Coolinairy

I’m going to be straightforward: I did not pick this restaurant. Not because I have something against it: it’s just too far away from where I stay in Antwerp. This place is close to my friend’s work and he heard a couple of good things about it. So this was his pick for his birthday. I also had to rewrite the title of this post three times because I can’t seem to remember the name of the restaurant. Was it David or was it Damiano? A Google search confirmed it was our good friend Daniel.
This place is located next to a park and the high concentration of Teslas and Porsche Cayennes on the nearest parking lot already gave me an idea of which clientele this restaurants caters to. It could be a good thing or a bad thing, but I thrive on hope. We directly entered the garden of the restaurant. It was quite romantic so I was disappointed that the evening ended without wedding proposals. Maybe I do live my life through the exciting events of other people? In hindsight, it was the peak of the heatwave that we experienced in Belgium so as my body thermoregulation was already fighting for its life (and my life), I do realize that the atmosphere wasn’t romantic enough for a proposal. Oh yeah, I was talking about food so… the outside of the restaurant felt very cozy and intimate!

For my “apéro” I went for their eyecatching lazy red cheeks mocktail. Yeah it’s a pretty mocktail but the eyecatching part was actually the price: (de volle) 18 euros! It had all of the components though: it had the sour, the fresh and the very sweet. If you don’t have a sweet tooth like I do: stay away from this. It was decent but not ‘”18 euros good.” The raspberry tasted like it was made from a storebought raspberry syrup.

For our entrée, we shared a platter of shrimp after we attacked our bread with Isigny butter and a bit of salt. The bread was good: an airy, chewy loaf with a good crust. The shrimp normally comes in a portion of six, but the waiter was nice enough to bump it to 8 for the 4 of us. The presentation as pictured below was very inviting. I picked a shrimp by the tail as my palate was welcomed by a satisfying crunch. I love how I can feel the breadcrumbs shatter in my mouth. But that was it, the party was all in the crunch. The flavor was like an afterparty where too little people showed up so it unvoluntarily turned into a kickback. I love kickbacks, but after a party like that it feels like a bummer. Luckily we had the sauce, I think it was a remoulade, and a slice of lemon to keep the kickback going.

Onto the main dish: my friends were all going for a pizza, but that day just felt like seafood weather to me. So after eternally hesitating between the lobster ravioli or the shrimp linguine, the waiter tactfully convinced me to go for the latter (by telling me the shrimp linguine had the bigger portion). Pictured below my linguine. The pasta was a good al dente and the sauce was simple but very rich in flavor with a very faint hint of spice. I think they could’ve stopped here because the shrimp was… rubbery. After taking a bite, I was wondering: if I threw one of the shrimps on the ground, would it bounce back? It is a pity. Especially for the “schappelijke” price of 37 euros. Don’t get me wrong, I still finished my plate. I just think that at this price point, there is little room for mistakes like overcooking your protein.

There are plenty of dessert options, but we all simultaneously agreed that we were going for the panna cotta. We got tempted because we saw how it got served on the other tables in these huge wine glasses. Whenever I’m faced with a panna cotta, I always go for some of the coulis first. The coulis was vibrant and punchy, the typical perfect sour kick. Now for the actual panna… ehm, the flavor was okay but it didn’t hold its shape very well. A spoonful of panna cotta, is usually standing up straight and only covered by a duvet of coulis, but this one was just falling under its own weight. Maybe from the weight of unmet expectations? Again, I still finished my glass but you might have noticed that when something isn’t extraordinary that I don’t have much to say. It’s a panna cotta by definition and that’s it. The glass only looks like that on the picture because it’s frozen.

The service was decent. Our waiter was cold initially, but I guess he just needed to warm up, which was relatively easy in a heatwave. We received our food after reasonable time periods. There was just a bottle of water that took longer to wait on, but that was about it. The toilet was clean so I bumped up their score with 0,5 for Place&Setting.

What can one say. I finished my plates and if my friend wanted to go there again for his birthday I wouldn’t object. It just won’t be my initiative to go there on my own. I however define a clear dichotomy between flavor and price/quality ratio: most of the negative sides were technical mistakes. Flavor has always been okay, but the dishes are priced as if they were something extraordinary.

