mentioned in the (Michelin) Bib Gourmand Guide Benelux 2009, which gathers the best finding combining price and quality, but despite of the more than acceptable quality of this place, I would not put this restaurant it in the same basket containing names such as 'Notos' or 'De la Vigne à l'Assiette', which are a step further than 'Le Grill du Vieux Boitsfort'.

http://www.grillduvieuxboitsfort.be/

Rating: 6.7/10

LA MAISON DU LUXEMBOURG, Brussels

In June 1964, the government of the Belgian province of Luxembourg decided to buy a building not far from the European institutions (rue de Luxembourg / rue Marie de Bourgogne), in Brussels.

The idea was that the place became a meeting point for Belgian Luxembourgers in Brussels and that the house gathered the economic, cultural, social, touristic and culinary expressions of this Belgian province.

The building however was given other uses until 2006, when a huge revamping took place and the management was given to chef Philippe Lecomte (Renaissance), a Belgian Luxembourger himself, who, at the beginning of 2009 opened an elegant, clean, contemporary restaurant with an open kitchen and decoration using chocolate, grey and vanilla colours.

Now the place proposes a tasty, elaborated and original French and Belgian cuisine (please be advised that the portions are not very big here). However, the genuine, distinctive true aspect of the restaurant is not the Belgian cuisine istelf (as you could find this somewhere else), but to ensure the promotion of the products and the culinary arts of the Belgian Luxembourg province.

By the way, most of the products used or served in this place bear the typical certification symbol of the province (a wild pig) and are directly delivered to the restaurant by the producers themselves.

As far as the menu is concerned, which combines more meat than fish, the place proposes perfectly executed treats such as the ‘Ravioles au fromage de chèvre’ (starter), the ‘Agneau de la ferme Belle-vue en croûte d’olives, orge perlé, jus au thym citron’, or the ‘Faux filet de veau, asperges meunières et jeunes oignons, sauce béarnaise’.

The service is welcoming, helpful and smiling, and Philippe Lecomte is a very easy-going and friendly lad.

Among the international clientele that enjoy ‘La Maison du Luxembourg’, it seems that the Czechs are especially recidivists. This is maybe because the restaurant is one of the few places in Brussels that serve the iconic Czech liqueur Becherovka.

http://www.maisonduluxembourg.be/

Rating: 6.8/10

TOUCAN, Brussels

Everytime I walked down Av. Lepoutre / Chaussée. de Waterloo I used to look into this glamorous brasserie bourgeoise from the street expecting to have a good reason to get in.

The years went by and I went to many other places to have lunch, to have dinner, with friends, for business, but never to Toucan... until yesterday. And I was deeply disappointed!

I am not saying I would have not preferred not to try it either, as now I know I won't repeat it for a long, very long time.

I know this article may dislike those who like thinking they are smarter than the rest, or at least smart enough to have the good taste to go to a trendy, chic, colourful address in Brussels placed on one of the best corners in town, which is indeed true, but the fact is that Brussels offers better, in fact much better in terms of quality, cuisine execution, emotion, atmosphere, service, comfort and price.

To me it's simply not enough that a bunch of good guides such as Gault Millau, Delta or newspapers such as Tribune de Bruxelles or L'Echo write good articles about this restaurant (or any other) and highlight the merits of the chef, the freshness of the menu, the care taken to the decoration using specific carrelage, nice chaires and a big sculpture of Armand Jonckers, point out the great culinary influences of Southwest France, that is, where Jean-Michel Hamon (the owner) comes from if people I go with / myself don't enjoy what we eat.

And I am indeed not very exigent either with what I eat and what I like and what I enjoy, but I simply think that a 'beef carpaccio with piquillo peppers and citronnelle' should never be a lake of olive oil where you don't even see the parmesan cheese slices, which are drown into the oil, and that a 'carré d'agneau rôti au thym frais' should never taste to other dishes (they may have used the same pan or put it into the oven with other food...), and that the 'soup of the day' should never be so salty that you can't even finish it, even if it is served in a relatively small bowl.

By the way, this is as unacceptable as a 'millefeuille de thon rouge à la ventrèche et fondu de poireaux' that had no taste, or a 'dos de cabillaud vapeur au fondu de tomate' which was as tasty as the 'millefeuille' but with a couple of sad potatoes, carrots and broccoli as a garniture...

And finally, the apple cake, which had no taste, no sugar, no caramel, nothing, was too cooked and had the bottom completely burnt... A shame.

I should probably try this brasserie bourgeoise again in the future and avoid a second disappointment ordering more classic, less adventurous brasserie dishes such as 'croquettes de crevettes', the 'jambonneau', the 'pure beef fillet with pepper sauce and French fries'... but given that there are thousands of good brasseries in Brussels that execute such dishes extremely well, it is unlikely I go to Toucan (and not recommend it either) to eat this.

A pitty!

I hope that the new Toucan in the family, the recently opened 'Toucan-sur-mer', improves the level of its brother.

http://www.toucanbrasserie.com/

Rating: 4/10

MAXBURG, Brussels

Andrea Hauptmann, a German national, took over the 'Maxburg', an iconic German restaurant in the heart of the Brussels European quarter (and one of the very few German restaurants in Brussels) around 10 years ago.

However, this culinary institution has been serving excellent schnitzels and other tasty German specialities for more than 30 years!

But not just the food, the beers (namely the Bitburger, Kölsch, König Pilsner et Weissbierand) the wine are German here. The wooden hut-like place itself seems to have been pulled from a genuine German town too.

