Southeast Asian chill spot with quite the décor

…guest blogger KiBXL reports!

As someone lucky enough to live near Chatelain, I find it exciting when another new resto opens up in the area. The latest addition is Lucy Chang on the corner of rue Americaine and rue du Mail. This place is perfect for a summer’s after-work drink and dinner; there are tables in the sun outside and a spacious airy interior decorated with a shiny ceiling and a cool mismatch of Asian artifacts.  All that’s topped off with friendly and efficient service.

The menu boasts a range of Southeast Asian cuisine which all sound mouth watering. I settled on a Thai spicy chicken salad (Laab Gai 8,50eur) matched with a sweet milky cold Thai tea to sooth my burning mouth (think bubble tea without the tapioca). This dish was hot as it should be, but at a level that was still edible and that did not mask the distinctive fresh herb flavours. Not bad at all. My friend’s noodles (one from the Wok menu) also looked and smelled extremely appetizing.

Lucy Chang Asian Grocery and Noodle Shop
124 rue Americaine, Ixelles

Food: A-
Atmosphere: A
Service: A
Price: B+

– KiBXL

Best bowl of ramen noodles

Okay, so I haven’t actually tried the ramen from every single place possible in Belgium.  But this ain’t Japan, folks.  Ramen stands are not like the kebab shops.  So if you’ve found one bowl of delicious noodles around here that stands out above all the rest so far, then you can safely bet that you’ve found the best in Brussels, at least for now.

Such is the case for the miso katsu ramen (9 euros) at tiny Yamato off St. Boniface.  The homemade noodles are a little chewier and denser than at other places, and consequently they carry flavor really well.  The miso broth with bean sprouts and green onions is flavored richly without being too salty, and the small portion of fried battered pork on top finishes the whole creation.

Yes, you might think it strange to pay that much for post-work snack food.  And… you’d be right.  But sometimes when you’ve got a craving, you have to give in.  It’s all about the textured long noodles, about the meat, about the cold Asahi.  It’s about sitting at the bar jam-packed side-by-side with everyone else waiting for the same thing; about smelling the spring onions and the gyoza in the air.  The chefs toil in front of you to bring you what you order.  You sit on the waiting chairs in the back for half an hour just to get a seat.  You see the steam from the miso broth rise from the center of the bar to heat the whole place up, while the cold Brussels rain falls outside the plate windows behind you.  Then a seat opens up, and now you’re hungry and ready to order ramen in Europe.

No, this is not exactly like Japan.  Maybe that’s why we like it.

Yamato
Rue Francart 11 (St. Boniface), Brussels

Food: B+
Atmosphere: C
Charm: A
Price: B+
Languages: French, Japanese?

Sweet and salty Peking duck

We’re always on the lookout for good Peking / Beijing duck in Brussels, and so far it has been elusive.  The perfect version should have the right balance of savory roast duck with crispy, flavorful skin; hoisin or plum sauce; spice and crunch from fresh green onions or other vegetables; and all put together in a dense but thin rice or wheat wrapper.

One version, shown above, comes from a Chinese restaurant just south of the Kam Yuen market.   It may have tasted pretty good, as the dish goes here, but we’re still on the lookout for better.  The duck missed a little bang, but at least it didn’t have bones, like other places!  They also give you all the components separately, so if you like putting together your own wrap with a personal duck-to-onion ratio, this place is for you.

Once we remember the name of the place, we’ll add it in this entry, but if you walk down that Brouckere street, you can’t miss it.  Where else can we find this dish?  Where are the excellent versions in Belgium?

“Restaurant Chinois” south of the Kam Yuen market
Food: B+
Atmosphere: B
Languages: Mandarin, French, English

The Giant Asian Grocer of Brussels

Sometimes we just want a one-stop shop for all our East Asian grocery needs in Brussels.  Fortunately for us, Kam Yuen off the Brouckere is on its way to becoming that all-purpose supermarket.  The products that it lacks can be found at other, smaller specialty shops elsewhere, while the selection of products it does carry among its expansive property is pretty impressive for Brussels standards.

Beyond the basic rice, sauces, and spices, this place (lovingly abbreviated as KY) has a fresh produce section filled with items that may be more difficult to find elsewhere, particularly all in one place.  The bean sprouts, Chinese broccoli, nappa cabbage, taro root, lotus root, Thai chilies, and other produce are available at the front, changing with the seasons.  Teas, curries, star anise, canned lychees,  and various condiments also line the shelves.  A variety of dried Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean noodles lie in the back, while my personal favorite of fresh Cantonese wide rice noodles sometimes is available in the refrigerator.  The frozen dim sum section is decent, though lacking, while the Japanese munchies in the back are a real pleasure (YanYans, roasted nori, and wasabi peas, anyone?).  Finally, if we want a steamer, wok, or chopsticks, we conveniently can find them here, too.

They’re even open on Sundays before 18h/6pm, competing with the nearby Delhaize.  Sometimes I don’t like shopping, but KY always makes doing it easier.  Be warned that the place gets packed on Saturday afternoons.

Kam Yuen Supermarket
Rue de la Vierge Noire 2

Products: A
Price: A
Atmosphere: C
Languages: French, Mandarin, Cantonese, English

Preview to Pork Ramen

My friend recently had a bowl of ramen (~10 euros) with pork over at Hana in St. Boniface.  Look at that:

Delicious to the eyes, but what about to the tongue?  It’s still just ramen.  Coming from a place that’s sort of Korean and sort of Japanese.  Is this not glorified college food?  Or is it transcendental, after coming in from a cold Brussels rain?

We went there after not wanting to queue in front of the small yet ultimate ramen place around the corner, so maybe we just had noodles on the brain that clouded judgment.  What was the final verdict?

Hana
Rue Saint Boniface 21
Languages: French, English