Viva Vini

I had been reading here and there about Vini Cucina - it was time to give it a try. Italian, but focused on pizza and pasta: that boded well for the vegetarian palate. The place was nearly full on the Thursday night we visited. I had called ahead to ask if reservations were needed and got the typical Belgian "c'est toujours mieux." Well, it was mieux.

We sat in the back, towards the open kitchen, which was a bit of a high-traffic zone but otherwise not a disruption. The menu offered a nice selection of vegetarian items, but very little fish.

Our appetizers came out quickly - the bruschetta platter featured much more than the bread, tomatoes and parmesan: fresh, plump olives, grilled eggplant, and sun-dried tomatoes made for a lovely accompaniment. We also thoroughly enjoyed the smoked pecorino and fresh tomatoes, cooked up and served in a skillet. De-lish.

For mains, we all moved on to pasta (the pizzas did look good, but the pastas were more tempting). I had a very simple linguine with oil, garlic, parsley and a bit of hot pepper - the menu promised "peperoncino" so I thought I was in for a bit more spice (which I wouldn't have minded), but it was lovely as is. Gidon took tagliatelle with forest mushrooms and rocket. A few tomatoes snuck in as well. Our friend opted for the eggplant parmesan; lots of cheese and a perfectly sized portion. In fact, all the portions were just the right size - although we were glad ot have split two appetizers over three people; one per person may have pushed things a bit over the top. For dessert, we enjoyed an exquisite speculoos semi-freddo.

The servers (all blond, we noticed) actually smiled and tried to be helpful; for Belgian standards, it was pretty good service - our only complaint was a forgotten espresso at the end of the evening. Definitely worth another visit. Soon.

Vini Cucina
Chaussee de Waterloo 864
1180 Uccle
Tel. 02 372 37 27

http://www.vinicucina.be/

Open for lunch Mon-Fri, open every night for dinner. Reservations recommended.

Spice is Nice

I'm taking you out for Thai again - I promise to head back to European fare soon!

Thai Spice is an unassuming little spot on Chaussee de Waterloo in Uccle. First I heard about it from my editor at the Bulletin; it is just a couple of doors down from the old Bulletin offices, and as one of the few eateries in the area, she was a frequent visitor.

But then I heard the really exciting news from my friend Elaine, who I constantly envy for her knowledge of a secret side of Brussels: Thai Spice knows kosher. The owner has worked and still occasionally works for one of the kosher caterers in town, and he knows his stuff.

I tried it out (with a friend of mine who is a rabbi, no less!). We ordered from the vegetarian part of the menu, of course - not a very wide selection, but we enjoyed lovely appetizers and mains (including the requisite spring rolls and pad thai) nonetheless. The bill was modest and the setting was pleasant. They do seem to get a good amount of foot traffic coming from the European school, just across the street. The kids largely congregated by the entrance for takeout, however, so they weren't a disruption during our meal.

On the way out, we got into a conversation with Kitty, the owner. Careful once you get him going - he's super friendly and it's a bit hard to extract yourself! I name-dropped my friend Elaine and suddenly Kitty was my best friend, offering to make me kosher curry paste (i.e. vegetarian-friendly, sans fish sauce). If this guy understands kosher, he undoubtedly gets vegetarian. A safe bet for even the most cautious eaters - and a tasty meal!

Thai Spice
Chaussee de Waterloo 1054
1180 Brussels
Tel. 02.372.22.34
Open all week except Monday lunchtime

Sushi Galore

I gave myself a sushi assignment for my upcoming “Bite” column: where to buy decent-priced sushi in Brussels (look for it next Wednesday on www.flanderstoday.eu). This was a great excuse to get out and eat my way through the city’s maki rolls and miso soup. Oh, how I suffer!

One resto that didn’t make it into my column was Wasabi Sushi Lounge – not because they aren’t good, but I didn’t feel I could justify putting them in a column about “budget” sushi. Then again, those that made it in still aren’t as cheap as I would like (I admit I’m wading into slightly sketchy territory: you don’t want really cheap sushi, as that’s just taking your life in your hands).

In any event, Wasabi Sushi Lounge. It looks as sleek as it sounds (any restaurant that calls itself a “lounge” had better bump up the décor or risk being really sleazy). I once made a quick take-away pitstop at their Stockel branch, and this time I sat down at their Louise installation for a real meal.

Miso soup was a given, but was also a disappointment – much saltier than I’d like. Gidon ordered their salmon soup, which had an entirely different flavor: a light fish-based broth, into which they drop pieces of salmon sashimi that then cook in the hot soup. It was a bit inventive and probably outdid the miso.