Apart from schnitzels, which are prepared in more than 20 different ways, the place is famous for dishes such as the stuffed roulade of beef, the soups (starters), charcuterie, pasta with Swiss cheese and onions, smoked pork with sauerkraut (choucroute), and jambonneau.

The place also offers more seasonal preparations such as white aspargus and game, and mushrooms such as chanterelle.

Maxburg has become a very popular, informal and international meeting point for all kind of people.

It is said that Colin Powell, who does not eat pork, had lunch in the Maxburg once and that he ordered a veal schnitzel, not a pork schnitzel, so there is always an alternative for those not eating pork in this such special restaurant.

http://www.maxburgbrussels.be/

Rating: 6.3/10

L'ATLANTIDE, Brussels

I have to admit that the restaurant 'Onder de Linde' (see my previous article) was so good that it probably neutralised my ability to write about any other place for a while...

Anyway, I thought I knew everything about restaurants in the Brussels' European district until I realised I was wrong when a colleague in the office introduced me to 'L'Atlantide', a Greek restaurant with genuine, excellent and unpretentious food.

Quite wisely, the place forgets about columns, agoras and decoration filled with scale Parthenons... to give the small pleasures of the authentic Greek cuisine the leading role.

Good examples of the above are the starters "dolmadakia" (rice stuffed vines), "pikilia" (assortment of tarama, tzatziki, eggplant puré in olive oil, sheep cheese, lemon marinated mushrooms), "saganaki" (panned kefalograviera cheese), "tyropita" (cheese puff pastry), "kolokithokeftedes" (zucchini balls)...

The mains are also excellent, especially those with lamb shoulder such as "arnaki ladorigani" (with origan), "arnaki kokinisto" (with tomato sauce), "arnaki fricassé" (with lemon sauce and salade), "yiouvetsi" (with small Greek typical pasta)...

The 'must-eat' "moussaka" and the different combinations of "souvlakia" are typical and foreseeable but also deserve a try as they are perfectly executed.

The place is a well known address for Greeks, who make the half of the tables of the restaurant (a good sign).

The restaurant has a varied Greek wine menu with excellent proposals for all budgets.

Finally, the service is kind and the place is clean.

http://www2.resto.be/atlantide/

Rating : 6.5/10

ONDER DE LINDE, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

It is often said that apart from harengs, cheeses, good bread and some broths that the locals eat proudly, the Dutch cuisine does not exist and that the culinary traditions of this huge maritime nation is a mixture made of the influences and the ingredients brought from all over the world, i.e., South America, Caribbean, Asia, Africa...)

However, in the same way every rule has an exception, The Netherlands has 'Onder de Linde', led by the cook Herman van Manen, a former student at the prestigious 'Hotelschool Ter Duinen' (promotion of 1987) in Koksijde, Belgium.

Born on the ashes of a former restaurant 8 years ago, 'Onder de Linde' is a cosy, romantic, and contemporary place with a wide range of well executed dishes and an excellent cuisine.

Once you get into the place, do not rush to the table.

Instead, I advise you to take some time to have a look to the menu while seating at the fireplace with a glass of champagne. You will realise the quietness of the place, the simplicity and the elegance of the lights, the flowers everywhere, and the painted walls depicting characteristic scenes of Noordwijk at the beginning of the XXth century.

It is while waiting at the fireplace where you have more chances not only to understand the place and to be offered a couple of excellent starters ('bisque de homard' - balanced, tasty, excellent texture - and a 'mousse of serrano ham' - innovative, different, surprising, light), but also to guess that you have not mistaken the address.

Once at the table, we advise you to go for the three course menu (there is also a 4 and a 5 course menu) with the wine arrangements per dish. We did not regret it at all!. All the wines perfectly matched our food choices.

Starter: "Tartar of salmon with herbs, 'tsarine' potatoes, and home-marinated salmon with a honey mustard dressing" (accompanied with the French white wine 'Clos de la Vierge, Jurançon, 2006').

Mains: "Gratin cod with persil butter and brandade of cooked mackerel with a crispy fish croquette and Noilly Prat sauce" (accompanied with the Australian white wine 'Oxford Landing', Chardonnay 2007') and "Guinea fowl filet on a truffle risotto with wild spinachs and sauted greens and mushrooms" (accompanied with the Chilean red wine 'Botalcura, Carmenère/Merlot 2006').

We could have ordered a coffee instead of the dessert and stop the experience there, but we went for the mild and excellent "Lukewarm Vacherin Mont d'Or served on a home-made brioche and decorated with hints of blackcurrant - balsamic syrup" (accompanied with a Graham's fine ruby port, 2007)... I am sure it will take a lot of time before I can forget that dessert...

No doubt about it, "Onder de Linde" (and the cook Herman van Manen and his excellent team of attentive and extremely kind people in the dining room) deserve to be and remain in the Bib's Michelin Guide for many many years!

http://www.onderdelinde.com/

Rating: 7.8/10

KUZINA, Athens, Greece

It is quite unavoidable to identify Greek cuisine with fresh and seasonal products such as, among others, red tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, lamb, feta cheese, olive oil, olives, fish, octopus, chicken, lentils, white beans, and garlic, peppers, lemon and herbs to season. By the way, Greeks are the world’s largest consumers of olive oil, around 30 litres per capita annually, and those who eat more cheese too!

With such a basis, it is not strange that the country gave birth to dishes such as ‘souvlakis’, ‘moussaka’ and ‘stiphado’.