My friends and I just split the bill in four. For a mocktail, some bread and butter, 3 courses and bottle of water per person, my share of the bill was around 75 euros.

Food 6/10
Place & Setting 4/5
Service 3,5/5
Price/Quality Ratio 2/5

Total score: 15,5/25 => 12,4/20

I think this restaurant is catering to SUV drivers in the suburbs of Antwerp like Brasschaat or Schoten whose definition of being in Antwerp is spending more than 5 minutes on the Ring. They like going out to eat, but don’t want to mix with the plebs of people living in Antwerp. Driving to the fancy Zuid is too much of a hassle so this restaurant is the perfect compromise. Especially with the huge parking lot to park their huge SUVs, (Sport Utility Vehicle) despite the fact that some of them don’t practice any sports. But hey… the food gets a pass.

Just in case you also forgot the name of the restaurant: David Il Divino, Beukenlaan 12, 2020 Antwerpen

On a 30°C hot summer day, my friends and I braved the weather – tropical for Brussels’ standards – to get ourselves some brunch before heading to Couleur Café festival. Brol is situated in the Molenbeek municipality of Brussels, a couple steps away from the Ribaucourt metro station. When I suggested Brol to my friends, they chuckled because the name is highly unusual: “brol” is Brussels dialect that just means “junk”. It’s a name that sticks.
We arrived with a group of 5 people and despite there being a line, we were able to enter quite quickly. It took us about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, we asked if the establishment accepts card payments . The owner “kindly” requested that we could go to the nearest ATM to retrieve some cash, “because they prefer it”. When it was clear that we weren’t going to move our butts in the sweltering heat for someone’s fiscal optimization, he requested it more adamantly. It’s very unusual for a coffeehouse in Brussels to have the same sale tactics of a forking H*rbalife consultant. Our point remained, we weren’t going to retrieve stacks of cash from an ATM situated in Ribaucourt metro station, the crackhead epicenter of the Brussels metro network… for brunch. I honestly would’ve left at this point if it wasn’t such a hot day, but like I said, we weren’t going to move our butts anymore. The outside of the place looks cool, I guess.

It’s actually a pity that the owner pissed me off so much at the entrance, because it overshadows how cool the place looks inside. I will try my best to ignore my remembered anger for this blog post.
After entering, you will immediately be welcomed by a counter with gorgeous pastries. It is a true eye catcher.
The exposed brick and industrial railings give interior a hip look. I think most interior designers will say that the industrial design has been outdated since 2014, but it will always be so visually appealing to my 2014 Tumblr heart. This place is often busy, but it somehow doesn’t feel overcrowded. Despite the place being very hip, it is quite kid-friendly. There are a couple of nooks to hide away buggies.

We were seated in the back of the coffeehouse, which looks totally different due to the playful wall art. The temperature inside was fine. I even forgot how hot it was that day. When it comes to setting, this place is just very chill. It is inviting and even with a group of 5 it felt relatively cozy.

I ordered their mushroom toast, extra avocado and fresh orange juice. I love a thick toast. I think sourdough enthusiasts will be disappointed because it didn’t taste very “sourdoughey”, but since i’m pro-carb that really is a detail to me. The saucy mushrooms came in a duo and I have to give Brol credit for putting the entire forest supply on a toast: you gotta give the people what they want. Flavorwise it was mostly just… mushrooms on toast. However, I thought my dish was decent and very filling. I do believe that I got the biggest portion. I was nearing full, but my friends could still feel a “petit creux” after their dishes. I also doubt the “fresh” orange juice was fresh. It tasted like bottled orange juice with pulp. Which would’ve been fine but like I said: you gotta give the people what they want (or order). It’s also around this time that they forgot the extra scrambled eggs for my friend, but since the place was very busy, that could be forgiven. After a friendly reminder from our side, my friend got his scrambled eggs in no time.

If there’s one thing I’m willing to overlook their pyramid scheme tactics for, it has to be their pastries. To receive such quality of pâtisserie in Molenbeek, is their true selling point. If you love anything pistachio, I advise you to come early because they go away quickly.

