Sweet, creamy goodness at El Vergel

One can understand the steady price inflation at El Vergel over the years because its food is so darn good.  Portion sizes might not satisfy everyone, but the flavors should.  Case in point: the El Vergel cheesecake.

Don’t ask me what’s so Latin American about this cheesecake, but I’m not complaining.  It boasts a smoother and creamier texture than some New York or Chicago cheesecakes, and there definitely is no air or puffiness to it.  It’s really rich, but miraculously at the same time it’s not too rich, and like gourmet Marcolini chocolates, the sweetness doesn’t overpower the senses or leave your mouth dry.  The crust also balances out the creaminess perfectly, with a strong biscuit-cookie taste and crumbly texture and just the tiniest, tiniest hint of saltiness.  This cheesecake in a word: fantastic.

The only complaint is that the individual slices are getting smaller at the restaurant!  Just buy a whole pie to avoid the trouble and cut yourself your own huge piece.

El Vergel
Rue du Trône 39, Ixelles

Cheesecake:  A
Languages: English, French, Spanish

1€ Custardy goodness

Quick tip:  Those sweet and rich Chinese egg custards really can be found in Brussels!  Just visit the center.  Excellent stuff.  Stop by the small bakery across the street from Kam Yuen to catch your fill before they’re all gone.  Don’t expect a huge selection after lunchtime.

St. Anny
Rue Sainte Catherine 4, Brussels

Languages:  Mandarin, French

Ice cream slut

That’s right, I’ll eat it anywhere, anytime.

For your viewing pleasure, pictured below is some extra-sweet dulce-de-leche ice cream over a thick Liege-style waffle, from the Häagen-Dazs novelty ice cream shop in the touristy city center.

Here’s a beautiful scoop of the cookies ‘n’ creme:

Don’t you love the desserts in Brussels?

Make it a Thursday night

Over the last three years I have watched the evolution of one of my favorite eateries. The first time I went to El Vergel, I remember thinking the food was great and it was cheap relative to the quality and amount you received. Then about a year later I was a bit annoyed at the obvious and quite large prices increases (over 2 euros on some dishes) that appeared practically overnight. This was attributed to the price of meat going up (that vicious cycle of increasing grain costs due to fuel costs blah blah). Of course it didn’t have anything to do with the hordes of Eurocrats that flock there every lunch from the European Parliament and Commission and the ING and other bankers in the area, all of whom obviously have money to spend.

That said, the food is still delicious, and they still make a hell of a margarita if you happen to drop by on a Thursday night (the only night of the week that they stay open for dinner). Top of the list are the chicken and beef tacos (7.10 and 7.50 euros respectively) and the chicken salad (9.30 euros). The daily special is usually a meat and potato/rice/plantain type dish and almost always great (~10 euros). Sometimes it is packed for lunch and the service can be quite slow, but generally friendly. The best time to go is Thursday evening when there are less customers and you can enjoy your meal in some peace. The cheesecake (3.70 euros) is probably the best in town.

El Vergel, Rue du Trone 39, 1050 Elsene

Food: A
Atmosphere: A/B ~ depends if its for lunch or on a Thursday night
Service: A/B ~ depends if its for lunch or on a Thursday night
Price: B
Languages: French, English, Spanish

Behold, the sorbetière!

Warm weather is here in Belgium at last, and it’s the perfect time to make your own ice cream.  I got the Philips HR2304 ice cream maker from MediaMarkt the other day (~70 euros), and it certainly gets the job done.  You only have to freeze a disc that sits on the bottom of the bowl rather than the whole bowl, itself, which is a very nice convenience since my horrible Belgian freezer is so tiny.  Also it’s fairly quiet as motors go, and it’s large enough for making 1L of ice cream.

Here it is pictured above in action, while processing some Chimay-flavored ice cream — how Belgian.  Apologies for the picture quality, by the way; although the ice cream maker is so spectacularly white that it looks like it was sent from heaven, I didn’t add that pizzazzle on purpose.  Once my camera is working again, we’ll post more photos of the restaurants around Brussels.