In addition to this, the cradle of the Western civilisation is a crossroads between continental Europe, the Mediterranean and Minor Asia, and has influences from all these places, even if it has successfully managed to keep its own Greek style.

Bearing this in mind, I wondered whether it would be possible to find a real Greek fusion restaurant that combined the best of the Mediterranean creativity while keeping it genuinely Greek and the answer was ‘Kuzina’, a restaurant that opened its doors in 2006 in a pedestrian zone in Thissio, a colourful and lively neighbourhood with views over the Acropolis and the Hephaestus temple, near Monastiraki, in Athens, Greece.

‘Kuzina’, chef’s Aris Tsanaklidis awarded restaurant, takes the pillars of the Greek cuisine and transform them into something provocative and unexpected but tasty, as the ‘calamari with ginger, sesame oil and chili’, the ‘yellowfin tuna with thyme and Mediterranean herbs crust’, ‘the sikomaida fig tart marinated in anise seeds and ouzo, wrapped with walnuts leaves’, ‘the salad of watermelon with feta cheese, rocket greens and balsamic vinegar sauce’ and other treats.

At ‘Kuzina’, the athmosphere is contemporary, and the decoration combines modern and traditional elements with a predominant white on the walls and wooden furniture. The multi-shelved bar is quite impressing, the staff is kind and helpful, and there is a terrace for private events (‘Tarazza’) and an art gallery (‘Porta’).

There is another ‘Kuzina’ in the Cycladic island of Mykonos.

Rating: 7/10

NIKOLAS, Fira, Santorini, Greece

Do not expect a sophisticated cuisine in this traditional place with a blue painted door and white walls, just as any other house of the Cyclades Islands, at the heart of Fira, Santorini's most populated town with around 2,000 citizens.

Unlike many restaurants in the island, Nikolas has not a view over the 'caldera', the breathtaking hole that the local volcano left in form of cliffs when it erupted around 1650 years BC, and that is indeed used by many as a tourist hook to overprice the final check.

Instead of this, Nikolas, a long-established restaurant where both locals and visitors like to go (and queue!) has no pretentions but offers an excellent traditional Greek cuisine such as rice stuffed zucchini, excellent home-made moussaka, fava (a tasty small yellow bean from the island which is served boiled and smashed), meatballs, some good fish, i.e., cuttlefish in wine, and fried saganaki cheese.

This family owned business is run by Nikolas himself, who is not especially extroverted at first sight but who becomes progressively confident and even ends up explaining you the menu in other languages than Greek...

Rating 7.2/10

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE WORLD!

On 20th April, ‘Restaurant’ magazine published the ‘San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list.

http://www.theworlds50best.com/page/home.html

As in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008, ‘El Bulli’ (Ferran Adrià, Spain) was considered the best restaurant in the world followed by ‘The Fat Duck’ (Heston Blumenthal, UK).

‘Noma’ (Rene Redzepi, Denmark, who had trained in Adrià’s ‘El Bulli’), was awarded as the third best restaurant worldwide.

The ranking of the ‘San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ is the following one:

1. ‘El Bulli’

Ferran Adrià, Roses, Catalonia, Spain

2. ‘The Fat Duck’

Heston Blumenthal, Berkshire, South East England, UK

3. ‘Noma'

Rene Redzepi, Copenhaguen, Denmark (up 7)

4. ‘Mugaritz’

Andoni Luis Aduriz, Renteria, Basque Country, Spain

5. ‘El Celler de Can Roca’

Joan Roca, Girona, Catalonia, Spain (up 21)

6. ‘Per Se’

Thomas Keller, New York, USA

7. ‘Bras’
Michel & Sébastian Bras, Laguiole, Aveyron, France

8. ‘Arzak’
Juan Maria Arzak, San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

9. ‘Pierre Gagnaire’
Pierre Gagnaire, Paris, France (down 6)

10. ‘Alinea’
Grant Achatz, Chicago, Illinois, USA (up 11)

11. ‘L’Astrance’
Pascal Barbot & Christophe Rohat, Paris, France

12. ‘The French Laundry’
Thomas Keller, Yountville, California, USA (down 7)

13. ‘Osteria Francescana’
Massimo Bottura, Modena, Emilia Romagna, Italy (new entry!)

14. ‘St. John’
Fergus Henderson & Trevor Gulliver, London, UK (up 2)

15. ‘Le Bernardin’
Maguy Le Coze & Eric Ripert, New York, USA (up 5)

16. ‘L’Hôtel de Ville’ – Philippe Rochat’
Philippe Rochat, Crissier, Vaud, Switzerland (up 11)

17. ‘Tetsuya’s’
Tetsuya Wakuda, Sydney, Australia (down 8)

18. ‘L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon’
Joël Robuchon, Paris, France (down 4)

19. ‘Jean Georges’
Jean Georges Vongerichten, New York, USA (down 2)

20. ‘Les Créations de Narisawa’
Noshihiro Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan (new entry!)

21. ‘Chez Dominique’
Hans Välimäki, Helsinki, Finland (up 18)

22. ‘Ristorante Cracco’
Carlo Cracco, Milano, Lombardy, Italy (up 21)

23. ‘Die Schwarzwaldtube’
Harald Wohlfahrt, Baiersbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany (up 12)

24. ‘D.O.M’
Alex Atala, São Paulo, Brazil (up 16)

25. ‘Vendôme’
Joachim Wissler, Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (up 9)

26. ‘Hof van cleve’
Peter Goossens, Kruishoutem, East Flanders, Belgium (up 2)

27. ‘Masa’
Philip Aviles, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (re-entry!)

