15 July 2023

Brussels 2023 - first visits

Brussels Bourse / Beurs will be repurposed as Brussels Beer World with a 350 square metre terrace on the roof for the new Skybar. Our visit from 2 July 2023 was too early for a first visit as its planned opening date was postponed and it is surrounded by barriers. The Bourse has notable bars nearby that face it including Le Cirio on the north side and Falstaff on the south side.


Le Cirio


Derek Blyth reports that Le Cirio was founded in 1886 by Francesco Cirio of Turin as a delicatessen. It's interior was remodelled as an Italian grand cafe by Henri Coosemans in 1909.
Tim met Graham inside Le Cirio on Tuesday 2 July, as he was finishing his dish of Moules a la Mariniere / Frites (23 euros). Mark and David joined us soon afterwards.
Photos of the interior and Tim's Blanche de Bruges are included in his Threads post: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CuuB22bsiyL

Our group passed Het Zinneke bronze sculpture on the way to Au Daringman.

Au Daringman

Au Daringman, Rue de Flandre 37, is situated opposite Maison de la Bellone
In Belgian Cafe Culture, Regula Ysewijn writes that 'The story of Au Daringman starts in around 1942 with the family Hazendonk. The interior is unique in its kind with the geometrical shapes in wood and leather. Mr Hazendonk was a boxer and a member of the 'Daring Club de Bruxelles' in the 1950s-60s.'
A ceiling mounted Stella Artois sign occupies the full width of the cafe at its midpoint. Tim enjoyed listening to the music choice here - Dry Cleaning - as well as the decor and a Hoegaarden Blanche to drink. On a future visit, it would be interesting to see if the cafe is different later in the day and to look inside Maison de la Bellone.
Tim's Threads post has more photos: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CuuuKUIMQYY

Bar Victoria

On Monday 3 July, Tim and Les visited Halles St Gery for a coffee at the cafe / bar and a good look at the displays about Oradea and Arabesque (Zenzel). A guide to Brussels old port from the information desk would prove useful for finding an interesting route to Bar Victoria at the Gare Maritime Food Market. Our route took us to St Catherine and St Jean de Baptiste au Beguinage churches and then a visit to Institut Pacheco / Grand Hospice which has an outdoor bar and the Atelier for Gansbeek Brewing Co. See Tim's Threads posts for photos: Halles St Gery: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CuwYiAbMALd 

At Square Sainctelette (at the top of the Brussels old port walking route) we noticed two street sculptures (Cormorant and Agent 15 with De Vaartkapoen) before continuing north east on the far side of the canal past Tour & Taxis Entrepot Royal and then left to Gare Maritime where the Food Market is at the east end.

We met Graham inside and chose beers from the limited range of Bar Victoria drawn from beer tanks above the bar structure. Kwak Blonde and Stella Artois were variously chosen and ordered online. The beer menu is displayed on touch screens at the bar and the beers need to be collected from a side counter of the bar. A similar rule applies for the food outlets at Gare Maritime.
There are several breweries based nearby, including Brasserie de la Senne, En Stoemelings and La Source Beer Co, but these may not open every day.
See Tim's Threads post for photos of Gare Maritime, canalside vista and street sculptures: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/Cuwh_8asLzl 

Het Goudeblommeke in Papier

On Monday evening, Tim enjoyed a first visit to Het Goudeblommeke in Papier / La Fleur en Papier Dore with Mark, David and Graham. Named by art dealer Geert (Gerard) Bruane in 1944 after he acquired the cafe, it became a literary and artistic hub. After nine months of closure, the cafe reopened on 25 May 2023 'with the Brasserie Verschueren team, strengthened and supported by the same cultural organisations as before'.
The cultural heritage lives on in the shape of pictures and items on the interior walls that make it a fascinating space to explore. Tim suggested a second visit on Tuesday evening and after Monday's draught Saison chose a bottle of Brasserie de la Senne Jambe de Bois from the limited beer menu, as seen above. Gentle and soulful music enhanced the relaxed atmosphere at this new favourite bar.
For more photos see Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/Cuw27OYsoe7 

