City Focus Brussels

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Our City Focus editor Robin McKelvie gets a flavour of the Belgian capital and headquarters of the EU

City Lens
It may be something to do with being the seat of all that EU political power, or maybe that it just starts with the same consonant, but somehow Brussels has got a reputation for being a bit boring. This is more than a little unfair to the bustling capital of a country with almost as many Michelin stars per restaurant, per capita as France, whose nefarious nightclubs are up there with anything in Europe and where some bars serve more than 2,000 different beers. Then there are the world-class museums like the iconic Atomium pictured here. Standing 102m tall, it was designed by André Waterkeyn for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, and consists of nine steel spheres that house exhibit halls, linked by tubes with escalators, stairs and a lift. It’s incredible. Then there are the avant-garde art galleries, that famous “pissing boy” and all that gorgeous chocolate. What more could you ask for in a European city!

City Days
THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE TO START any day in Brussels and that is on the Grand Place. It may not be anywhere near the biggest of Europe’s famous public squares, but it is certainly the most ornate. When the French shelled it to bits in 1695 the city’s guilds saw it as an opportunity to show off their wealth by replacing the flimsy wooden buildings with lavish quality stone and gold-gilt creations, conjuring up the breathtaking vision unfurled before you today.

Fight for a pew at Le Roy d’Espagne, which used to be the home of the local bakers’ guild. On the menu are a decent selection of Belgian beers. The more you know about Belgian beer, the trickier it becomes, so content yourself with a choice between the dark strong stuff like Chimay, lighter “abbey beers” like Leffe, and the fruit “lambics”.

Walk off the beer belly with an amble around some of Brussels’ best buildings. The city has become a bit of an architectural melting pot over the years, in part because of distinct rules about architectural plagiarism. Art nouveau is the city’s best-known style though, with over 2,000 buildings to admire. For a taste, book a tour at the Tourist Office (which now has a free, on-site museum) and gain access to some of the private art-nouveau gems. And don’t miss the infamous Manneken Pis, the “Pissing Boy of Brussels” – a tiny, yet highly amusing, statue in the old town.

Afterwards, feast on culture from the 15th century to the present day at the Museum of Modern Art, which features works from the likes of René Magritte and Peter Bruegel the Elder. Other home-grown talents are on display at the Belgian Comic Strip Center – playing host to everything from the ubiquitous Tintin to strips penned by contemporary comic-book masters.

If you are interested in the EU side of Brussels – and some people are – trips around the district can be arranged by Brussels City Tours, taking in such delights as the European Parliament and European Economic and Social Committee!

For fun and frolics in the park, head to the grounds of the Atomium, which is looking back to its best after a revamp. And proving Brussels is the heart of the Continent is Mini-Europe, where you can walk among the EU states without ever having to set foot outside town.

City Nights
BRUSSELS IS A SERIOUS PARTY CITY, and radiating away from the Grand Place is an essential first stop for beer lovers – the Delirium Café. Named after one of the country’s favourite tipples, there’s never fewer than 2,000 beers in stock, and around 500 gins to try.

If you’re feeling really brave/stupid and haven’t had your fill of alcohol yet, hobble down the street to Floris Bar. Here that little green monster, absinthe, is the nefarious king. It comes in over 100 varieties, but one or two shots are usually enough. If you find yourself inclined to start drawing paintings of post-impressionist sunflowers seek immediate medical advice.

Brussels is a foodie paradise, filled with Michelin-starred restaurants. But for good old moules et frites, Le Pre Sale is hard to beat. If you’re in a hurry, you can also snatch a cone of frites with mayonnaise, from stalls all over town. A funkier option that seamlessly combines old and new Brussels is Museum Brasserie, a palatial retreat that reinvents Belgian classics and offers slightly dodgy Belgian wine to boot. Equally funky is Bar d’Evan, with its delicious menu that serves up top-notch beef and super-fresh sushi.

Moving up a level, the top eatery in town for this reviewer – with two Michelin stars year after year – is the Sea Grill. Seafood is the key here, with the stunning tasting menu the way to go, matched expertly with a wine for each course.

Hitting the clubs post dinner, Latino lovers should make a beeline for Canoa Quebrada for some salsa, while Fuse is a mega techno club that hauls in DJs from all over Belgium and further afield. Gay Brussels is a vibrant place, with the wonderfully named L’Homo Erectus going glitter-ball crazy, and tri-level The Box offering ridiculously late opening.

The Brussels Gig
American R&B sensation Chris Brown is the act to catch this month at one of the city’s best venues, the Forest National. Not as it sounds, an open-air arena blossoming with trees, but instead a huge indoor venue that can hold up to 11,000 screaming fans. And they are sure to be screaming on 28 January when the young crooner brings his show into town.
208 Avenue Victor Rousseau, www.forestnational.be

BRUSSELS ON THE CHEAP
Pick up a one, two or three-day Brussels Card from the Tourist Office and you’ll get free public transport, a map, free access to a gaggle of museums, and discounts on everything from the Atomium and sightseeing tours to bars and restaurants. For cheap (albeit slightly touristy) eats, delve into the streets in and around the Grand Place. A good rule of thumb is the simpler a place looks, the more authentically Belgian it is likely to be — as well as cheaper.