28. ‘Gambero Rosso’
Fulvio Pierangelini, San Vincenzo, Tuscany, Italy (down 16)

29. ‘Oud Sluis’
Sergio Herman , Sluis, Zeeland, The Netherlands (up 13)

30. ‘Steirereck’
Heinz Reitbauer, Vienna, Austria (new entry!)

31. ‘Momofuku Ssäm Bar’
Thien Ho, New York, USA (new entry!)

32. ‘Oaxen Skärgardskrog’
Magnus Ek, Oaxen Island, Sweden (up 16)

33. ‘Martin Bersategui’
Martin Berasategui, Lasarte / Oria, Basque Country, Spain (down 4)

34. ‘Nobu London’
Nobu Matsuisa, London, UK (down 4)

35. ‘Mirazur’
Mauro Colagreco, Menton, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France (new entry!)

36. ‘Hakkasan’
Alan Yau, London, UK (down 17)

37. ‘Le quartier français’
Margot Janse, Franschhoek, South Africa (up 13)

38. ‘La Colombe’
Luke Dale-Roberts, Cape Town, South Africa (re-entry!)

39. ‘Asador Etxebarri’
Victor Arguinz Oniz, Axpe-Marzana, Atxondo, Basque Country, Spain (up 5)

40. ‘Le Châteaubriand’
Iñaki Aizpitarte, Paris, France (new entry!)

41. ‘Daniel’
Daniel Boulud, New York, USA

42. ‘Combal.Zero’
Davide Scabin, Rivoli, Piemonte, Italy (re-entry!)

43. ‘Le Louis XV’
Frank Cerutti, Monaco (down 28)

44. ‘Tantris’
Hans Haas, Munich, Bavaria, Germany (up 3)

45. ‘Iggy’s’
Ignatius Chan, Singapore (new entry!)

46. ‘Quay’
Peter Gilmore, The Rocks, Sydney, Australia (new entry!)

47. ‘Les Ambassadeurs’
Jean-François Piège, Paris, France (down 2)

48. ‘Dal pescatore’

Nadia Santini, Canneto sull’Oglio, Mantova, Lombardy, Italy (down 25)

49. ‘La Calandre’

Massimiliano Alajmo, Sarmeola di Rubano, Veneto, Italy (down 13)

50. ‘Mathias Dahlgren’

Mathias Dahlgren, Stockholm, Sweden (new entry!)

Classification by country:

1. USA, 8
2. France, 7
3. Spain & Italy, 6
4. UK, 4
5. Germany, 3
6. South Africa, Australia & Sweden, 2

7. Denmark, Switzerland, Singapore, Monaco, The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Japan, Brazil & Austria, 1

KOKOB, Brussels

Once upon a time there was an Ethiopian engineer, his Belgian - Moroccan friend and a Belgian partner who decided to open an Ethiopian restaurant in the centre of Brussels. That was 2 years ago.

Since then, this lively, colourful, original, and trendy place, which has wisely enough avoided the (too easy) temptation to open an ethnic appealing place with plenty of masks and arrows of invented tribes on the walls, is always full with a clientele in their late 20's and above ready to have fun and to discover a world of exciting tastes and flavours while entering in the sensuality of the black continent.

Kokob, which translates as 'raising star' in Ethiopian, is a true star in the current Brussels' resto scene, an absolutely must go even for those who may be a bit reluctant to taste unknown African food or eating with... the hands !

If this is the first time you go to the restaurant, just let you guide by the service, who may perfectly propose to start with an aperitif made of rum, pineapple juice and hibiscus flower while waiting to be given a table, to follow with a discovery menu made of some meat dishes and some vegetable dishes (you will be served a random combination of either lamb, chicken or beef depending of the mood of the chef unless otherwise stated), and finish with an Ethiopian coffee.

The discovery menu consists in a series of small dishes the content of which is delicately spooned on the injera (a staple bread made of teff, a cereal similar to the millet) laying on the bottom of a big plate in which, following the Ethiopian tradition, everybody helps oneself.

To eat the dishes, pieces of injera (served in a side basket) are torn off and used to grab the food. All the dishes served in the discovery menu may be eaten together, so you may combine some yellow lentils with a home-made white cheese, a bit of salad with fried cubed chicken with spicy spinach, stewed cabbage and potato with chopped beef and curcuma, etc.

The service is friendly, efficient, kind, smiley, and always ready to advise the customer on how to get the best of the menu, how to tear off the injera, and to explain how the Ethiopians eat their food. By the way, the service has no complex in introducing the first injera crêpe into the mouth of the client to show him/her how it works...

Apart from being a restaurant, Kokob also organises concerts, photo exhibitions and other cultural events (not only about Ethiopia).

Finally, interesting to know that although the food is heated and the dishes finished in the open kitchen that you see at the end of the room, the food is made by female Ethiopian cooks during the day, as most stews may take long hours to prepare.

Do not go without booking!

For more information, please visit http://www.kokob.be/

Rating : 7/10

THE SUSHI SHOP, Brussels

It is clear that my colleague Florence Paquay is a lover of Japanese food and restaurants and that she even seems to become the reference of this kind of food in 'Taules del Mon'...

Please find below her impressions about a new franchise of Japanese food that recently opened in Brussels and that she has (no doubt about this!) already discovered.

