Our round-up of favourite restaurants from Brussels Airlines’ European network
Phoenix Supperclub
AUSTRIA Lerchenfelder Straße 35, Vienna, tel. + 43 (0)660 746 3649
Near Vienna’s museum quarter, the Phoenix Supperclub soothes, smooths and sustains your five senses. The former cinema, now a galleried supper club, has dazzling white walls ‘painted’ with light washes in multiple colour combinations while differently fragranced zones satisfy the nose.
On ‘Festival of the senses’ evenings, a five-course menu is served at 8.30pm to guests relaxing on white sofas alongside low, candlelit tables. Taste bud tempters include broccoli and ginger terrine with wasabi cream; beef and tiger prawns with pine-nut polenta and vegetarian options. Between courses, foot and shoulder massages pander to the sense of touch. Sound comes from quirky singers, dancers and musicians until midnight, when the club opens up for partying. Costing €69 without drinks, these evenings happen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (reservations must be made online). On other nights food and drink alone are served. CW
Foodie corner
This month, Normandy’s Black Pudding Fair will see 5km of black pudding consumed. Blood sausage (as Black Pudding is also known) can be found all over Europe – while the French capitalise on the happy marriage of apples and pork by adding calvados to boudin noir, Spanish morcilla is made with paprika, rice and sherry, and Finns eat their mustamakkara with lingonberry jam.
Try Paul Heathcoate’s traditional British recipe (Courtesy of Nigel Slater’s Real Food published by 4th Estate):
Lancashire Hash Browns Grate 500g boiled potatoes into a bowl and sprinkle with chopped chives and one egg. Shape the potato mixture into patties (circular servings). Place one slice of black pudding and 25g of crumbled Lancashire cheese on each pattie, then fold the pattie around the filling. Deep fry the hash browns until golden.
L’Altra Bottiglia
FRANCE 28 Rue Cassini, Nice, tel. +33 (0)4 9204 1058
For a truly tasty modern Italian meal, head to L’Altra Bottiglia, a favourite with locals in Nice’s up-and-coming port area. Known for its chic ambiance as much as its excellent cuisine, the décor includes high tables slipped into deep red velvet nooks and a polished, painted concrete floor. Close to 100 types of Italian wine line the walls and each one is served either by the bottle or the glass.
Meals start with an overflowing wine glass full of cherry tomatoes, the menu changes every three days and the focus is on seasonal foods and sumptuous flavours. Dishes are classically Italian with a contemporary twist, like salad aux fruits de mer (octopus, shrimp and mussels topped with a thick slice of fresh orange and drizzled in buttery balsamic vinegar) or spaghetti with courgettes and crisply grilled scallops, innovatively paired with a creamy curry sauce. The delectable dining is topped off with an irresistible complimentary dessert, such as a tiny glass of raspberry mousse. Best of all, there’s live jazz every Monday evening to get your ears tingling with your tastebuds. Expect to pay around €45 per person, including wine. KT
Moreno Carusi Ristorante
GERMANY Leipziger Platz 15, Mitte, Berlin, tel. +49 (0)30 2248 8156
This modern but inviting Italian offers a pleasant balance between well-executed classics (antipasto casa) and gourmet concoctions (melt-in-the-mouth steamed flower of zucchini filled with Parmesan and ricotta) while elegantly blending contemporary interior design with a unique feeling of cosiness.
You’ll be welcomed with crisp, starched napkins, white-dressed tables, friendly service and, often, by chef Carusi himself, who’s always happy to leave his aquarium kitchen to greet his guests. You can spy on the Italian maestro at work through a large glass window framed by an impressive wine collection, shelved in the wood-panelled walls. The seasonal menu offers a select range of antipasti, pasta (try the taglierini with truffles or the spaghetti vongole), meat and fish dishes (excellent duck with honey and rosemary), as well as delicious deserts (luscious chocolate cake).
Carusi’s also serves great business lunches.
Located in Berlin’s glittering new downtown area – a stone’s throw from the Potsdamer Platz – this five-month-old restaurant is already enjoying word-of-mouth fame among locals and visitors from surrounding hotels. Bellissimo! Dinner for two including wine costs about €80. NV
No comments yet.
