One can never have too many cupcakes

If you build it, cupcakes will come: here I was, innocently blogging my way along, and before I know it, a cupcake baker reads this blog and wants to bake me cupcakes. Is this the good life, or what?

The baker is Ashley, the North Carolinian behind ilovecake.be, an online bakery. After some serious negotiations, I decided that my cupcake of choice would be her red velvet - a varietal from the U.S. South, it features chocolatey flavor and bright red cake. As Ashley strives to use organic ingredients wherever possible, her red coloring is not as vibrant as the deep, dark red I have come to expect in America - but the flavor certainly wasn't compromised.

She only bakes by the dozen, so I ended up with six featuring cream-cheese frosting and six with vanilla cream frosting. The vanilla went much better with the red velvet, but the cream-cheese was both creamy and light, and I imagine quite tasty with other cake flavors that can match its slight tartness.

For a bit of diversity, I also got to sample a couple of other flavors in mini-cupcake mode: the chocolate cake was divine, two thumbs up there. We also tried her strawberry polenta, with real strawberries baked in, balancing well with the grainy, corny polenta. A combination I couldn't have imagined before, but I certainly recommend.

You'll find her list of standard flavors on the website, with seasonal options, too. She can also accommodate special requests, and bakes non-cupcake delicacies as well. While she hopes to open a cafe eventually, she's currently baking to order, so advance notice and larger orders are necessary. A dozen will run you 25 EUR (to pick up) or 30 EUR with delivery. Perhaps not so practical to satisfy any old craving, but a great bonus for a special occasion.

ilovecake

Online only (for now) at www.ilovecake.be

Orders must be placed at least 48 hours in advance

Trufflicious Bonanza

It was time for a dinner five years in the making: L’Atelier de la Truffe Noire. After strong recommendations by a friend when I first moved to Belgium, I promised my then-boyfriend that when I finally nailed down a job, I would treat him to a meal at this Avenue Louise establishment.

I now have three concurrent jobs nailed down and decided that for our second wedding anniversary, I might as well fulfill an old promise.

L’Atelier is the affordable version of the unaffordable La Truffe Noire – one of the most expensive and famous restaurants in town. While I respect that the food of choice – the black truffle – is vegetarian friendly, it hardly seems worth spending Truffe Noire prices for a vegetarian meal. The menu options will be limited, and besides, I’ve heard the whole thing is overpriced to begin with.

The Atelier is another story altogether. The setting is more bistro-style; the menu is cheaper (although not cheap!); and even vegetarians have a respectable choice.

More than once I thought of my favorite restaurant in town – Café des Spores – which also happens to be a mushroom-based culinary experience. I would say that the Atelier is a bit more classical, and a bit more French-focused in its preparations, but that’s almost splitting hairs. It’s really the Adoration of the Truffle that makes it distinct.

I started with the house aperitif: fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, lait d’amandes, and berry liquor. Super sweet, but not overpowering. While reviewing the menu, we got hit with our first whiff of truffles as a plate was delivered to another table. I realized at that moment that part of the cost of dining here is purely to enjoy that smell; I already knew it would be money well spent.

For starters, I had a cappuccino of forest mushrooms, topped with white truffle oil. It was essentially a frothy soup of ample size, and it was exquisite. Gidon tackled two soft-boiled eggs, served with black truffle shavings and truffle oil. Delicious, but it paled a bit compared to the soup.

On to mains: I had tortellini, topped with a cream sauce and slices of truffle. Gidon opted for the millefeuille – slices of baked potato, covered in what seemed to be the same cream sauce, and topped with slices of truffle. Perhaps not a great degree of variation between the two, but oh-so-good (it was all I could do to prevent Gidon from licking his plate).

We were too stuffed to order dessert, but no matter, we went home happy. Besides, they don’t put truffles in the desserts, so what’s the point?

Our waiter was very attentive, and took care to point out that the amuse-bouche (truffle-free tiny cannelloni) was vegetarian. Apparently there is even good service to be found in this town, after all.

L'Atelier de la Truffe Noire

Avenue Louise 300

1050 Ixelles

Tel. 02 640 54 55

Open Mon-Sat; Closed on Sundays and Monday evenings - Reservations not a bad idea.

http://www.atelier.truffenoire.com/

Happiness is a Cupcake

Shame on me for hiding Lilicup from you! I covered Lilicup for Flanders Today back in May - when they were just two ladies baking cupcakes to order out of their home kitchen. At the time, they were looking to open their own cupcake shop, and I was thrilled to hear that they have finally managed it.

