Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

FOOD & DRINK

Text Renée Cordes, Kathryn Amelia Tomasetti

Le Bistrot de la Réserve FRANCE
60 Boulevard Franck Pilatte, Nice, tel. , www.jouni.fr

At the foot of Mont Boron, the Palais de la Réserve clings to a rocky cliff face on the seafront, just metres above the Mediterranean waves. After being abandoned and ignored for close to 20 years, high-flying Finnish chef Jouni Tormanen has chosen this spectacular site for his latest venture, Le Bistrot de la Réserve.

Le Bistrot offers diners simple yet succulent dishes. Book a table on the terrace and indulge in the house cocktail – a blend of champagne, apricots and blackberries – as you deliberate over the delectable weekly menu.

Les calamars (Jouni’s signature sautéed squid) served with crispy plantains boast an exquisite blend of texture and taste; their charred, smoky edges complimenting the soft, almost sweet interior.

Le Bistrot is open for lunch and dinner, prices from €90 per person including wine (lunch, €30 per person excluding wine). reservations advisable. KAT

Dinner in the Sky BELGIUM
Tel. , www.dinnerinthesky.com

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying table. Dinner in the Sky, dreamed up by Brussels-based communications agency Hakuna Matata and its partner Benji Fun, offers a unique take on dinner. Diners can book a meal for 22 at a table hoisted by a crane up to 50 metres above ground. The €7,900 starting price covers table and crane rental for eight hours, plus security, catering and logistics staff.

We tried the experience for ourselves at the Dolce La Hulpe Hotel near Waterloo, Belgium.

Once securely strapped in, we enjoyed foie gras and champagne while venturing occasional looks at the scenery and the musicians on an adjacent suspended stage.

The company is based in Brussels but will travel anywhere in Europe for the right price. So, if you’re planning a special occasion or corporate event, and as long as money is no object, the sky’s not even the limit. RC

Foodie corner

Autumn fusion fun

Peter Gordon set about single-handedly rehabilitating the term ‘fusion’ with the opening of his London restaurant The Providores and Tapa Room (109 Marylebone High Street, tel. ). Here he shares his favourite autumnal recipe:

Baked polenta with tomatoes and mozzarella Whisk 250g instant polenta into one litre of boiling water. Cook for two minutes, stir in two tablespoons of olive oil and spread on a lined tray. Leave to cool. Soften two sliced onions and two cloves of garlic in olive oil, and add one aubergine and two red peppers, cut into strips. Cook for two minutes, then add six quartered tomatoes and some oregano. Cook for seven minutes. Top the polenta with the vegetables. Add 250g sliced mozzarella and bake at 180ºC (gas mark 4) for 15 minutes.

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