Showing posts with label Het Goudblommeke in Papier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Het Goudblommeke in Papier. Show all posts

31 July 2025

Brussels - June 2025

On Sunday 22 June, after three days in Antwerp, our group caught the same train from the distinguished Antwerpen Centraal station (high level) to Brussels but Keith was the only one with a first class ticket. Staying at different hotels, four got off at Brussels Central while Tim continued to Brussels Midi / Zuid before walking to Hotel Barry via Av. de Stalingrad passing Cafe Bebo.

Our planned afternoon rendezvous at GIST was changed to La Fleur en Papier Dore due to a delayed opening. We were fortunate to find a table in the historic front room of La Fleur en Papier Dore (Het Goudblommeke in Papier). Andrew had the most eventful walk from his hotel with a long detour due to a road closure and a thwarted attempt to steal his smartphone.

Andrew, Simon & Richard
The historic bar is now linked with Brasserie Verschueren and Tim was happy to order a beer he always enjoys at both venues - Verschueren Saison served in a 'Verschu' branded straight glass (€5.20 - 40cl). Drinks are ordered at the bar in the middle 'room'. We found amusement from the handwritten personal notes found in the drawer of our table. It's a picturesque space and occasionally someone would enter from the street to take a photograph.
The European Bar Guide rated La Fleur en Papier Dore as number one in a 2025 Top 100 bars survey.

The bar at GIST with 16 taps and blackboard above with details
A short walk back to GIST which had just opened and initially we sat inside, although the music choice eventually drove us outside to a table in the shade. The two handpumps at the far end were not in use today and it looks like current management is not interested in continuing with cask ale. While we were indoors, two English men came in and asked for a cask ale. One of them was somewhat upset to find that none was available and did not seem to have any interest in the alternative beers available. Although we are CAMRA members we were not sympathetic!

Richard, Keith, Simon & Andrew
The small outside tables have a view of the Jacques Brel statue, which is also a popular spot for a celebrity photo opportunity. It's also on the route for the battery powered open top carriages which have superseded horse drawn carriages for tourist trips with a guide. 

Tim's beer choices here were draught Bertinchamps Framboise (favourite), draught Fee Verte and bottled 'beer of the moment' Joker DIPA Mango both from Brasserie Valduc-Thor a cooperative brewery in Wallonia, near Perwez, between Brussels and Namur. The current tap list for GIST can be found on Untappd as it is a verified venue.

A short walk down Rue du Chene, closeed to most traffic, past a mural leads to Poechenellekelder, just before the Mannekin Pis water feature.
There was a queue at the entrance to the courtyard as all the tables were occupied. A menu was pinnned to the railings. We asked if we could find a table inside and were allowed through to find plenty of free tables including one near the bar. 
Keith, Andrew, Simon and Richard with a cabinet of Mannekin Pis figures behind Keith on the left
We hoped this position might assist with prompt service but this was not the case with most staff wearing t-shirts with Student in large letters on the back. Despite the hot weather we ordered lasagne (€15), except for Keith who ordered spaghetti allowing us his unwanted grated parmesan topping. It was served with bread and butter and needed several minutes to cool. Minutes were precious for Simon who had an evening Eurostar train to catch. Simon would leave first after making a generous contribution towards the total bill as it was only a few days in advance of his birthday.
Tim enjoyed two bottled honey beers on this visit, Barbar Blonde (Lefebvre, €5.80) and Biere de Miel Biologique (Dupont, €6.80). Beer prices are higher than in some places but other factors like the unique decor always make it good value overall. 
Breweriana (& Smurf!) viewed from foot of stairs to the toilets
A seated lifesize puppet figure with a cap monitors the top of the staircase to the toilets below. The student bar staff members may not have the confidence and expertise of the regular staff and like to chat amongst themselves but they do know the trick of pulling on a string behind the bar to make this puppet raise his arm when Andrew passed and touched his hand!

After two hours at Poechenellekelder we moved on to Le Lombard at the corner of Rue du Lombard and Rue du Marche au Charbon.
This time we sat outside with a view of a mural of Victor Sackville, a fictional spy for the UK during WWI, illustrated by Belgian artist Francis Carin.
Tim enjoyed a tall glass of Brugse Zot Blond (€5) here.