Nuetnigenough

Earlier on the Monday we enjoyed a meal at Nuetnigenough which now operates a 'No reservations' policy. David sensibly ensured we arrived at 25 Rue du Lombard before 7pm and we were shown to a table by the window without the need to queue. Others arriving soon after us would still be queuing when we left, about an hour later.
The beer range, daily food menu, service and value must explain why this restaurant is so popular. On his first visit, Tim's choice of draught Brasserie Dupont Redor Pils was also a pleasant surprise. David enjoyed draught Gueuze Tilquin with his meal. 
Photo: Mark Geeson
For more photos of Nuetnigenough including dishes in place of the menus, see Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/Cuw7TLlsKeC 

Le Coq

On Sunday evening at Poechenellekelder we met up with David D, who is often in Brussels, after his meal at Nuetnigenough. He generously bought our group a round of beers after leading us to Le Coq, near the Bourse. 
Valeir photo: David B
David B chose a Valeir Blonde and Tim eventually chose Brasserie de la Senne Saison van de Bruwer.  Le Coq is a long and narrow brown cafe with mirrors on the wall and floor tiles that were looking rather grubby. It was good to visit another respected Brusssels bar for the first time but it's not one that Tim is keen to revisit soon.

CHAFF

The last 'first visit' of this trip was on Wednesday 5 July after a substantial baguette 'sandwich' at La Brocante and as the clean up squad arrived at Place du Jeu de Balle / Vossenplein remove all the broken glass and rubbish left over from the daily market. Having endured repeated playings of an Abba album, Tim persuaded Graham to join him on a visit to nearby CHAFF while recently arrived Mark guarded our bags and ordered his La Brocante 'sandwich'.
Bistro Le CHAFF has an alternative informal style and a beer menu featuring several beers from new Brussels breweries on draught and in bottles or cans. Some interesting music was playing including Porches 2016 album Pool. 
Tim spoke to Mathieu at the bar who agreed to pass an autumn 2022 issue of Ullage magazine to Brasserie de la Mule as it featured the Schaerbeek based brewery. Mathieu also helped Tim to get a photo of the different colourways of the Illegaal Tropicaal cans which he would enjoy after a can of Brasserie de la Mule Saison.
Be warned that here are very steep and narrow steps up to the first floor room and to the toilets on the second floor. However, Mathieu had the experience to carry a round tray of beers upstairs with one hand!
For more photos including the food menu, hexagonal floor tiles, Illegal Tropicaal cans and Graham's Berliner Weisse in a glass with a handle, see Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CuzmRZAsbtk 

Cafe Caberdouche

After arriving by train from Antwerp, the first 'first visit' of this Brussels trip was to Cafe Caberdouche at the Place de la Liberte on Sunday 2 July. The Jacques Brel hostel 'advance party' of Tim and David, now without luggage and with room keys, settled at a table outside Cafe Caberdouche overlooking the grassed area in the tree lined square.
Tim's choice of Brasserie de la Senne Crush was from a blackboard of extra beers beyond the standard beer menu of 7 draught beers and 15 bottled beers. Although we had a pleasant location, the breeze was cool and the sound of breaking glass accidents nearby was unnerving. Unless you are staying at the nearby hostel or perhaps visiting Bier Circus (open Tuesday - Friday), a visit to this out of the way  Cafe should not be a high priority.

Babel Bar (Jacques Brel Hostel)

Hostel courtyard with bar tables (daytime)
Later on Sunday evening, after visits to the reliable Poechenellekelder and a first visit to Le Coq we decided to try out the Jacques Brel hostel bar where four of us were staying. Hotel based Graham joined us for the bus to the Rue de la Presse stop leaving a short walk along Rue du Nord to reach the hostel which overlooks Place des Barricades.
With tables drawn together in the pleasant courtyard with a fountain to accommodate our group, Tim took the opportunity to enjoy Quatre Saison (6.5% ABV) and Cinq Cense (7% ABV Saison) beers from Brasserie de Jandrain-Jandrenouille based near Orp-Jauche, between Brussels and Liege. These were both economically priced at 3.60 euros, to suit a hosteller's budget. The multitasking barman was happy to see some well deserved coins from Tim's change end up in the tips jar.

10 July 2023

Antwerp 2023 - first visits

Arriving in Antwerp on Thursday 29 June, after travelling from London to Brussels by Eurostar, the first bar we visited, with our luggage, was De Kroon van Hopland located between the impressive Antwerpen Centraal station and Hostel Pulcinella.

Arriving slightly before the 16:00 hrs opening time, we could watch Thomas perform the daily set up routine involving placement of the outdoor furniture followed by moving the chairs and stools off the marble table tops and onto the hard floor inside the corner bar.