City Stay
Stylish rooms, great locations and top restaurants all feature in our top-three Brussels hotels
Cream of the Crop
Hotel Amigo
Nestled just off the cobbles of the Grand Place, this award-winning hotel has an ambience of refined luxury — all cream, hardwoods and fine art, with service so smooth you’d hardly notice it. Neat little touches like the tiny Tintin figurine in the bathroom and a surrealist print by Magritte are all very Brussels. And don’t miss Bocconi, the Amigo’s sexy Italian restaurant, which does a legendary buff et brunch. Other amenities include a small gym, in-room massages and a chic bar that mixes mean cocktails.
Doubles from €239, including breakfast, Tel: +32 (0)25 474 747, www.hotelamigo.com

On a Budget
Hôtel a la Grand Cloche
This petite, two-star hotel within easy walking distance of the Grand Place ticks all the boxes for budget travellers. It’s clean, friendly and enjoys a good location without charging the Earth for it. It is housed within a historic 19th-century building and has actually now been in the same family since 1966, so there is a pleasant feeling that little ever changes here and little ruffles the staff. They rustle up a filling breakfast buffet too, which will set you up well for a day of sightseeing.
Doubles from €79, including breakfast, Tel: +32 (0)25 126 140, www.hotelgrandecloche.com

Not Breaking the Bank
Brussels Welcome Hotel
Overlooking the city’s best fish restaurants in the Ste-Catherine area, this impressive three-star has just 17 rooms that each reflect a country or part of the world. I stayed in the “Silk Road”, adorned with genuine Venetian masks, Chinese prints, a massive bed and a crazy chair from who knows where. This is no simple novelty hotel though, and is a truly comfortable place to stay. It also boasts great staff, a decent breakfast service and free wi-fito keep up with your friends around the globe.
Doubles from €96, including breakfast, Tel: +32 (0)22 199 546, www.brusselshotel.travel

City Map

01 HOTEL AMIGO
Rue de l’Amigo
Tel: +32 (0)25 474 747
www.hotelamigo.com

02 BRUSSELS WELCOME
23 Quai au Bois à Brûler
Tel: +32 (0)22 199 546
www.brusselshotel.travel

03 HOTEL GRAND CLOCHE
10 Place Rouppe
Tel: +32 (0)25 126 140
www.hotelgrandecloche.com

04 TOURIST OFFICE
2 Rue Royale
Tel: +32 (0)25 138 940
www.brusselsinternational.be

05 MANNEKEN-PIS
Rue de l’Etuve
www.manneken-pis.com

06 BRUSSELS CITY TOURS
8 Heuvelstraat
Tel: +32 (0)2 513 7744
www.brussels-city-tours.com

07 ATOMIUM
Atomium Square
Tel: +32 (0)24 754 775
www.atomium.be

08 MINI-EUROPE
Bruparck
Tel: +32 (0)24 780 550
www.minieurope.eu

09 MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
3 Rue de la Régence
Tel: +32 (0)25 083 211
www.fine-arts-museum.be

10 COMIC STRIP CENTER
20 rue des Sables (Zandstraat)
Tel: +32 (0)22 191 980
www.cbbd.be

11 LE ROY D’ESPAGNE
1 Grand Place
Tel: +32 (0)2 513 0807
www.roidespagne.be

12 LES CRUSTACES
8 Quai aux Briques
Tel: +32 (0)25 115 644

13 EB EN VLOED
22 Place Ste-Catherine
Tel: +32 (0)22 290 009
www.brasserie-ebenvloed.be

14 LE PRE SALE
20 Rue de Flandre
Tel: +32 (0)25 136 545

15 MUSEUM BRASSERIE
3 Koningsplein
Tel: +32 (0)25 083 580
www.museumfood.be

16 BAR D’EVAN
25 Regentschapsstraat
Tel: +32 (0)25 031 378

17 SEA GRILL
Radisson SAS Royal Hôtel Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)22 179 225
www.seagrill.be

18 DELIRIUM CAFE
4a Impasse de la Fidélité
Tel: +32 (0)514 4434
www.deliriumcafe.be

19 FLORIS BAR
12 Impasse de la Fidélité
www.floris-bar.be

20 CANOA QUEBRADA
53 Rue de Marché-au-Charbon

21 FUSE
208 Rue Blaesstraat
Tel: +32 (0)25 119 789
www.fuse.be

22 L’HOMO ERECTUS
57 Rue des Pierres
Tel: +32 (0)47 583 1107
www.lhomoerectus.com

23 BOX CLUB
7 Rue des Riches Claires
www.boxclub.be

City Lives
“IN MY JOB I GET TO TRAVEL ALL OVER the world, but Brussels will always be home. Luckily for me the world comes to Brussels, and this is a truly global city – I could not imagine living or working anywhere else.

“I inherited my love of chocolate from my grandfather, who was an excellent pastry chef. When he retired we used to make sugary treats together every Wednesday, and I have never looked back. These days I supply chocolate shops and other companies all over Belgium and further afield – you can find my chocolates on sale everywhere from Selfridges in London to boutiques in Berlin and Paris.

“When I first started exploring the world of chocolate I spent a few years in China. I loved it there – it gave me some unique experiences and influences that I now weave into my chocolates, with my products laced with a range of unusual spices and also more exotic fruits like cumquats.

“Chocolates for me are symbolic of the city. They are a luxury everyone can enjoy, a modest pleasure, and this is a modest city. We have worldclass restaurants and nightlife here, as well as world-class shopping and fashion, but we tend not to shout about it too much.

“I love that each of our disparate communities can enjoy their own ethnic shops, restaurants and meeting places but everyone is welcome in them all, regardless of colour or creed. Just head to the Sunday markets around the Midi station to see that.

“Brussels is also at the centre of everything. The EU, Nato and a number of other European and global organisations are based here. The city is also only an hour from the North Sea and we have some excellent beaches that are ideal for escaping to at the weekends at any time of the year.

“If you have never been to Brussels before I suggest you come soon, as the quality of life here is so high that after a few days I think you will see why so many people from so many different countries choose to call Brussels home. And it is not just because we make the world’s best chocolate, although I am sure that helps.”
Flagship store a.m. sweet is at 4 rue des Chartreux, Tel: +32 (0)25 135 131, www.chocolatsgerbaud.be

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