Cupcakes exploded in New York City a few years ago, partly thanks for a single "Sex and the City" episode. The fad was crept it's way around the globe and has now reached Brussels. But you won't exactly find a New York cupcake at Lilicup. The baking mistresses have adapted their cupcake recipes to a European palate - meaning a little smaller, a little less sweet. In my opinion, equally yummy.

These little delicacies come in a wide variety of flavors, and if you need a special flavor arranged, just talk to the owners. They use organic and natural ingredients whenever possible and the results are outstanding. You'll find typical flavors, like vanilla and chocolate, but also combinations like chocolate-orange or the almond-lemon cake with a raspberry buried inside. Of course there is a equally wide selection of frostings. Admittedly, these are not a cheap indulgence, but they are oh-so-worth it.
You can pop in the store for a quick sweet treat (they also offer brownies, cookies and more which I'm sure are excellent but that's not really the point, now is it?) but for take-away orders, call them 48 hours ahead. What a great way to celebrate a special occasion, add a romantic touch to a homemade meal, or treat your friends to a slightly unusual dessert.

Lilicup
65 rue du Page
1050 Brussels
Tel. 02 538 02 68
http://www.lilicup.com/
Open Tues-Fri from 10h-17h, and Sat from 10h-18h

A New Thai Adventure

Last week, I was busy busy busy taking in as much of Het Theaterfestival as humanly possible. What a treat! One evening, we had the pleasure of seeing DegrotemonD, which featured one performer reciting important speeches from the past 2000 years. It was a really moving evening, and it was in a beautiful setting -the Bibliotheque Solvay.

This gave me a great opportunity to try out Kin D, a Thai restaurant just off of Place Jourdan that came highly recommended by a friend of mine. The seating area is clean and comfortable - unfortunately the building does not allow for natural light in that area but the decor features lots of white and bright pink which liven up the room.

The menus are accompanied by a picture book, so you get a sneak preview of what your meal will look like. Nice touch! There's ample choice for vegetarians - even the sections not labeled "vegetarian" feature some vegetarian dishes, and there's a recommended vegetarian combo, if you want some guidance.

We started with spring rolls (how could we not?), which were not quite warmed through but were nonetheless very tasty. For mains, I went for classic Pad Thai - lovely, mellow flavors which you can spice up with some chili flakes, if you so desire. Gidon took one of the dishes labeled as spicy - a coconut milk broth with noodles and vegetables. At first taste, the spice was not too hot, but it did build up as he worked his way through. The coconut base was sweet but didn't overpower the noodles or crunchy vegetables.

Kin D also features an interesting drinks menu. Not wanting to get too silly before our show, I stayed non-alcoholic and took a lemongrass cooler. It was sweet and a little punchy, with lots of fresh lemongrass chopped into it. It was a tough choice on the drinks so that alone may merit another visit.

The portions are a good size, but not too big - our hostess actually asked about the serving sizes at the end of the meal, explaining that they are still relatively new and are finding their way. Go ahead and find your way to them - it's worth a visit!

Kin D
Rue General Leman, 36
1040 Brussels
Tel. 02 231 10 99
www.kind-restaurant.be
Open Mon-Sat for lunch and dinner; takeaway and catering also available.

Hail Britannia

Surprise! You thought I had abandoned you, when in fact I was off traipsing around the U.S. on vacation. Mea culpa, I should have warned you. Just to make you supremely jealous: I spent 10 days out in the San Francisco area, and 4 of those days in Sonoma valley, where we ate amazing food and drank fantastic wine. San Francisco is one of those places where people really, really care about food - not just how it tastes, but where it came from, how healthy it is, and what interesting things you can do with it. Heaven.

But back in Belgium, the food isn't too shabby either. Just before I left on vacation, a friend had a housewarming party - English High Tea style. The caterers were the newest in Brussels-based British cuisine: La Britannique, and what a fine job they did. All the classics you would expect for a high tea - scones with clotted cream and jam and cucumber sandwiches - as well as some desserts I'd never heard of that had the Brits in the room ooh-ing and aah-ing as they flashed-back to their childhoods.

The passed hors d'oeuvres were all excellent, and if you take a look at their menu, you will be overwhelmed with their offerings. As best I can tell, their online menu seems to color-code between veggie/fish/meat/etc, and their veggie options are bountiful. As best I can tell, the service was very professional and friendly. Go Brit it up!

La Britannique
Forest, Belgium
catering@labritannique.com
www.labritannique.com
Tel. 02.544.1777
GSM 0474 985 290