Belgium

Beer, Chocolate, Waffles, and Fries

Brussels

September 29th, 2021 – October 1st, 2021

Table of Contents

This was the 3rd stop in our 2021 European Trip. To read in chronological order, start with France.

Trains, Trains & Trains

Our train to Brussels would be longer than the one to Luxembourg. We were going to have to get through 12 stops before we reached our destination in Brussels. In fact, there were 5 different stations in Brussels alone, easy to get lost.

The train was long. We sat at our table and watched as passengers got on and off, as day turned to night, and as the countryside slowly turned to the city.

A First Tasting of Brussels

We arrived at our train stop at 10:30pm. We lugged our suitcases on to the dark platform and followed the small crowd of people. Our hotel wasn’t too far, a short 3 minute walk from the train station. After checking in, we still had some energy left in us, so we went out for a night walk around the town.

Lucky for us, our hotel was right next to the majestic Grand Place. As we would see tomorrow, during the day Grand Place is a bustling city center, but at night it’s something special. We were alone with only a few others as the gothic pointed structures rose all around. It was a quite, intimate experience. The grand majesty of it all hit me. The history of the Grand Place dates back to the 12th century. It’s been through countless wars, golden periods, depressions and yet here it stands and we are alone in the center of it.

Belgium is famous for many things, but most importantly to us was its beer, particularly Lambic Beer which was quite famous here in Brussels. As The Beer Connoisseur puts it, “Much like the vineyards of Bordeaux and the peat-covered terrain of Islay carry centuries-old wine and scotch traditions, the region surrounding the Senne River in Belgium is steeped with one of the oldest beer traditions in the world: lambics.”

Since it was late, our options were limited, but we stumbled across a hole in the wall. A sign pointed to a small alley, ‘Lambic Beer’, that’s what we wanted.

As we walked down the tiled alley, it was as if we had entered a time machine. Cafe A La Becasse was first opened in 1877 and has remained in the same family to this day. Brass contraptions dotted the old, wooden room. This was the experience we craved. We asked for their best most popular lambic, and were handed a clay pot filled with a yellow orange liquid. This was a Timmermans Lambicus Blanche, and apparently the historical way Lambic was served. I poured the frothy liquid from clay pot to glass and took a sip of my first true Belgian Lambic. The sourness hit, followed by a fruity aftertaste. It’s exactly what I had needed after a day of travelling.

Many believe that the first historical depiction of this stoneware being used for lambic (more specifically Faro) is in Pieter Bruegel’s painting The Peasant Wedding. Completed ca. 1567-68, the painting depicts a wedding ceremony in which stone pitchers are used for serving beer to guests.
Gueuze, Faro, et Kriek – Raymond Buren

Not only famous for its beers, Belgian is considered by many to have the best fries in the world. In fact, Belgium even claims the origins of fries, although there are other countries that dispute its claim. Either way, we were hungry and wanted to have some traditional Belgium fries. Luckily for us, fry shops are all over Brussels so we only had to travel all the way across the street.

It’s always a good sign when a tiny food store has a big line going out the front, so we patiently waited in line. This particular store, Friterie Tabora, was, quite literally, a corridor. A single lane interior with enough space for 3 people to fit length wise and enough width so someone could order and walk back outside.

Inside, a single employee did everything. He consistently dipped fryers into the oil, threw fries into paper cones, and squirted the variety of sauces on. In Belgium, it’s traditional to eat fries with mayonnaise. When it was our turn to order, we opted for a chipotle mayonnaise.

It was quick. In and out. There is nothing better than late night takeaway.

We walked through the quiet, cobbled streets of Belgium back from where we came. The first night in a new country is always so special.

We stopped by the Grand Place on our way back to eat our first Belgian Fries. We were now the only ones in the plaza. Just me, Emily, and our fries. They live up to the hype. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. A strong potatoey flavor, unlike the oil and salt you get in the USA. The slight spice of chipotle mayonnaise was a great pairing.

All alone in a 12th century UNESCO heritage site

Do you like Waffles?

Lets revisit our original checklist. Beer? Done. Fries? Done. Chocolate and Waffles? Nope. That’s what breakfast was for.

We woke up early and walked to Maison Dondoy for this classic Belgian breakfast. We both opted for the same thing: A Brussels style waffle with homemade whipped cream and locally made melted chocolate. Heaven.

Beer Mecca

Anyone slightly connected to beer has probably heard the name Cantillon. The Kings of Lambic. In the USA, bottles typically sell for $100+. I was beyond excited. So much so that I made Emily walk 30 minutes from our hotel to the Anderlecht region of Brussels where Brasserie Cantillon is located.

We walked through the steel, olive green doors into a storage room like setting with barrels and crates scattered around the place. We walked down a hallway filled with bottles to a stairway which led to the taproom.

At the bar stood an old, bearded man. He was stern and straight forward. “A La Becasse? No this is real lambic beer. Start with the Gueve and come back for more”. We obliged.

