Coolinairy

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 I think most interior designers will say that the industrial design has been outdated since 2014, but it will always be so visually appealing to my 2014 Tumblr heart.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