Love at first bite - The inside scoop on foodie favourites

Yamina El Atlassi is a journalist, copywriter, legal analyst and life-long Bruxelloise whose freelance work combines her three passions: going out, Brussels and food. As well as making regular contributions to the popular Brussels city guides bxlblog.be (in French) and Spotted by Locals (in English), Yamina also writes for the official tourism website Visit Brussels. A self-proclaimed champion of the city long before it became trendy, you can discover the many facets of her expertise on her website: www.yelyam.org.

 Restaurant

My favourite place in town is definitely Arcadi. It is the perfect mix of my Brussels background and my North African origins. On the surface it looks like a typical Belgian brasserie serving mussels and fries, quiches and other meals, but it is managed by Tunisians, so they also serve things like couscous and mint tea. All of this is complemented by timeless decoration and really good service. I also like it because it is possible to eat whatever is your budget or however hungry you are – plus it is open every single day of the year.

Arcadi

1Rue d’Arenberg, Brussels; 02.511.33.43

We say: Situated by the entrance of the beautiful Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in the centre of town, this is a recommendation which we heartily endorse. As well as savoury dishes, Arcadi does some of the best desserts in town: try the fruit tart or lemon meringue pie.

Bar

I like L’Athénée as it is easy to spend many hours there – even the whole night! During the summer, the big terrace at the rear side of Saint-Boniface Church makes it a great spot to hang out. It doesn’t look particularly trendy from the outside but inside the atmosphere is funky, and there’s a good music selection. Most of the people who go there are really nice, even if there are a few “characters”. It’s the kind of place that, when crowded, you can just sit at the table of a perfect stranger and start chatting to them.

Drink

It has to be tea because there’s always a good moment to drink a cup (even though that doesn’t seem to be the opinion of bartenders in our town). You can drink it hot or cold and there are an infinite numbers of flavours, with or without caffeine. I also love the fact that if you serve tea at your home it usually means the start of some story-telling or secret-sharing.

Ingredient

Without a doubt my favourite ingredient is cinnamon. It is one of the best smells on earth and I love the fact that you can have cinnamon in so many forms: from Belgian speculoos to many Moroccan recipes such as pastilla and some tajines, cinnamon is always a key ingredient. And as I used to drink cinnamon tea in nearly every place I could find it, some people even call me Mademoiselle Cannelle.

We say: Yamina’s favourite drink is cinnamon tea and she says you can get the best stuff at Gaudron (3 Place Brugmann) or Bar du Marché (1 Place Flagey) where they serve Hot Cinnamon Spice tea from premium American tea brand Harney & Sons.

Shop

I don’t know if I have a favourite shop or market, but one of my favourite streets for food shopping is Rue Malibran near Place Flagey. There you can find everything – fresh meat, fresh fish, fresh bread, fresh herbs [like the coriander pictured below left], vegetables and spices. Plus, there are several supermarkets not too far from the street, which makes shopping easier. All my friends must be laughing as they read this because I barely cook at home – I spend most of my time eating at La Perle d’Orient at 23 Rue Malibran. But I will share a little secret: one of the best shops in the whole world is on this street. It doesn’t sell food; it’s a little flower shop where there are more than 50 birds flying around. You can even hear them as you walk in the street; for me, it is a little place of happiness.

We say: The florists Yamina is referring to is Flagey Fleurs, at 16 Rue Malibran

Recipe

This recipe is classy, tasty and nourishing. It’s also so simple and quick to prepare that it is difficult to believe that you can get such good results with such minimal effort. I know there are many variations of this soup with other ingredients but this is my favourite.  

Chestnut Cream Soup with Foie Gras

Serves four

300g Chestnuts (you can use fresh ones, but I use the precooked ones)

250ml carton of fresh cream

500ml water

A pinch of salt and pepper

1tsp foie gras shavings (for decoration)

Put the chestnuts in a soup pot with the water. Bring the water to boil, then turn it down, and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. When cooked, blend the chestnuts with the water (but not for too long if you prefer your soup chunky), add the salt and pepper and then mix everything with the fresh cream until smooth. Serve in small bowls (as it is a really heavy soup) and garnish each serving with a teaspoon of foie gras shavings.

Yamina says: The eating part is actually the longest and most complicated part of this recipe. Will you eat the foie gras at once, or will you let it melt in the cream? Will you take another bowl or will you wait for the rest of your meal? So many questions with no perfect answers...