In the taproom we met Brandon, a Moderator on Untappd. We chatted for a bit about our love for Untappd and he offered to share some of his beers. Keep in mind, this man had 15k+ beers checked in on Untappd and this was his first trip to Cantillon, so he was buying everything he possibly could. A couple more people started chatting and sharing their beers, and soon we had a large collection.

Each bottle is served in a ‘Lambic Basket’. These baskets hold the bottle and keep it horizontal to prevent any sediment from entering the glass. It’s also to help properly pour it. Emily had a lot of fun just holding the basket and pouring.

We ended up trying 7 different beers, that’s all we could handle. Here’s a list of everything we tried along with my Untappd rating (out of 5).

Saint Lamvinus: 4.50
Mamouche: 3.25
Lambic d’Aunis: 4.25
Kriek 100% Lambic: 4.25
Fou’ Foune: 4.50
Cuvee Saint-Gilloise: 4.25
Classic Gueve: 4.0

The Greatest Sandwich Experience

Feeling tipsy we stumbled and laughed our way back to the hotel. It didn’t feel like a 30 minute walk this time. However, as we neared our destination we became munchy and stopped by a little sandwich shop named Tonton Garby.

Walking in, we’d never have guessed the wonders that awaited. It was a small, bright yellow room that only just fit the glass case up front filled with fresh cheeses and meats. The walls were scattered with pieces of paper with handwritten notes of encouragement. The man behind the glass case, Hussein, gave us a genuine, warm smile and welcome.

“Hold on, let me get some of my ginger soup” He scurried in the back and returned with a small cup of hot, ginger soup. For the next 5 minutes, as we sipped on our soups, Hussein asked us about our lives and what made us happy. He talked about his love for sandwiches and how he came here from Morocco with his brother. He told us humans are all the same, we all want to love and be loved. There was no need for hate in the world.

I want no stars. No number 1. I just want to see you happy. If you are happy, I’m happy.
Tonton Garby

When it came to the sandwiches he told us, “There is a menu here, or I can just make something for you.” Of course we just let him go wild and make whatever he would concoct.

For the next 5 minutes, he carefully explained each ingredient, where it came from, the flavor profile, and how it would complement the other flavors on the sandwich. Local fresh cheese, sliced pear, black olive spread, and local deli meats all combined on homemade, fresh bread.

Hussain would not let us leave before we sat down and took a bite. He wanted to see the joy on our face as we tasted the sandwich. It was absolutely phenomenal. Without a doubt, the greatest sandwich we have ever tasted.

And to our shock, as we looked at reviews online, he does this to each and every customer. There are typically hour long waits for these sandwiches and he spends quality time with everyone. Truly an amazing man.

A National Dish for the History Books

It had been an amazing day. Brussels had truly been special to us. After our sandwiches we took a short, drunken nap. We had to be rested as tonight we had to fulfill our mission: eat the Belgian national dish.

A small, wooden storefront lit with lanterns stood out in a line of shops: Nuetnigenough. Inside seated about 20 people, all tables were full. A waitress pulled some chairs and sat them outside.

She asked what we would like to eat. We knew exactly what we wanted, we were here for Carbonnade Flamande. Before we could answer she let out, “You must try the Carbonnade Flamande, it is the best meal in the world”. Maybe she was a mind reader.

Now every country hypes up the dish they’re known for and calls it the best in the world. But for the first time ever, we agreed with them. We were presented with a large bowl of, what looked like, a stew. Roughly cut pieces of beef sat in a thick, deep dark brown liquid. We were also given bowls of salad and, because this is Belgium, fries with mayonnaise.

We each sunk our fork into a piece of beef. There was no resistance, the beef was beyond tender. Each bite melted in our mouths. The sauce was hearty, rich, and aromatic. The beer I ordered, a De Ranke XX Bitter, was the perfect complement. A hearty bite of Carbonnade followed by a sip of bitter Belgian beer.

As we sat at our tiny table, outside a wooden building, on a dimly lit cobbled street in Brussels, I took time to really take in my surroundings. Since we arrived, more tables were brought out to accommodate more people. We were practically sitting shoulder to shoulder with people at our sides and behind.

Our waitress came out to smoke a cigarette. We chatted for a while about the dish, our travels, and Brussels itself. Behind us, an old man in a flat cap, holding a newspaper, smoking a pipe heard us talking and said something in French to the waitress. The four of us kept on talking, the waitress translating English to French and French to English. We laughed and learned little bits about each others home.

We lived thousands of miles away, in two distinctly different places, yet it was like we were neighbors. Was this the perfect meal? This intimate experience shared between 4 strangers, bonding over the love of food outside a tiny, local restaurant.

The 2021 European Journey continues

The next morning we hopped into an Uber and headed to Brussels Airport where we awaited a flight to our next European destination: England.