Favourite restaurants and foodie titbits from Brussels Airlines’ short-haul network
Sake No Hana UK
23 St James’s Street, London SW1, tel: +44 20 7925 8988
This latest venture from Alan Yau (the genius who created Hakkasan, Wagamama, Busaba Eathai and Yauatcha) is the restaurant equivalent of a pair of Louboutin heels – glossy, sexy and artful. The award-winning architect Kengo Kuma has used cedar to create a staggering space in which you sit at sunken tables with your shoes off (so wear nice socks). There is something almost ethereal about the glorious, cathedral-like high ceilings showing off the crisscrossing wooden beams, struts and bamboo. Try the €85-a-head sake tasting menu – each sake comes with a differently designed glass, like mini pieces of sculpture. Hits include the sweet and salty flavours of marinated lotus root salad, braised pork rib in a tangy broth with sugar snap peas and carrots, and fresh sushi and sashimi. Expect to pay €160 for two people (without drinks).
Cospaia BELGIUM
Capitaine Crespel 1, B-1050 Brussels, tel: +32 02 513 0303 www.cospaia.be
Netherlands-based designer Marcel Wolterinck has created a stunning space for one of Brussels’ hippest restaurants. Great for people-watching, Cospaia is in an ideal location just off Avenue de la Toison d’Or. Dress up and choose from terrace dining among the bamboo or the decadent baroque main room, where you’ll have a choice of contemporary Belgian dishes such as foie gras with figs, lamb with thyme, or the chocolate dessert created by renowned chocolatier Pierre Marcolini. The menu offers a modern, light take on traditional Belgian fare, like the croquettes of chicken and crab served with a refreshing crustacean coulis or scallops cooked in their shells with endives. Take apéritifs in the bar with an open fire, overseen by David François, judged Best Belgian Barman in 2006. The average cost for two people for a three-course meal with bottle of wine is €140.
Foodie corner
Chocolates
Luxury chocolates don’t come much better than L’Artisan du Chocolat’s. Chef Gordon Ramsay has described them as “the Bentley of chocolates” and, having tasted them, Indulge must agree. Under the watchful eye of chocolatier Gerard Coleman, who learnt his craft at Pierre Marcolini in Brussels, each chocolate is made by hand, and flavoured with everything from bark cardamom to Moroccan mint. Most luxe of all? These Tahitian Pearls – red fruit and jasmine-infused chocolate, coated in edible pearlescent pigment. Contrary to what your mother said, you should eat them all at once – they’re made with entirely fresh ingredients so have a shelf-life of just two weeks. www.artisanduchocolat. com
Text Richard Bence
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