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

Ice cream with tea and sesame seed

I would visit this sushi place again just for the dessert!  Espace Sushi recently served up decent sushi and sashimi, but let’s forget that.  Really it was the unique and delicious dessert there that stood out to me.   Unusual twin scoops of ice cream graced the end of our meal:  one flavored with green tea, including little flecks of crispy dried tea leaves, and the other with roasted sesame seed.  For a tea fan, the green scoop tasted pretty good, with a distinct tea aroma and taste without being overpowering.  As for the other scoop? Absolutely stellar.  The rich nuttiness of the sesame came out subtly but strongly with each bite, and I wished I could take a pint home with me.  Both scoops were not nearly as sweet as standard ice creams, but they were still very smooth and creamy.  I don’t know where they got these flavors, or if the restaurant made it all themselves, but I liked it.

The ice cream went perfectly with the simple but delicious green tea cakes.  Almost exotic, they were denser, cleaner, and much more subtle than the typical buttery cakes found elsewhere in Brussels, yet they still had a smooth texture and light sweetness to them.  Just like the ice cream, each moist bite had a distinct scent and flavor of green tea.  This restaurant apparently stayed true to the idea of sushi when it came to their desserts: keep the flavors and textures pure, uncommonly good, and exquisite.

Espace Sushi
Chaussée de Wavre 325

Atmosphere: A
Languages: French, English

Soft, chewy center

I tried a dessert dish at the Häagen-Dazs cafe franchise by the Louise metro, ever packed with patrons even in the winter.  They gave me a macadamia nut and white and dark chocolate warm cookie plated with one scoop of coffee-flavored fudge ice cream, a second of vanilla-caramel ice cream, and a dollop of whipped cream with chocolate sauce (~9 euros), along with a small cup of requisite water.  I smelled the rich and sweet aroma of the confection.  My expectations were high.

That cookie confounded me with the strangest pleasurable experience.  I had expected a different flavor, perhaps because of memories of other treats from Hawaii to New York City, but it did not taste like any cookie I had before.  It reminded me of extra-rich vanilla cupcake rather than a cookie because of its flavor and its fluffiness in the center.  At the same time the gradually denser and crustier outer ring concentrated so much interestingly bright flavor into its textures that I could not stop myself from reflecting upon each morsel in my mouth.  It contained sweetness, nuttiness, crunchiness from the flecks of roasted and crushed nuts coating the outside, nostalgic vanilla, and a tinge of saltiness that completed the circle.  I wanted a cookie that I remembered and instead got one that created an entirely new memory.

As for the ice cream, I did not actually know one scoop was coffee-flavored when I ordered it, and I do not like like coffee and must recuse myself from judging it.  My friend ate that.  The vanilla ice cream was respectable, though nothing out of the ordinary.  The cold of it contrasted well with the warm, sizable cookie.

I must try the chocolate fondue there when I have money to spare and the place is not crowded like a stable.  Many queued to be seated, the place seemed extremely hectic, and the time to get our bill from the waitress annoyed us.  However, if I can stand higher prices, corporate marketing, and an uncharming atmosphere that belies corporate chic, then some of the treats here really can satisfy some of my cravings.

Häagen-Dazs
Louise metro

Food: A
Price: B
Service: C
Languages: French

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

The Coffee Company

The new cozy little cafe on 45 Rue du Midi that has won my heart is called, straightforwardly, The Coffee Company. They’re open all week from 8AM to 8PM, and they have just the right style to bring Americans and Brits back home.

Though messy and cramped at times, the light still is bright, the full plate glass windows open up the whole space, and the decor is very comforting.  I am almost tempted to buy a bag of marshmallows or a mixer from them.  Of the three baristas I’ve seen there, only one plays loud music.  All the rest of the time it is a great place for relaxing, chatting, or passing the time with some reading or writing.

What with their good mint tea (~€2.30), coffee to-go (~€2.30), sugar-rush caramel pecan fudge chunk brownies, and wireless internet access, I will try to make it a regular stop.  Take a pass on the too-sweet, unappealing hot chocolate (~€2.30), even though it stays hot.  However, I will vouch for the deliciousness of the morning muffins.

Extras:  Open on Sundays, wireless internet, couches

Language:  French, but English is sometimes OK