Do not hesitate to add your comments at the bottom of this e-mail or to send them at taules.del.mon@gmail.com

A new sushi place opened a while ago on avenue Louise 144, B-1050 Brussels: http://www.sushishop.be

I never tried the restaurant, which is always full, but did try the delivery services for lunch recently: very easy on-line order, quick delivery (within the hour, the promise was kept!) and the sushis & sashimis were simply delicious and fresh.

They have a huge variety of products for all tastes and unusual savours like beef tartar sushi, foie gras & figs California rolls, etc.

The Sushi Shop delivers in: 1000 Brussels, 1040 Etterbeek, 1050 Ixelles & 1060 Saint-Gilles. Creating your account & ordering just takes a few minutes.

Deliveries 7/7 (except Sunday noon): 11.00 - 14.30 & 18.00 - 23.00

Florence Paquay

P.A. & Co., Stockholm, Sweden

You may believe that Stockholm is the capital of that welfare state placed in the middle of the European Nordics whose blond, tall and fit population only drive Volvos and Saabs, stare in front of the TV watching the Nobel awards ceremony, enjoy commenting the royal family gossips, are able to screw and unscrew thousands of times the same IKEA do-it-yourself furniture and support their ice-hockey national team, the whole of it admired and respected while having a shot of Absolut Vodka (or two!) and listening to ABBA hits. You may also think that there is nothing to eat up there...

Surprise, this is not exactly the case!

Believe it or not, Stockholm is a great city to eat and to have fun (at the same time), a town with plenty of lively restaurants and a good choice of atmospheres, cuisines and prices. As The New York Times put it in an article, ‘Stockholm’s restaurant scene is overheated’...

A short recent visit to this beautiful city was enough to realise that people like going out (a lot!) regardless on whether they go to a recently opened place or to a well known address, on whether the restaurant is in the trendy, elegant Östermalm or in the somewhat bohemian neighbourhoods of Södermalm and Kungsholmen, and whether it is a mainstream address with wi-fi internet connection and some couches to lay on with the lap-top or a posh Michelin starred restaurant with clients aged 50 and more with a shiny Porsche waiting at the door.

For those who would not expect it or simply do not know it, please bear in mind that Sweden and Norway are the countries where most of the recently awarded cooks in well known international contests come from.

In my opinion, this is certainly not because these cooks may be able to only prepare eels, salmons and herrings like anybody else in the world, which is indeed true, but because of their creativity and their confidence in providing something different and tasty yet remaining well rooted to their culture and culinary sources.

Such creativity blossoms a bit everywhere in town, not just in restaurants like the well known "Sturehof", the "Riche", the "Muggen" (a midday informal café with wooden tables and candles everywhere serving simple and a bit too cooked yet tasty pasta and a glass of Jacob’s Creek shiraz – cabernet, the same place where Stieg Larsson advised to have lunch in his bestseller ‘Millenium’), the "Brunnsgatan 1", the "Gondolen", the "Grill", the "Kungsholmen" and "The Veranda" (Grand Hotel), but also the "Mathias Dahlgren", the only Swedish restaurant to have ever been awarded a two Michelin stars ("Edsbacka krog" was the first one). By the way, the chef Mathias Dahlgren is only 40!

"PA & Co." was discovered absolutely by chance when a blond woman clerly in her late fifties and with a hint of Pippi Langstrumpf hippyness stopped pedalling her bicycle next to me in the middle of the street and asked me if I needed some help. The map I was handling may have given her the impression that I was lost.

When I told her I was looking for a restaurant where I could try good Swedish specialities she immediately recommended to head to the somewhat hidden "PA & Co.", an informal place with a clubby atmosphere, small tables and wooden chairs, a couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a lot of candles (remember we are in Sweden!), a single board with the menu on the wall (only in Swedish), and filled with a clientele ranging from cool intellectuals to media, literature and fashion types.

The reindeer terrine covered with bacon on a mushroom sauce and lingonberry jam, smashed potatoes and sliced cucumbers in a side dish might not be a very original choice if you are a Sweed, but it was very very good! (as was the starter - fish eggs on a crispy potato basis -, the jazzy music and the service).

Do not try to go without booking.

Rating: 6.5/10

MITSUI TEPPAN YAKI, Bruxelles

My colleague Florence Paquay recently visited MITSUI, one of the best, yet unpretentious, Japanese restaurants in Brussels, and wanted to share her experience with Taules del Mon.

MITSUI is the first Japanese restaurant appearing in this blog.

Visité par hasard un dimanche soir, le Mitsui Teppan Yaki est situé derrière la place du Châtelain, rue de Prévot 86 à 1050 Bruxelles.

Accueil chaleureux, service impeccable et souriant, les sashimi mix et makis au thon étaient très frais et tout simplement délicieux. Choix de vins à prix très abordables (nous avons pris le Pinot Noir frais).

Le restaurant était bien rempli un dimanche soir, donc mieux vaut réserver par téléphone au 02/534.09.53 (ouvert 7/7). Il y a la possibilité de réserver autour des plaques de cuisson afin de profiter du spectacle, un kimono vous sera alors prêté.

Le parking dans le quartier n'est pas toujours aisé dans cette rue à sens unique.

http://sites.resto.com/mitsui/

Florence Paquay

SPARKLING WINES from CALIFORNIA, USA

Catherine Banet, a French friend living in San Francisco for 3 months, recently had the opportunity to visit the wine producing region laying some miles north that city and discovered a new world of tastes.