The menu listed two salads – one vegetarian, one with various fish and seafood. However, upon asking the waiter about their contents, he offered up a mystery third salad of algae. These are becoming a staple of my Japanese meals, so that had to be ordered (and was well worth it).

Then it was on to the sushi. They do quite a good job at Wasabi, although a real vegetarian is going to have a hard time putting together a full meal. Pescatarians will be super happy. Their sushi is short on creativity, especially compared to some other places I’ve visited recently, but the quality was good.

If any of you have invested in a Restopass, you’ll score a discount.

Wasabi Sushi Lounge
www.wasabi.be

Chaussée de Charleroi 41
1060 Bruxelles
Tel. 02 537.37.37

Rue de l'Eglise 88
1150 Bruxelles
Tel. 02 762.62.62

Open Mon-Sat for lunch & dinner

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.

European quarter lunchtime therapy

I keep myself busy between a few jobs, but when I'm wearing my paralegal hat, that means I'm off to the European Quarter, where the low point of every day is finding lunch. The only things that aren't overpriced are the sandwiches, and boy, do I get sick of sandwiches. Will someone please open a salad bar in this neck of the woods? I don't care if it's overpriced, I will be your most loyal customer.

I try to keep my spending within reason, but on the occasions when I want a nicer, sit-down lunch, I'm still traumatized by the lack of vegetarian options. However, my friend John recently pointed me to Quarter Libre, which is not a bad find.

This place is all about choice: 16 small dishes are on offer each day; you take a little piece of paper and choose the four you want which are delivered in small tapas portions on a platter. I've been twice now - the first time, I had all four, plus a dessert, and wasn't completely full. This week I went and couldn't even finish my platter. Both times the platters cost a borderline-outrageous 14 EUR (prices are standard - no variation based on what you order). To be fair, virtually all prices in this area are borderline outrageous.

I've had a few lovely items here - a recent visit featured a pesto pasta, a carrot-basil gazpacho, a slice of eggplant wrapped around ricotta, and a nicely dressed avocado salad. Warning however: on my first visit, I ordered a feuilletine du brie, which should have been brie in phyllo dough (in my book) but they snuck some bacon in. So for the true veggie-wary, you want want to ask a few questions before ordering.

The decor is all wood, with soft lighting, and there's a lovely patio in the back for soaking up the warm, sunny weather (while we've got it). If you aren't scandalized by the price tag (in which case you probably pack a lunch from home if you work in this area!), I definitely recommend it.

Quartier Libre
Rue de Treves 44
1050 Ixelles
Tel. 02.230.41.94
Open for weekday lunch only

NB: Their business card states that their website in http://www.quartierlibre.eu/, but that brought up nothing on today's attempt. However, Google leads me to believe that they may maintain a second location on Rue Lesbroussart. No promises.

I scream for ice cream!

I've had quite an exciting development in my professional life - I'm now writing a weekly food column for Flanders Today! So far I'm loving it, but I'm afraid that, along with the other writing, plus my other jobs (sigh...) it's leaving me less time for my dearest blog.

At the very least, this week I can offer a link to my most recent column. It's summertime, which calls for ice cream. In my home sweet Uccle, Rue Vanderkindere is an ice cream hot spot. The old-school Glacier Zizi, and not half a block away, Il Gelato. I absolutely cannot choose a favorite, they are both just too delicious.

In researching my article, I discovered that Zizi is over 50 years old, and once upon a time, they had only three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and banana. Banana? Yes. This called for a taste test. I cannot believe it took me this long to discover it - it actually tastes like real, fresh, ripe bananas are just blended into the ice cream (it's entirely possible that they are, although it's utterly chunkless). This was an excellent discovery.

A few days later, a stop at Il Gelato was imperative. My friend Elizabeth is apparently a big fan of nuts and ordered a nice, nutty selection - including a flavor apparently named for a candy bar that was basically peanut. Peanut ice cream is tops! I'm ashamed I can't recall the silly name for this flavor (Mister something); it was the first time I've seen it there, so I'm afraid it's just a cameo.

Where do you go in Brussels for ice cream? Leave a comment - I can't wait to try them out!

Glacier Zizi

Rue de la mutualité 57A

1180 Uccle

Tel. 02.344.70.81

http://www.glacierzizi.be/

Il Gelato

Rue Vanderkindere 168
1180 Uccle
Tel. 02.344.34.95

http://www.ilgelato.be/

Shameless plug: Subscriptions to Flanders Today (covering Flanders and Brussels) are free. Head to their website and sign up to have it delivered right to your door.

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