Ugly But Tasty Duck

Brings new meaning to “ugly duckling”.  Fowl, but not foul, fortunately.

This take-home roasted duck (13 euros) from the small Vietnamese grocer Xuan Minh can look a little unsettling, but when heated in the oven you will forget all that.  The meat has a great flavor with the right amount of saltiness and meatiness.  Being duck, it also has lots of fat that not only helped the duck float when alive but also helps the meat taste like poultry’s glorious version of bacon after some crisping in the oven.  Sticklers for health can scrape off all the skin, too, of course, but that’s no fun.

I tried to take a photo from the side that wasn’t cut into, so that it wouldn’t look so unappealing, but you can still see it.  Oops.  Anyway, whatever, it’s roasted duck on a plate, not the Mona Lisa.  What can you do, put glitter on it in the shape of a smiley face?  If you like duck or other Vietnamese produce, check this place out.

Xuan Minh
Avenue Georges Henri 31, Woluwe

Languages: French, Vietnamese

Roasted Chicken Love

Carnivores have to take advantage of the succulent roasted chickens over at the weekly Sunday morning market at Place Jourdan.  There are at least two places to choose from for the poulets, but you might have to queue for a while if you go late by lunchtime.  At 8-10 euros each for a large and tasty bird, the wait is worth it.

It’s a good thing that Brussels has several markets around the area with fresh breads, fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, fish, and all sorts of other things, not to mention flowers and cheap clothes.  Just another plus for the city.

My favorite misteak

Welcome back, folks, foodies, and foreigners!  Summer has gone by so fast, hasn’t it?  We’re back in Belgium, whether by choice or circumstance, excellent or otherwise. Regardless, it’s time to eat!

Unfortunately for the vegetarians, we return with a shout-out to an excellent place to find a cut of beef: classy Troubadour just a train ride away in Leuven / Louvain.

Before the Belgian summer ends, head out to east of Brussels in Flemish Brabant.  Sit down on a terrace upon a narrow cobblestone walkway next to other diners, and order the beef filet (~25 euros).  It should be large, rich, seared to a tender medium rareness, and succulent.  I am partial to pairing it with the mushroom cream sauce (~4 euros), but take your pick out of the selection.  Be warned that this is a lot of food, so don’t go there to graze.

Apparently the traditional mussels-in-a-bucket dish (~23 euros) is good there, too, particularly now that it’s September and the start of the season, but I haven’t tried it yet.

I still have yet to find a better steak around Brussels.  That doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking.  Got any suggestions?

Troubadour
Tiensestraat 32, Leuven

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Price: B
Languages: Dutch, English, French

Much food for your money

Post-Antwerp 10 mile race, which apparently is one of the races with the highest attendance in Belgium with 25,000 runners, we discovered a place where you get so much food for your money. For once we couldn’t actually eat it all. Unfortunately, all I can tell you for now is that it is in the center of Antwerp, very close to the train station. The waitress kindly humoured our post-race smelly selves and let us feast.

Vol au vent

Meat platter

Grilled chicken

The 1/2 grilled chicken came with a side of potatoes and a huge salad. The meat platter was a meat-fest and the vol-au-vent was good. The table full of food cost us less than 15 euros a person with a large bottle of water.

Food: B
Atmosphere: B
Service: A-
Price: A
Languages: Dutch, English

Waiting for an excuse to go back

There’s nothing that I love more than good food. Throw in a cozy place and a good price and I’m in heaven. I used to walk by this place, around the corner of my house, on the way to the DelHaize down the street, all the time. I would always smell the grilling meat and it would make my mouth water. The place seemed a bit small and dark so I would I pass by and wonder. Finally, I gathered the courage to venture into the dark interior, taking some intrepid friends with me.

The interior is small but made almost romantic due to the candlelight. When the place is packed, as it almost always is, its hard to hear over the din though, so I would hardly recommend it for a romantic dinner for two in spite of its initial appearance (unless you are up for an early dinner as it seems to pick up after 20.00). All of us tried meat dishes (10-20 euros), as Mi Tango is an Argentinian restaurant. Served with a side of salad and oven fresh grilled potatoes and a delicious Argentinian “specialty” sauce, I would definitely go back.

Mi Tango, Rue de Spa 31, 1000 Brussels

Food: A
Atmosphere: A-
Service: A
Languges: French, Spanish I would guess