As always, the first beer in Antwerp has to be a locally brewed Bolleke De Koninck. The complimentary nibbles were appreciated by David, Mark and Tim (photographer).

Before we left there was a chance for Tim Thomas to present Thomas T with West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine and appreciate the coincidence of our shared initials. 

The bar has lots of interesting features including a steel sculpture over the entrance and the front of a Volvo car with illuminated headlamps hanging inside. A Threads post by @timofnewbury has more photos from our visit.

On Friday 30 June 2023, after a tram ride to 'Dublin' stop and a look at one of the tram 'traction' buildings (Brabo 2) designed by Van Belle & Medina architects, our group walked to Gaarkeuken 110 at Vosseschijnstraat 21. 
As mentioned by Regula Ysewijn in 'Belgian Cafe Culture', Gaarkeuken 110 is the last of the workmen's kitchens in the Port of Antwerp'. It is not open at the weekend so this was our last chance to visit on this trip.
The entrance is on the other side from the road used for port traffic and there is a large patio area outside the entrance.
Inside there is a long narrow space for tables with a long bar on most of one side. Decor includes dock related images and there is a group of framed drawings of ships on beer mats. Regula Ysewijn writes 'Britt tells me that they are a drawn by a ship's mechanic called Dante'.

Again tradition dictates that Bolleke De Koninck should be the first beer of the day! We had to wait a while for our beers to be served as the staff were constantly busy serving their regular customers. As steak and frites were delivered to an adjacent table it was hard not to feel an appetite for a keenly priced meal. Gaarkeuken 110 deserves a second visit and one timed to include a meal!
For more photos of this unspoilt institution see Tim's Threads post https://www.threads.net/t/Cuh1Zx3sUwL

On Saturday 1 July, after Les and I walked through the Botanical Gardens and the Saturday market on Theaterplein we met up with Simon to ride the escalators up to the top of the distinctive Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) for panoramic views of the city and docks on a dull and damp day.

On David's recommendation, our first bar visit of the day was to nearby Dr Beer at Adriaan Brouwerstraat 31. Instead of a Bolleke we chose from a beer menu which includes a wide range of bottled and canned beers as well as draught beers. Regular beers are listed under the headings: Alcohol free, Spicy, Fruity, Hoppy, Caramelly, and Sour.

Dr Beer is also a beer shop where CAMRA books can be found including Beer Breaks by Tim Webb.

There is a spacious and light interior that features oak beams, a colourful bar and real plants. There are large and smaller tables and distinctive flat cushions for the chairs.

Mark, David and Graham arrived later and in time to miss a heavy downpour after which the weather improved. Tim provided our helpful part time barman Dries with Ullage magazines and persuaded him to pose for a photo. On this occasion, we didn't get to meet Jeroen Peeters, the proprietor of Dr Beer, remembered by David from his December 2019 visit.

Find more photos of Dr Beer in Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/t/CuktGTwtbD- 


It was good to see the Havenhuis / Port House with the Zaha Hadid addition from a closer viewpoint than in previous years on the way from Gaarkeuken 110 to Taverne 't Kerkschip on Friday 30 June. We were also able to climb the steps around another Van Belle & Medina designed tram traction building, partly visible on the left of the photo, taken from Straatsburg / Strasbourg bridge. 

Houtdok is halfway between Havenhuis and Cadix stops on the 24 tram route. Kerkschip St Jozef constructed of concrete during WWII is now permanently moored on the north quay of the dock. The ship now houses a church, a chapel and Taverne 't Kerkschip

Inside the tavern is a bar that looks as though it was made from a wooden lifeboat. Draught and bottled beers including the nearby Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie range are available at the bar. After our beers, we were kindly invited to view the chapel in stern of the ship and appreciate the thickness of it's concrete hull. The ship's church is only open for the Sunday service.

For more photos see Tim's post on Threads: https://www.threads.net/t/Cuo7dlxMrer

After a visit to the estimable Cafe Kulminator on Thursday 29 June, we headed to Dansing Chocola for an evening meal of Stoofvlees, witloof slaw and frites. Dansing Chocola is situated at 159 Kloosterstraat, at one corner of Willem Lepelstraat with Heilig Huisken on the other corner. We hadn't booked but were greeted and shown to a table inside near the bar and provided with a basket of bread and butter.

There are large windows on two sides of the room and plenty of unusual decor to provide interest while we waited for beers to arrive from the bar. Thanks to David for suggesting a visit to Dansing Chocola as we enjoyed good food, beer, service and value in a relaxing atmosphere.