Please see below the report she kindly provided to 'Taules del Món' about her experiences in that magic region:

« Champagne ? Did you say Champagne ? »

Essayez ceci: prononcez le nom de Champagne et décrivez la première image qui vous apparaît. Il est à peu près certain que les côtes vallonnées d’Epernay, Aÿ et Reims surgiront plus vite à votre esprit que celles de la Californie. Et pourtant …

L’origine de la production de vins mousseux à la méthode champenoise - la plus délicate - remonte à 1882 dans la région de Sonoma au nord de San Francisco sous l’influence des frères Korbel (qui signifie « gobelet », cela ne s’invente pas) originaires de Bohème, l’actuelle République Tchèque.

De nombreux grands noms européens sont par la suite venus bénéficier des atouts des vallées de la région en apportant leur savoir faire et notamment le Domaine Chandon, le Domaine Carneros de la maison Taittinger ou Gloria Ferrer.

Partir à la découverte des vins mousseux californiens offre des expériences très variées. En voici quatre de teneur bien différente.

Iron Horse se situe au cœur de la Green Valley (Russian Valley, Sonoma), à la fin d’une petite route qui vous conduit au paradis du « precision farming ». La dégustation se fait en extérieur, face aux vignobles baignant dans la brume matinale si typique de cette vallée et qui permet à cette dernière de garder une fraîcheur bénéfique au raisin. La spécificité du terroir est exprimée ici à la perfection. Huit 'champagnes' proposés, dont un remarqué Blanc de Blancs 2003 (100% Chardonnay) et une Cuvée Joy inoubliable (10-15 ans d’âge, magnums uniquement).

Pour un 'champagne' à la française, pas besoin de chercher ailleurs que Roederer Estate, logé dans la vallée Anderson (200 km au nord de San Francisco, Mendocino). Malgré un accueil déplorable, les vins sont élégants, travaillés dans la pure tradition de la maison mère. Le résultat en est quatre 'champagnes', uniquement à base de Pinot noir et Chardonnay, dont un Brut Rosé tout en rondeur mais sans trop de douceur. La grande baie vitrée vous permet d’admirer un des plus jolis points de vue sur la vallée (après celle de Navarro Vineyards).

Exemple du compromis réussi, les caves Scharffenberger (toujours vallée Anderson). L’accès au comptoir de dégustation se fait par une petite salle d’exposition d’art aux murs blancs. Le contraste n’est pas sans déplaire. Le vin « estate » promu est un Brut, 65% Pinot noir et 35% Chardonnay. Mais laissez-vous aussi tenter par le Crémant qui n’essaie pas de ressembler à un champagne comme bien trop d’autres vins de sa catégorie.

Scharffenberger Cellars a survécu à une histoire mouvementée qui a vu se succéder les propriétaires depuis sa création en 1981 et fait aujourd’hui parti de Maisons Marques & Domaines. A ne pas confondre avec le chocolatier du même nom situé à Berkeley. Dans ce cas, plutôt associer que confondre ! De nombreuses dégustations thématiques sont d’ailleurs organisées dans la région sur les accords vins et chocolat.

Enfin, Korbel dont rien que le nom, Champagne Cellars, annonce ambition et tradition (vallée de Sonoma, Russian River Valley). Il fut d’ailleurs servi à la cérémonie d’inauguration des cinq derniers présidents américains, y compris Obama (« Special Inaugural Cuvée »). Chacun devrait y trouver son bonheur tant l’éventail de choix est vaste. Onze vins annoncés et en dégustation, y compris des secs, demi-secs, rosés, moscato et un nouveau « Champagne Chardonnay » pensé pour être un « champagne suitable for everyday ». Cependant, l’originalité laissera peut-être ici un peu trop de place à la conventionalité et à la force commerciale.

Ce rapide aperçu se doit de conclure sur deux réflexions. En premier lieu, les vins mousseux du nord de la Californie sont aussi divers que les champagnes français. Ils jouent pour cela sur la richesse du terroir et la variété des raisins utilisés. Alors qu’en France seuls Chardonnay, Pinot noir et Pinot meunier sont acceptés (pour la production de champagne), la législation californienne autorise l’ajout d’autres raisins (Chenin blanc et Colombard chez Korbel) et ne réglemente pas le niveau de sucre.

Autre différence, les vins mousseux californiens seront souvent millésimés. En second lieu, et pour ceux qui en douteraient encore, les Californiens savent élever des vins mousseux de grande qualité qui ne sont jamais aussi bons que quand ils expriment toute leur spécificité, sans copier leurs cousins européens. Doit-on s’en inquiéter ?

Comme pour les autres vins du nouveau monde, la compétition doit être vue comme une opportunité d’excellence et de renouvellement perpétuel.

Catherine Banet

LE SAINT BONIFACE, Bruxelles

Après l’avoir découvert à l’occasion d’un déjeuner de travail il y a un peu plus de 4 ans, je me suis toute de suite demandé ce que serait la Place Saint Boniface, voire le cartier d’Ixelles où il est placé (et presque caché !) et même Bruxelles toute entière sans un restaurant comme le Saint Boniface.

Toujours au rendez-vous d’une vraie cuisine de terroir française aux clairs accents de la moitié sud du pays, le Saint Boniface est avant tout l’art de Véronique et Philippe Pasquier (salle et cuisine respectivement) dans l’assiette et leur amour pour les produits de qualité, les exécutions toujours parfaites, l’exigence du résultat et la réussite de la régularité dans le temps (très difficile à trouver dans nos jours).

