So courtesy of a rather snazzy deal in a national newspaper, my girlfriend and I have managed to secure some bargain tickets to zip over to Belgique on the Eurostar next week, just for a day. We plan to do the usual touristy stuff, which I’ll do a bit of research on (though any advice is welcome).
We recently went to Spain on holiday, and have a fair few euros left over. We’re loathe to change them back and get diddled, which means I get to spend them on chocolate and beer. Hurrah! The question is, which chocolate and beer to get, and where from? As I understand it, combined they form 98% of Belgium’s economy, and the choice will be mind-boggling.
I’m hoping some of you fine folks will know of some awesome beers/breweries/chocolateries that I can check out and get thoroughly laden with booty to bring home. Any other Brussels-based activities or restaurants that are worth a look would be awesome too. Anyone?
If you’re looking for rare beer, Westvleteren Brewery apparently makes some lovely stuff that you can only buy direct from the abbey, and only if you reserve it in advance by phone.
Thanks Omniscia - I’m definitely looking for quality over quantity, here. That beer looks absolutely awesome, but unfortunately I won’t be able to venture out of Brussels at all on the day itself. Much as I now want to drag my girlfriend to Westvleteren… It’s actually not that far away anyway, I could see myself going on some sort of ferry jaunt over there to buy a crate of wunderbier at some stage. But I digress.
Moules Frites for lunch are kind of a given, too. I actually like Mayo on my chips normally, as I am a cultured young man full of continental élan, innit.
You can occasionally find Westvleteren in beer shops in Brussels so I would pop in to the better looking shops and just ask. And do ask, because the bottles are unlabelled, other than the caps, so they can be tough to pick out. There are 3 types too, with the 12 I believe being the most highly rated, but I think the trippel (the 10 I think?) being my fav.
For chocolate I would hit Wittamer, which to me is the best chocolate in the world (their pastries are delicious too, but for me their chocolate is what’s really special).
For sole meuniere (sole sauteed in butter) I really like a place on the west side of grand place, a basement brickskeller looking place, but I can’t remember the name.
