I used to walk these alleys at night as a kid drunk-in-arm with friends. The unwritten law back then, if you can reach the bar, you can drink. Today, it was a homecoming as I set foot in Belgium for the first time in 25 years. Jeezus.
Walking down the unfamiliar/familiar alley from les Galeries Royales I got a taste that this was were hosts/servers would beckon/solicit people to sit down and eat. We didn't get much of that at 2 pm on a Wednesday afternoon until we stopped to view the 10 euro special (entree+beer or wine). I didn't find our dude too pushy. We made a good choice to sit as it seemed we were tired of walking in the sprinkling rain.
The menu had some pricey dishes from what it offered but the specials was what we ordered from. I had the filet au poisson, pomme frites et salad avec un bier. I sat in awe of the character of the alley, cobblestones and people watching. I wasn't terribly hungry although it seemed the food took a minute to get to us but I didn't mind.
The Jupiler draught beer may be the equivalent of Belgium's Budweiser. It sent me down memory lane with the flavor but I wouldn't buy that shit again. No offense, Jupiler, with a country chock full of amazing beer, I will never drink you again.
After my sixth hour off a plane, the food however, was delicious to my tired senses. The sole of fish was slightly battered with a perfect portion of tomato sauce on it which I tried to savor with every bite. It was that good. Light and flavorful.
The fries were divine. The crisp of the potatoes and the flavor were perfect. You could taste the potato without a grease overload. There was no guilt in eating the mound that took up 1/3 of my plate.
The salad- eh, as salads go- it's water. Different kind of greens could have been more exciting since I'm a green kind of guy. The tomato slice that came with it was pretty amazingly average.
My company had the chicken which looked like it came out of a centerfold of a cookbook and tasted good (so I was told). The steak looked equally appealing but was too well done for her taste but maybe she should have told the server how she liked it.
I looked up this restaurant after I got home and I read on TripAdvisor many negative reviews. Damned tourists. I had nothing but a good experience from the service to the food.
Overall, the chef made it seem like he made my dish especially for me as my welcome back lunch. I recommend this restaurant with 2 shakas. read more