After an hour at Le Lombard we headed north east along Rue du Marche au Charbon towards 'Delirium Village', passing Brusaille the 'first comic strip mural, back in 1991' drawn by Frank Pé.
On reaching Impasse de la Fid
élité we had a look around Delirium Taphouse which has 27 beers on tap and was not very busy.
The colourful wall of illuminated brewery signs at the back of the Taphouse is an impressive feature.
However, as Keith, Andrew and Richard wanted a change from beer, we headed to Delirium Monasterium with a wider range of drinks and sat at a table just outside, in the busy passageway.
While the others had Pastis and Absinthe, Tim enjoyed Delirium Red (left) and Deliria (right, a special brewed annually for International Women's Day). 
The sweet green beer with a lime flavour (Floris Cactus, 4.2% ABV) was a gift from Keith which the barman let him keep after pouring it for him by mistake. It was noticeable that the staff do a good job at both bars we visited here.
From Delirium Village we went by separate ways to our hotels. 

Tim called in at Cafe Bebo for coffee on Monday morning before his Eurostar train back to London. A good range of draught and bottled beers is also available. The terrace was busier than the high-ceilinged interior on Monday morning after the light rain shower had passed.

Three of these bars (Poechenellekelder, GIST and La Fleur en Papier Dore) were also visited by Tim and friends from the Non Blondes quiz team at The Lion, Newbury, in March 2025. More details and photos are included in the post - A Night in Brussels

20 March 2025

A night in Brussels

 

Grand Place
Which five bars would you choose for a first night in Brussels? My plan for our group of five beer enthusiasts from Newbury was to start at Gist and then visit La Fleur en Papier Dore / Het Goudblommeke in Papier and Poechenellekelder and include previously unvisited La Porte Noire and Goupil le Fol, if time permitted.

Thursday 6 March 2025 was a day when President Zelensky visited Brussels to meet with European leaders. This resulted in delays to the 95 bus from the 'Science' stop on Rue du Midi at Square de Meeus, near our Adagio Aparthotel Access Brussels Europe base, to it's destination near Grand Place. However our bus was allowed to pass through the police checkpoint in Place Royale and then downhill to the stop in Rue du Lombard.
A short 150 metre walk brought us to GIST and a sign pinned to the door advising of delayed opening until 7pm (just after 'Happy Hour' that had been part of the original plan). 

La Fleur en Papier Dore

However, it's only 200 metres further to La Fleur en Papier Dore / Het Goudblommeke in Papier and we soon had a well sited table having ordered 40cl glasses of Verschueren Saison (De Ranke) at the bar.
With an interesting heritage and ranked winner of the 2025 Top 100 bars in Europe for European Bar Guide, it was delightful in many ways and is a 'must visit' bar in Brussels. Rich picked it as his favourite of the 18 bars we would visit during this long weekend trip.
Before leaving we enjoyed another beer from the limited menu with Tripel Verschueren (de la Senne) as my choice.

La Porte Noire

Only a few metres further up Rue des Alexiens is the entrance to La Porte Noire. Beyond a red curtain are steps down to the vaulted cellar bar which was empty when we arrived.
Service and payment is at the bar.
A blackboard at the side and individual blackboards above the bar give details of all the draught beers available including Troubadour Magma (The Musketeers) and Noir de Dottignies (De Ranke). 
To simplify the order we ordered a round of Zinnebir (de la Senne) with a 25cl class costing €3.80. By this time another group of customers had arrived. The draught beer range offers a good mixture and also includes Kasteel Rouge and VI Wheat (Jandrain-Jandrenouille) as well as several Blonde and Pils options. 
After La Porte Noire's opening time (6pm) it makes sense to combine a visit with one to La Fleur en Papier Dore as they are so close to each other and to a bus stop, where the 95 back stops on its return journey to Wiener via Science on Rue du Luxembourg.

GIST

GIST was open after we retraced our steps. From a wide choice of free tables we chose one facing the bar. The blackboard above the bar listed available beers. Two handpumps are a feature here but no beer was being served from them today.
Jeff took advantage of the opportunity to try draught Westmalle Duo, a limited edition Trappist draught beer.
Tim chose L'Amoureux #01 (Brasserie l'Ermitage), a 5% ABV hazy Pale Ale brewed in Brussels with hops mainly from the southern hemisphere. A 25cl serving cost €4.50.
GIST - Rich, Pat, Jeff and Mike (+ Tim on right of mirror!)
Rich had chosen Rabarberlambiek (Oud Beersel). According to the Non Blondes quiz team tradition, it was Rich who supplied our table with three assorted packets of crisps, to accompany our beers. This tradition continues at The Lion, Newbury on Thursday (quiz) nights while Kieran marks the first three rounds.
The rhubarb Lambic was one of the six Oud Beersel Lambics available on tap, sourced from Beersel, 10kms south of Brussels.
Beer lovers can rely on GIST to serve an interesting range of local beers. Usually there is also some good music playing but regrettably this evening's music selection did not meet that standard.