I went for the pecan Dulcey and let me just… take a moment. Do you ever taste a pastry and feel like closing your eyes because the gates of heaven are opening up to you? Don’t you just love when a shortcrust tastes nutty? Don’t you just love when a custard is so rich and creamy that you forget they incorporated nuts in it? The pâtisserie is Brol’s true crown piece. The coffeehouse partially functions as a bakery so it’s totally possible to just walk in and out to buy some pastries.
I washed the lingering taste of my pastry down with an iced matcha latte with oat milk. Stereotypical, I know, but I gotta thank the matcha revolution because i’m not much of a coffee drinker anyways. It was good, nothing extraordinary, but i’m not a purist.

For my mushroom toast, orange juice, pastry and matcha latte I paid around 30 euros. Brol is at the lower end of midrange pricing for what you would get for brunch in a hip place in Brussels. Unfortunately, as we tried to pay with the Payconiq app (digital payment) we got urged again to pay by cash, up to 3 (!) times. Another suggestion, to go to the ATM. We refused, so we came to an “agreement” to pay it partially in cash. So I saw my friends scramble for their last eurobills like they were handing over their lunch money to a school bully. I was considering to let Brol have a pass for their service scoring but this was the nail on the coffin. It’s a shame to see business owners ruin a good place with amazing pastries for the sake of shady business practices in an already shady neighborhood.

Food 7/10
Place & Setting 4/5
Service 1,5/5
Price Quality ratio 4/5

Total score: 16,5/25 => 13,2/20

As a final verdict, I could only recommend Brol if you’re around but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there, unless you’re a member of your local money laundering club.

Brol, Ribaucourtstraat 91, 1080 Sint-Jans-Molenbeek

In this picturesque street of the most beautiful town in the Netherlands, Maastricht, you will find this unconventionally placed gem of a Belgian restaurant. You could ask why you would find a such a restaurant in the city center of Maastricht, but just like Belgian politics, it’s best not to make too much sense of it. In the absurdity of all things related to Belgium, there is just one thing that matters: that the food is good and the drinks are plenty. This restaurant will show you why Belgians are known as ‘Bourgondiërs’. The name refers to the vegetable also known as “white gold”: the Belgian endive! When it comes to branding, this place absolutely “slams the nail on the head” as we would say in our little country.

Once you enter the restaurant, you will be greeted with a polite welcome of the owner. If you speak Flemish, just like him, you might notice a sense of comraderie. This is the kind of connection that you would feel with any Belgian landing in Maastricht, of all places, to enjoy our amazing food. Once you walk inside, it’s very hard to make sense of the decor. It looks like a grandma and hipster fighting for territory inside. All I know is that it works beautifully and that it feels familiar.

Depending on where you sit, you will see a replica of Manneken Pis in its small grandeur. The size is actually very accurate. People usually get disappointed when they find out how small Manneken Pis is in real life. However, if you thought that a country would have a human-sized statue of a dude peeing on people, I’m questioning whether that is something you were expecting or something that you were looking forward to.

The menu of this restaurant is Belgian through and through. Belgian cuisine is a funny concept because many of our dishes are actually… French. Unlike the French though, our portion sizes are bigger than what you would serve someone who recently underwent a gastric bypass operation. Whenever we plan to go to Witloof, I make sure to wear my loosest pants. This is not the place to test how the button of your old pair of jeans is holding up. You have been warned.

A major asset of Witloof is the enormous beer list. I will have to disappoint you: i’m not a beer connoisseur and even less of a beer drinker (I write carefully in the hopes that Belgium doesn’t take away my passport). All I can say is that the variety is gigantic, even with some nonalcoholic options! My boyfriend followed the suggestion to drink a Blonden Os, low alcoholic beer that foams beautifully as we were told. I can say that he was more than satisfied.

