Celebrating the Fall of the Wall with Western gluttony

At least one cute girl was spotted peacefully reading books inside cozy Maxburg by Schuman, so the place clearly has more than great food.  The home-like establishment has delicious German comfort food in excellently sized portions, all served within friendly and familial surroundings.  The standard wiener schnitzel (~12 euros) is a savory slab of fried flattened pork, accompanied by a generous crunchy green salad and fried potatoes.  I also tried the beef stroganoff in a creamy red wine sauce (~13 euros) the last time I was there, and the well-cooked meat had a deep and bold flavor that was very tasty.  If you don’t feel like driving across the border for food like this, just head over to the European quarter.

Maxburg
108 Rue Steven, Brussels

Food: A
Price: A
Atmosphere: A-
Languages: German, 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

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

Subtle, salty, sweet

Rich buffalo mozzarella. Succulent and sweet tomato wedges. Shredded basil pesto with coarse salt and strong olive oil.

The best Caprese salad I’ve had in Belgium(~12 euros) by far came from Meet Meat between Schuman or Maelbeek. Each component was key, and the saltiness, tartness, and herb flavors complemented each other perfectly. What an excellent starter, especially for a South American steakhouse restaurant where meat is king.

Meet Meat
Rue Stevin, 124

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

Take a book.

Have you been looking for that little, cozy cafe where you can take your laptop/newspaper/book to relax with a hot cuppa or a light snack such as a yummy bagel?  I haven’t been paid to write this, I just enjoyed Cafe Modele, close to the Compte de Flandre metro stop, immensely.  There is a pleasant view of the canal and not only were there others with their laptops/newspapers/books relaxing (free wifi by the way) but the place is 100% non-smoking and their prices are great. Salad bowls piled high (4.10-8.50 euros) and sandwiches and bagels (3.50-5.50 euros) are serviced until 17.00 and warm dishes such as couscous and lasagne until 22.00.  Good coffee (1.70-2.70 euros) and freshly squeezed juices (2.30-3.30 euros) makes this place great for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The cafe is across the street from the bar Walvis, and apparently owned by the same person as well.

Croque monsieur with side salad

Cafe Modele, Rue Dansaertstraat 208, 1000 Brussels

Main dishes: A
Prices: A
Service: B
Atmosphere: A
Languages: Dutch, French