Five stars because there can never be enough newcomers to the still-growing organic grocery scene…read morein Brussels. Belgomarkt provides a good variety of local/artisanal/organic ingredients, and top-notch quality for the money. Great selection of artisanal breads, organic cheeses, bulk grains and flours, and even pastas. Really nice meats. Today I was pleasantly surprised to see confit duck legs! At less than 4 euro, that's a bargain I could not resist. Also picked up some fresh terrine and duck rillettes, inexpensive and far better quality than what you find at the local supermarket (if you can find those products at all--usually not).
My only frustration is that some of the fresh produce at Belgomarkt could be fresher. At my last visit, a few weeks ago, they have a nice selection of several varieties of organic apples. Today, only one kind, and you could tell they had been stored at room temperature and were past prime. (Management take note: Apples should be kept in the cooler at night, to keep them from off-gassing and ripening prematurely!) The leeks and dinosaur kale were also not fresh enough to buy. But these are easy problems to fix, if you train your staff and have adequate cold storage space.
I will keep shopping here for the delicious local meats, cheeses and breads, and the occasional fresh veg. If Belgomarkt can pay more attention to keeping the fresh offerings truly fresh, I have a feeling they will attract even more fans!