Only 50 metres away from Dansing Chocola as the crow flies, but about 150 metres away on foot, we met up with Paul and Jennie at Cafe de Vischmijn on a street corner at Riemstraat 20. They had arrived in Antwerp on a later train and dined at Bier Central before this rendezvous.

The interior looked interesting especially the ceiling but we sat outside in a sheltered area and enjoyed glasses of cold tank fresh Duvel 666.

The owner found time to chat with our group. Yves Van Roy introduced tank beer at Cafe de Vischmijn in 2016 and his customers tell him that he serves the best Stella Artois and Bolleke De Koninck in Antwerp.

On Friday 30 June, after a second visit to Cafe Kulminator on this trip, and a meal at Paters Vaetje, we moved on to The Northerner, which Simon rates highly but this would be Tim's first visit.

Saison Dupont was our beer of choice here. Previously, Tim had asked Yves Van Roy if Cafe de Vischmijn stocked a Saison like Dupont but he was not aware of it. After checking he explained that Antwerp is a long way from Tourpes which is only 50 km from Lille and he prefers to stock locally brewed beers.

Enjoying his first visit to The Northerner, Tim chatted to Joachim who had served our beers. As a souvenir of our visit he accepted a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine. 

Traditionally, our group would be in Antwerp for the Beer Passion Weekend festival in Groenplaats. The festival date was a week earlier in 2023 so another first for this group was to see Groenplaats (above) without the usual barriers enclosing the festival site. 

On Saturday 1 July, after a meal at a small Syrian cafe on Hoogstraat, our group headed to Cafe Ernst by the river Scheldt at Ernest Van Dijckkai 18. Cafe Ernst specialises in 'Craft Beer and Natural Wine' and has a contemporary style. 

We found a large table at the rear, near a spiral staircase. The draught beer list is on a blackboard and the full beer menu is on the pub's Untappd page. After a draught Zinnebir from Brasserie de la Senne, Tim enjoyed a fruity bottle of Viven Master IPA while sitting across from Jennie and Paul.

Simon's plan was to visit nearby Cafe Pardaf but as it was closing we continued past Brabo's Monument in the Grote Markt to Den Engel.

Loud music and a lively interior made it sensible to sit outside but at the cost of inhaling cigarette smoke in the breeze. We enjoyed glasses of La Chouffe Blond as demonstrated by Graham, Simon and Les above.

Writing about Den Engel in Belgian Cafe Culture, Regula Ysewijn mentions 'Den Engel is the only cafe in Antwerp to have a traditional Geuze corkscrew (geuzestoppentrekker)'. A daytime visit might be a better time to have a close look at the bar and interior of this popular cafe. One more reason to return to Antwerp!

Petra's Cafe was included in Regular Ysewijn's book as 'an institution in the port of Antwerp ... the cafe is the living room of the dockworkers waiting for work'. However things have changed, there are new exterior signs, new furniture and music with a North African sound. The beer range is minimal but Les and Tim enjoyed a morning coffee, served with a complimentary Belgian chocolate, before heading to MAS on Saturday 1 July. A panel on the end wall shows Petra's cafe as it was when frequented by dockworkers.

On Sunday 2nd July, their last day in Antwerp, heading for De Duifkens, Tim and David chanced upon the bronze sculpture of Den Deugniet (the rascal / naughty boy) on a concrete plinth. The rascal's cheeky image also appears on the Den Deugniet beer bottle label. The 7.5% ABV Blonde is brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, near Dinant. The small sculpture is on Korte Gasthuisstraat, a pedestrian street that runs north from the eastern end of Oudaan passing Frites Atelier. The original sculpture was by Luc Verlee (1976). Apparently often stolen, the current sculpture may be more recent. 

At De Duifkens, David chose an outside table with a pleasant view of tree-lined Graanmarkt and the sound of birds from a market stall with caged birds for sale.
The first beer since breakfast at the hostel had to be a Bolleke De Koninck. 
The interior of the pub has dark wood panelled walls and a floor with tiles of several colours. The lighting and clumsy placement of posters on the walls did not enhance the character of De Duifkens. David discovered that this is the Flemish word for pigeons and a wooden pigeon perches on the pub's exterior along with the artificial geraniums. 
Tim's Threads post has more photos including a doll whose face peers down from a hole in the ceiling and a beer menu: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CusE40Os5UQ