Temple gastronomique à l’ambiance tranquille, chaleureuse et accueillante, au service personnel impeccable, aux murs remplis d’une très belle collection d’affiches et des produits anciens, et aux nappes aux petits carrés blancs et rouges sur les tables, il est sage de demander sans hésiter, juste à l’arrivée, un Lillet (l’apéritif bordelais par excellence - à base de vin et aux écorces d'orange -), afin de mieux entrer en matière et bien sonder les propositions du menu.

Déjà dans les options, celles-ci sont diverses et succulentes : rillettes, cassoulet des saucissons de Lyon, les lentilles du Puy, le pied de porc désossé en crépinette, les œufs en meurette, le sabodet,…sans mentionner la quantité et la qualité des vins.

Le Saint Boniface a fait l’un des lauréats 2004 des Grands Prix de la Cuisine de Tradition (Guide des Connaisseurs / Bel RTL). Malgré ceci, je pense que l'endroit mériterait de plus de visibilité, d'une bonne page web mise à jour, et peut-être de l'organisation d'activités (dégustations de vins français, atéliers de cuisine de terroir avec M. Pasquier...).

Note: 7.5/10

TARATATA - Hasselt, Belgium

In the middle of Hasselt (Limburg province), there is Taratata, a refined place for mid-30's to have a relaxed dinner on a Friday night either with friends or couple.

The restaurant, whose name derives from 'mixture', 'madness' in Latin, is a clean, quiet place where sober, minimal, modern and elegant architecture (by architects Jo Broukx and Bart Amerika) plays an important role.

The restaurant proposes a fusion, a mixture and a redefinition of tastes and textures by using high quality fresh ingredients to create a well-defined Taratata style.

However, the choice in the menu is a limited one and the too much use of asterisks in the menu indicating the change of price of some dishes draws too much the attention on this (avoidable) aspect.

Among the starters, Taratata is known by its 'Crispy open lasagna with grilled chicken and mushrooms' and the tasty 'Sushi Taratata style'.

Several executions outstand among the mains : the 'Marinated duck fillet, sourdough, mashed sweet potato and Granny Smith apples, sauce of sun-dried cherries and black pepper', the 'Salmon fillet cooked in truffle broth, mushroom ravioli with leek' or 'Grilled lamb with artichokes, mashed lentils and green sauce of black olives and anchovy'.

The concept is good but the restaurant is so worried to define the ideas and values that are claimed to match with the phylosophy of the place and to explain so many things at the same time that it all becomes a bit confusing and ends up by killing the magic.

I regret to have ordered a cinnamon flavoured aperitif, too sweet, unbalanced and which did not match with the food that was about to come to the table.

http://www.taratata.be/

RESTO.BAR - Brussels

Do not feel impressed by what could seem a trivial name, the Resto.Bar has nothing of a normal restaurant or bar.

Rather, this trendy place with small Jackson Pollock-like paintings on the brick walls, round bubble lights and rolled cylidrical menus in changing colours, develops an innovative, international and fusion cuisine whose main concept is to serve everything in glass containers, either it be glasses, jars, test tubes, jam pots, etc.

The restaurant, which opened 4 years ago and which is managed by Caroline, proposes a menu divided in five sorts of food, each of which has a completely different personality and taste : starter (made of 4 different finger food composed by the chef and changing every week), fraîcheurs (with compositions made of vegetables, cheeses, mushrooms, etc.), pâtes (pasta), inédits (dishes made either with fish or meat), and after (desserts such as the 'panacotta printemps' or the 'choc show').

However, in order to have a good idea of the different sort of treats, the best option is to go for a menu combining 3 different types of food : a fraîcheur (i.e., the 'Tralala', a tasy composition with eggplant and white cheese in the bottom of the glass, mmmh !), a pâtes (i.e., 'Les Diamants Noirs', penne with white truffle and red coloured cheese !), and an inédit (i.e., the not-so-classic 'Tuna burger').

If you go there during the lunch time, a lighter version of two compositions (instead of three) will be also proposed : either a fraîcheur and a pâtes or a pâtes and an inédit, or a fraîcheur and an inédit).

The service is always ready to help and to try to adapt the menu to the customer preferences and needs.

My female tablemates pointed out that the atmosphere gives the restaurant a predominant ladies' touch which makes the place an ideal one for a true girls night out (even if boys enjoying the music and the food did not seem to be spending a boring night either !)

Resto.Bar is a place to taste and discover!

http://www.restopointbar.be/

DE LA VIGNE A L'ASSIETTE - Brussels

I have always been a fan of this restaurant (which has been wisely kept far away from the routes of 'fashion' restaurants the city is excelling at these recent days) since the very first time I went there for a business dinner some years ago.

The place, which combines a hint of high quality fine French cuisine with an austere, simple, clean and somewhat cold atmosphere (go there better with friends than in couple), is perfect to appreciate the wide range of tastes and textures.

'De la Vigne à l'Assiette' is a place that offers a great deal of knowledge, perfectionism, detail in the dish, perfect cooking and tasty combinations. Always!

On the top of the project, a great duo made of Eric Van den Bergen (the cook, the one who writes the menus) and Eddy Dandrimont (1st sommelier of Belgium in 1995, a true wine lover who proposes plenty of interesting things) has been a compact one since the restaurant first opened more than ten years ago.