Pictured below is our shared starter, a strategic choice. My boyfriend and I are able to eat a lot, but the portions at Witloof are very generous. We went for croquettes: a grey shrimp one and a cheese one. You see, I think that a good croquette should taste like a trip to the cardiologist and these croquettes do exactly that. The breading was so crispy, like a wall containing all of the goodness that was about to ooze out of the center, like it was holding back its potential. The shrimp croquette was very fragrant with a good bite due to the whole little shrimps swimming through the ragout. The cheese croquette was well… very cheesy. I don’t think you can say more about a cheese croquette to be honest, it either has it or it doesn’t. The crunchy parsley on top layered the ensemble by bringing a different kind of fresh crisp. Chef’s kiss.

After having a delight of a starter, we were onto the heavy duty: the main dish. A meat and potato galore: what else could someone ask for? My boyfriend went for the pig cheek stew with fries and mayo. I will tell you this: the knives next to the plate were only for decoration because it only took a spoon to take a bite out of the meat drenched in an umami bomb of a sauce. Matter of fact, let me stop right here. This is something you need to experience FOR YOURSELF!
I went for my childhood favorite: a vol-au-vent. If there is a culinary Nobel Prize, the inventor of this dish should win three times in a row with a honorable mention in his speech for Witloof. Imagine a ragout… with tender chicken… with mushrooms… oh, wait there’s more: meatballs and all of that contained by a puff pastry? I’m just hungry again by writing it out. It takes us 45 minutes to drive to Witloof and as I’m writing this my hand is itching to reach for my car keys. Whenever I take a bite of this vol-au-vent, I see my happy childhood flash by in front of my eyes: laughters of children in a cafetaria in elementary school. It feels like this vol-au-vent grew up with me: a childhood classic adapted to a grownup palate. On top of that, the fries and mashed potatoes were terrific. I claimed my girlfriend tax by stealing some of my boyfriend’s fries. At the end of the day, there’s nothing more Belgian than taxes.

If you think that we would’ve tapped out by this point: you’re wrong. Partially, because if the dessert options at Witloof weren’t that inviting, we would’ve! This classic pictured below is the notorious dame blanche. Just ice cream, whipped cream and a dark chocolate sauce coming together to make absolute magic. The napkin under the glass isn’t for decorative purposes: you WILL make a mess when pouring the chocolate sauce. It kind of makes you feel like an artist: maybe we’re all a bit Peter Paul Rubens? The dark chocolate really cuts through the sweetness and richness of the ice cream. Like many things in Belgian cuisine, it’s pretty straight forward. What a way to end an already decadent night.

The service at Witloof has always been cool and laidback and the owners are friendly. This is my favorite type of restaurant: just people taking pride in sharing the food of their culture. If you come there frequently they will actually recognize you and even remember your order from last time!

Bonus point is that the toilet is clean and that it looks really cool! (+0,5 points for Place & Setting)

For bread and butter, a shared starter, two main courses, a shared dessert, still water and a beer we paid around 80 euros for the both of us. This is more than what you would pay for your typical brasserie. Witloof however is about offering quality that is better than your average brasserie on top of having generous portions. I say it’s a fair price for the quality that you’re getting.

Food and flavor 8/10
Place & Setting 4,5/5
Service 4,5/5
Price/Quality Ratio 4/5

Total score: 21/25 => 17,0/20

Witloof feels like a home away from home that offers high quality comfort food. If you happen to be in Maastricht and feel like having a glimpse of the burgundian lifestyle: this is the place to be!

Witloof (from Belgium), Sint Bernardusstraat/Helstraat 12, NL-6211HL Maastricht (the Netherlands)

(Note: This post is not sponsored. All food was paid for by my boyfriend 🙂 )

Hidden away in the vibrant Van Wesenbekestraat (also referred to as ‘China Town’ by Antwerp residents), you will find this hidden gem of a restaurant. Don’t worry, you won’t have to go through a creepy alley to get there, it’s just that the outside of the restaurant is pretty… ordinary. Even if I’ve been to this place on numerous occasions, I’m always wary to not accidentally walk by. I’m counting on the name of the restaurant written in big letters, to remind myself which door to walk in.