Poechenellekelder

A short downhill walk brought us to Poechenellekelder, close to Mannekin Pis, where we found the small boy was not in a special costume for this evening.
The blackboard outside the entrance listed the draught beers as St Feuillien, Rock 'n' Carol and Taras Boulba. At tables inside, large format menus list all the beers and a limited range of snacks and pasta based meals.
As always, the puppet based decor, was of interest. This time our spaghetti and lasagne dishes were served without much delay. 
We each ended up drinking two beers here and these included Orval, Rochefort 6, VanderGhinste Roodbruin, Rock 'n' Carol (Janine Boulangerie-Brasserie brewed at L'Annexe using unsold bread) and Lindemans Faro. The bill came to €25.50 per head before any tip.

Goupil le Fol

We decided there was time to visit a fifth bar on our first night in Brussels and headed up Rue de l'Etuve for a view of the Grand Place illuminated at night (top photo) and then back to Goupil le Fol at Rue de la Violette 22, usually open daily from 4pm to 2am.
The small bar is situated just inside the entrance, and drinks are ordered and paid for, preferably with cash, before finding a free table inside the dimly lit room with various styles of furniture.
Our table in the main room looked towards the side of the bar and a spiral staircase of metal plates leading to another room on the first floor.
French chansons were playing on the impressive juke box giving the bar a nostalgic atmosphere.
The musical theme is also featured in the selection of records and record sleeves displayed overhead.
A limited range of beers was available and our choices included Lutgarde Blonde and Lutgarde Blanche served from the bottle. The brewery was formed in 2017 and based at Abbaye d'Aywiers, once the home of Sainte-Lutgarde (1182-1246).
Leaving the lively bar before midnight, we were able to catch a 95 bus from the Mannekin-Pis stop on Rue du Midi back up the hill to Rue du Luxembourg, to conclude a good first night out in Brussels.


14 July 2024

Brussels - revisits - June 2024

With two nights in Brussels, after three nights in Antwerp for Bierpassie Weekend (21-23 June), there was a chance to revisit some favourite beer bars with Simon, Richard and Andrew and solo on Monday evening after their return to London.

At the end of this post, the chart above showing posts about previous visits to Brussels bars, provides blog post weblinks for more photos and descriptions of all the bars revisited.

Only a few steps from the iconic Mannekin Pis water feature lies the pub we inevitably visit on the Sunday as it is closed on Mondays.

Poechenellekelder

The tables in the courtyard of Poechenellekelder were all occupied on a warm Sunday afternoon but we secured a table immediately inside, near windows which overloooked it.
Our table was also near two other windows, one open, facing buildings in Rue du Chene.
The ceiling above had the familiar combination of puppets and suspended bric-a-brac.
The beers Tim enjoyed here for the first time were draught Blanche Framboise by Brasserie de Bertinchamps (fruity but not sweet) and Pater Lieven Triple by Brouwerij Van Den Bossche from the bottle 'spicy-bitter with fruity character'. There were complimentary salty nibbles that were welcome as Tim wasn't ready for a meal yet, unlike Simon who had his customary lasagne dish before getting the Eurostar train back to London.
There's some street art on the Rue du Chene on the route for our group of three to the next destination.

GIST

We arrived at GIST soon after 7pm, just too late for 'Happy Hour' offers which start at 5pm.
Beers are priced for 25cl and 50cl measures and there's always an interesting selection chalked up above the bar.
The 25cl glasses of draught beer that Tim enjoyed here for the first time (photographed with the handpumps in the background) were Fee Steve (Blonde) by Brasserie Valduc-Thor (4 euros) and La Super Sanglier (Blonde) by Brasserie Minne (4.50 euros). These small breweries are both based between Brussels and Namur to the south and their beers are unlikely to be seen at Antwerp bars in Flanders, north of Brussels.
Apart from the handpumps, interesting features in GIST include lamp shades made from a variety of percussion cymbals and the ceiling mouldings.
An interesting selection of music was played on the sound system during our visit. The SoundHound music App came in useful for identifying some of the music. 
Simplenote stored the results for use in future blog posts etc!
Place Dinant
Just as GIST is a short distance from Poechenellekelder so also our next destination is a short distance from GIST and just around the corner from Place Dinant.