On the dishes side, the menu is renewed on a regular basis, but it's always delicious, really. The last one to date highlights treats such as "Langoustines douces des profondeurs rôties et asperges vertes gratinées au parmesan, sauce bisque", the "Filet de bar grillé, vinaigrette aux herbes et pointes vertes", the l'"Agneau de lait des Pyrénées et haricots coco Tarbais à la tomate séchée".

Small downside: a certain rush to serve and remove plates (perhaps to ensure a perfect coordination between the service at the table and the kitchen) and, in my view, too much routine in the waiter's management of the tables may have led to a loss of spontaneity between the customer and the service (which sadly has a final impact - even if a non-deserved one though - on the overall image of the restaurant itself!).

However, this should not be a deterrent to enjoy this great address, whose customers will head home waiting to go back to the restaurant again.

In relation to wine, the menu includes great classic names, but without forgetting the small denominations of origin coming a bit from everywhere. Everybody agrees (so do I) that the ratio quality / price / discovery of new stuff is perfectly balanced here. In addition, the restaurant organizes regular wine tastings and sells wine in the restaurant too (on demand).

Do not feel astonished if you see a Commissioner of the European Commission, a MEP, the CEO of a big multinational company, or a known Belgian politician / musician... dining opposite your table because... it might perfectly be the case !

The restaurant still receives prizes and awards from time to time.

http://sites.resto.com/delavignealassiette/

Rating : 7.1/10

ARAUCANA - Brussels

To talk about "Araucana" (name given to a local no-tail hen whose eggs are somewhat blue/green and to a conifer from Chili) is to talk about Adela Baraquett Jorat, a formet Chilean trade unionist (now aged 80 and sometimes still present in the restaurant to dance with the customers!) whose leftist ideas brought her to a forced exile to Europe during the Pinochet regime.

Fully covered with press articles, masks from the early civilizations, photos, and other colourful stuff, the walls of Araucana perfectly witness the history, the people and the way of life of both Chili and the rest of South America.

Although one should primarily go to this informal restaurant to have fun, to feel that the world is a place where everybody could live in harmony with the rest of human beings, that values such as respect and conviviality are not necessarily outdated in our times, and to remember that values have nothing to do neither with the age nor with the tough living conditions one might have had in life, no visitor should miss the opportunity to taste the home-made "ceviche" (Chilean national dish), the "empanadas" and the steaks (Argentinian beef).

Please be advised that nobody visiting this folkloric place will be able to go back home without listening a genuine live compilation of the best South American hits of all times from Peruvian José, who confirms with no hesitation that "all women in the world are beautiful, even those who are not".

Note: 5.4/10

Articulo dedicado a Rodrigo, a quien espero ver de nuevo pronto, quizas en su pais.

LA CUEVA DE CASTILLA - Bruselas

Cuando Gemma, persona de gran humanidad y de valores asentados con la que además comparto apasionantes y animados debates literarios, me comentó que había probado una de las mejores paellas de las que se acuerda en el corazón del barrio de Schaerbeek, simplemente relativicé.

Pensé que después de tanto tiempo fuera de España, quizás demasiado, nuestro paladar podría estar dando síntomas inequívocos de aceptar cualquier arroz más o menos bien resuelto con algún guisante descolorido y alguna que otra gamba congelada de decoración.

Pero me equivoqué. Y mucho!

De hecho, empecé a ser consciente de que me equivocaba en el preciso instante en que Roberto, cuya amabilidad y apurada noción del servicio eficiente y de la calidad parecen no tener límites, me aconsejó - durante la reserva por teléfono - que si algún comensal quería arroz (paella incluída), avisara 20 minutos antes de llegar. Buena señal.

Cuando llegué al restaurante pude comprobar el resultado: arroz de grano perfecto y en su punto, buena textura y consistencia, gambas bien cocidas, guisantes sabrosos, marisco muy apetecible, buen pollo, cantidad generosa pero sin excesos, y lo más importante, la sensación general de estar recuperando parte de los sabores con los que crecimos, aquellos que compartimos con la familia en la playa los días de verano, y que algun día quedaron guardados en la memoria.

Pero paellas a parte, los amigos que probaron la fideuá, igualmente de excelente factura, salieron gratamente satisfechos y con ganas de aconsejar este dignísimo ejemplo de la España culinaria a todo su entorno. A juzgar por las risas, también parecian contentos y animados los comensales de las mesas de nuestro alrededor...

Pero alguien que leyera este artículo podría llevarse a engaño pensando que "La Cueva de Castilla" es un sitio de paellas y fideuás. Nada más lejos de la realidad!

En este restaurante acogedor y elegante abierto hace 12 años y gestionado por los hermanos Ponte - Roberto en el comedor y Javier en la cocina - y que practica una cocina clásica pero abierta a nuevas propuestas, también estan presentes, aparte de las entradas como la bandeja de jamón pata negra cortado a mano, la "dorada al horno al sofrito de tomates y anchoas al Jerez", la "zarzuela de pescado", el "arroz negro con chipirones", el "filete de cochinillo envuelto con una capa de aceitunas negras y lentejas al chorizo", el "filete de cordero al ajo con pimientos del piquillo y vino Albariño", la "fabada asturiana", etc.

Y para terminar, chupitos para todos los gustos y humores: melón, anís, manzana verde, avellana, etc.

A destacar también que "La Cueva de Castilla" aparece en el Gault et Millau (desde 2006) y en la Guía Michelin (desde 2008).

http://www.cuevadecastilla.be/

Nota: 7.8/10