Once you enter the restaurant, the design trend is pretty much the same. You will enter an elongated space with a brick wall as the only decor that is standing out. The chairs and tables are also unremarkable and on the other side of the space, behind the cash register, you will see people being busy preparing food in the kitchen. Let this very simplistic style actually be the thing that encouraged me to take a seat in the first place. Based on my experience, this could only be a sign that the food was going to be the bomb. As usual, you will be greeted by a friendly face from the staff to take a seat.

Pictured below, you will find our standard order for the starters. If we mention that we’re going to Pho Viet, this order is on the tip of our tongues. These are their honey ribs and their fried spring rolls with pork and shrimp. For no other reason but habit, we attack the spring rolls first and rightfully so: that satisfying initial crisp feels like a welcome home to the beautiful meaty filling, the perfectly cooked vermicelli and the hearty mushroom that plays through the flavors like a smooth bass in a groovy song. Nothing better to seal this ensemble than with their sauce that doesn’t shy away from fish sauce. After devouring the springrolls, we strategically attack the ribs next: the pork is so succulent that i feel like a monk hiding under the tablecloth just to make sure God doesn’t see what kind of gluttony i’m partaking in. Under that exact tablecloth I tell the server that I’d gladly pay any price if they would ever sell these ribs in a bucket. You probably don’t know what it’s like to eat ribs that are as juicy as a south east asian mango and I kindly invite you to try it.

After having such a royal starter, we kindly wash everything down with a glass of their homemade iced tea which I definitely recommend. If you don’t have a sweet tooth like I do, you might find it on the sweet side. I personally don’t take into consideration calories coming from cane sugar because it tastes that good. Their iced tea tastes like what bottled iced tea should actually taste like. At this point in our dining experience I carefully gauge how much I have left in my glass to make sure I order my next glass on time. I obviously sip some from my boyfriend to slow down my own process. I say it’s a sip, my boyfriend says it’s half of the glass but that’s his predicament. I think the glass is half full anyways.

And now, the pièce de résistance if you will, the namesake of the restaurant: the Pho. Every protein that they have on the menu: I had it and they never disappointed me. From the pork to the chicken to the beef, the meat has always been incredibly tender to the point that you can just rip it apart from your chopsticks. The one that is pictured below is my boyfriend’s chicken Pho. They have done a remarkable job on the chicken Pho. It’s very easy to make chicken unremarkable, but my boyfriend and I know that the chicken is very tender and that this one has the best broth in this restaurant.

Pictured below is the Pho with sliced pork chop (my favorite). You will have plenty of bean sprouts to fulfill your fiber needs, free to add yourself. I’m actually so glad to find a restaurant that isn’t stingy with the noodles. This bowl will FILL.YOU.UP. On top of that, they just have a marvelous bite. The broth is salty enough without being overly salty and it brightens up so beautifully with a squeeze of lime. I don’t have much more to say about this Pho because it actually, just like the name of the restaurant, speaks for itself. Somewhere through this bowl I also order my second iced tea.

This restaurant offers dessert, but I think it’s clear to you that we never get to that point. After this amount of food, I am pretty much ready to walk, or should I say roll, back home. Always with a smile on my face though.

The service has consistently been great. I don’t really ask much for service, just a friendly face is more than enough and the staff of Pho Viet does this without fail.

I think it’s important to say that the toilet has always been clean. Might be weird to say it, I however find it worth a mention. At the end, it’s also a place were you welcome customers and I just don’t like when a cat litter would’ve been cleaner than a toilet. So a bonus point for that (+0,5 in Place & Setting)!

For spring rolls, ribs, 3 iced teas and 2 Pho we paid around 50 euros for the both of us, which I think is a fair price for the quality that you’re getting!

Food and flavor 8/10
Place & Setting 3,5/5
Service 4,5/5
Price/Quality Ratio 4/5

Total score: 20/25 => 16/20

Pho Viet will not disappoint you if you’re looking for a casual bite. You will definitely leave with a full belly and a happy face 🙂

Pho Viet, Van Wesenbekestraat 43, 2060 Antwerpen

(Note: I’m not sure if Pho should be written with capital letters, but to me it’s worthy. If you notice any spelling mistakes, feel free to contact me. Sorry, English is my third language… out of four. #humbleflex)