La Fleur en Papier Doree / Het Goudblommeke in Papier

After visiting on two consecutive days in 2023, Tim was determined to revisit La Fleur en Papier Doree also known by its Dutch name Het Goudblommeke in Papier.
Andrew and Richard were easily convinced to head there and immediately impressed by its charm on entering.
The small bar is decorated with items that have hung there since 1944 by Geert (Gerard) van Bruaene who knew all the artists of the day. A small blackboard on the counter reveals that the beer of the month is Taras Boulba from Brasserie de la Senne (4.20 euros).
A laminated menu card on the bar lists the regular beers available. Beers can be served with ginger extract for a 40 cents supplement. Draught beers are priced for 25cl or 40cl servings.
Tim chose his favourite here - a large glass of draught Saison Verschueren (5 euros).
Our table was in the front room with an unusual 'stove', sprouting brass knobs, between us and the windows with stained glass sections.
In keeping with the cafe bar's floral name there was a charming painting of flowers on a wall.
Before leaving, Tim promised to return on Monday but would instead visited the sister establishment - Brasserie Verschueren. His promise will surely be kept eventually as La Fleur has become a firm favourite in Brussels.

A la Mort Subite

On a warm Monday afternoon, after visiting Woodpecker kiosk, Au Bon Vieux Temps and Le Corbeau with Andrew and Richard, our last beer together would be at the renowned A la Mort Subite, Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potageres 7.
The brasserie has high ceilings, rows of identical tables, bench seating against the long wall and ornate walls with many mirrors to make the space look even bigger. It was very quiet and so there was no chance to observe the practised technique of the waiters which usually provides some additional interest.
Draught Mort Subite Peche (6.50 euros) was Tim's refreshing beer of choice.
Tim, Richard and Andrew
All good things must come to an end but there was still time for a photo outside A la Mort Subite before Andrew and Richard headed for their Eurostar train back to London.

Brasserie Verschueren

A few hours later, in the evening of that warm Monday, the cafe tables outside Brasserie Verschueren, Saint Gilles, were busy while nearly all the tables inside were free.
It was a pleasure to return here, join the short queue at the bar, order a large Saison Verschueren / Verschu and drink it at a table surrounded by the minimalist art deco style surroundings of the cafe bar with all the windows open.
A 33cl bottle of Verschueren Tripel was the second beer Tim obtained from the bar.
With Twitter / X on his phone for company and some tunes playing on the sound system that suited his taste, the SoundHound music App and Simplenote again came in useful.
An obligatory photo of the historic football leagues indicator at the far end of the cafe bar was another memento of this relaxing evening.


Brasserie de l'Union

 
At the opposite end of Parvis de Saint-Gilles from the church, Brasserie de l'Union enjoys a prominent corner site with windows on two sides. 
After a first visit to L'Ermitage Sant-Gilles, Tim sat inside Brasserie de l'Union for a beer and a meal before continuing to Brasserie Verschueren. The Plats du Jour listed on a blackboard were tempting and keenly priced but an order of a small spaghetti bolognese from the standard menu was delivered as a small vegetable lasagne. Perhaps an attempt to order in French would have achieved the intended result? However, this substitution was accepted without question and enjoyed.
Most beers are keenly priced at 4 euros (cash, no bank cards) and Brasserie Lupulus Organicus triple, brewed near the Luxembourg border, was refreshing. Music played here included Police & Thieves - Junior Murvin.

Weblinks for blog posts about previous visits to these bars

Name                  Blog link                                                            No of photos

A la Mort Subite        https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2018/07/brussels-sunday-2462018.html                          3

Brasserie de l’Union https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/03/brussels-south-monday-25-march-2019.html     3

Brasserie de l’Union https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/04/brussels-friday-22-march-2019.html                  1

Brasserie de l’Union https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/brussels-marolles-saint-gilles-monday-1.html     2

Brasserie de l’Union https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/brussels-2023-revisits.html                                  2

Brasserie Verschueren https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/04/brasserie-verschueren-saint-gilles.html             6

Brasserie Verschueren https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/04/brussels-friday-22-march-2019.html                  2

Brasserie Verschueren https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/brussels-marolles-saint-gilles-monday-1.html    1

Brasserie Verschueren https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/brussels-2023-revisits.html                               3

GIST                      https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/brussels-feat-gist-sunday-30-june-2019.html           7

GIST                      https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2022/07/Brussels-beer-2022.html                                           2

GIST                      https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/brussels-2023-revisits.html                                       2

La Fleur en Papier Dore https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/brussels-2023-first-visits.html                      2

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2016/04/brussels-beer-bars-cafes.html                                  6

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2017/07/belgian-beer-trip-2017-day-5.html                          6

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2018/07/brussels-sunday-2462018.html                              3

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/04/brussels-friday-22-march-2019.html                      4

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2019/07/brussels-feat-gist-sunday-30-june-2019.html         5

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2022/07/Brussels-beer-2022.html                                          4

Poechenellekelder https://beereurope.blogspot.com/2023/07/brussels-2023-revisits.html                                      2