Brussels…but without the sprouts!

Stefano and I are going to be visiting Brussels during the Easter holiday, so today I decided to write a pre-Brussels post in order to ask my Belgian readers (or readers who have been there) for some tips on where to go, what to see, the best places to get a decent meal (Belgian food), etc. We’ll be there for four days, btw. Can’t wait!!!

I have already begun a list, which includes the Magritte Museum (we are both Magritte fans), the Manneken Pis (the bronze statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain’s basin…it’s famous), and, of course, the Grand Place. We have also planned to spend a day in Bruges, sometimes referred to as “the Venice of the North.”

pierre marcoliniAs for eateries, well, it’s no secret that I’m a chocolate lover, so there couldn’t be a better place for me than the land of Belgian chocolates. 😉 We will definitely make a stop at one of Pierre Marcolini’s “haute chocolaterie” shops (see photo of his selection box), highly recommended by a chocolate-loving friend of ours. I hope we can afford his prices, though! I am also curious to visit “Mary,” the shop that supplies pralines to the Belgian royal family.

And, since Stefano likes a good glass of beer, I was thinking of taking him to the Cantillon Brewery, unless someone has a better suggestion…Of course, we will be eating regular food, too, so suggestions to that regard are most appreciated, too!

Thank you!!! Or rather, dank u!!! 🙂

3 Comments

  1. I lived in Brussels as a teenager all those many years ago and my favorite spot was Number One Grand Place. In those days it was a place where you could get a beer or three along with a wooden plate loaded with cheese and bread and sit in front of a roaring open fire and look out on the fabulous old buildings in the square. At night, deep down underneath the buildings in the area, and sometimes on upper floors, there were “private clubs” with music and shows and as a “foreigner” you could get in by leaving your passport at the door instead of being a member. I wonder if these places still exist. Let me know. In the suburbs, in Ixelles, we used to go the L’Auberge de Boendael, an old farmhouse with amazing food. That does still exist. Bon voyage.

  2. Dear Margaret,
    welcome to Belgium !
    My partner was diagnosed with MM 6 months ago at age 46. Just discovered your blog about 2 weeks ago and you have got me totally excited about curcumine. And I now see you’re planning a trip to my country. That’s wonderful 🙂

    I don’t know Brussels that well, so I can’t help you with restaurant tips. But I’ve been to Brugge a few times and it is really worth a visit. On the other hand, someone living in Florence might be a little harder to impress… I hope the weather will be better at the time you are visiting, because it is really nast the last days. You will need an umbrella, but one out of concrete to stand the wind the days.

    Maybe you like a tip on a Flemish dish ? Last month a popular TV chef asked his viewers to vote on the best Flemish dish ever, and it turned out to be Flemish stew and fries. Not the most sophisticated food, but it is one of my favourites as well. And off course, it is asparagus season now. But I noticed it ended up on the ‘better not’ list. Maybe a tip for Stefano then.

    Yesterday they put my partner in the sterile room for his stem cel transplant.
    We have had some hard times, and hard times are not over yet, but are still enjoying life and each other as much as possible. Lucky he is gifted with a great sense of humor, so that helps a lot.

    My best wishes to you and your partner !
    And thank you very much for this nice blog.

  3. Hi Margaret, I love Brussels and we spent a long weekend there 3 weeks ago to celebrate our anniversary. I can recommend a restaurant I’ve been going to for years : L’Ogenblik in the Galeries ( side street). Also, do not go near Le Chalet de la foret. We had our anniversary dinner there and whilst my meal was lovely, my husband ended up with raw sole. There was still blood on the spine and the fish was glassy around the entire bone plate. When he complained they filleted and recooked it, but he ended up fishing bones out of his mouth! And not the odd one, at least a tablespoon full, Really bad for a 2 star Michelin restaurant.

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