Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Gay Brussels deluxe

Read on for our hotlist of the places to stay and visit when having a gay old time in Brussels

In a city where every street has two names (one in French, the other in Dutch) and in a country with three official languages, the people of Brussels have learned to live and let live – which accounts for the laissez-faire attitude towards gays and lesbians. While other capitals have ghettos where gays feel at home, Brussels integrates all persuasions into its equation – minus the brashness of New York, loudness of London or preciousness of Paris. Enjoying the best of Brussels is easy if you have an open mind – and an open wallet.

Sleeping

There are a number of chic boutique boltholes that have recently opened in Brussels. The light-filled lobby of The Dominican (designhotels.com) looks straight out on to a calming, cloistered courtyard hinting to the building’s monastic past. The flickering fire that greets you along with the soothing candles dotted about make you feel instantly at ease (as do the Gregorian chants and other chilled-out tracks that waft from the Bose speakers). The silky bed quilts and plush velvet chairs together with the whimsical design that flourishes throughout make this the spot for a stylish sojourn. Its triple-height restaurant and bar make for a perfect place to kick off the evening, while the gym upstairs will suit all gym queens. At the other end of the spectrum you have the very reasonably priced Maison Noble (maison-noble. eu), which is the home of couple Brendon and Matthieu. Here, expect the sort of treatment you might get if you stayed at a friend’s pied-à-terre, and the cosy, laid-back atmosphere of this 1820s townhouse with beautiful art nouveau touches is lovely. If you’re lucky, you may even get an impromptu piano recital from Brendon in the lounge.

Eating out

Le Cercle des Voyageurs (18 Rue des Grands Carmes) is a bar-resto as well as a centre for those interested in world cultures. The polished yet earthy interior is great for lounging in, while the fusion cuisine (heavy on the Mediterranean) satisfies. If Italian’s your thing, the nearby Kika Kitchen (177 Boulevard Anspach) serves artfully presented pastas in a kitschy cool atmosphere. The specialty of cosy La Cantina Cubana (6 Rue des Grands Carmes) is down-home Caribbean fare with a refined twist. La Manufacture (13 Rue Notre Dame du Sommeil) is more for posh nosh in a sleek, design-led setting on two levels. Definitely up a notch. And, although it’s out of the way, the Fils de Jules (35 Rue du Page) does sophisticated takes on French Basque country cuisine – and the art deco interior is winning. While the menu at the Plattesteen (corner of Rue de Marché au Charbon and Plattesteen) might be basic bistro fare, this is the main meeting point for Brussels’ gay and lesbian crowd.

Although it lost one of its three Michelin stars last year, Comme Chez Soi (23 Place Rouppe) is still the gold standard when it comes to fine dining in Brussels. From the stained-glass skylight to the sumptuous interpretations of French and Belgian cuisine, this art nouveau eatery is worth writing home about. Reservations are required, as the restaurant seats only 36. If you can’t swing a table there, Villa Lorraine (28 Chaussée de La Hulpe) also does refined takes on traditional French and Belgian cuisine. Get your mussels in Brussels at Taverne du Passage (30 Galerie de la Reine), the swank art deco joint that has an excellent wine list. For the morning after, Wittamer (6 Place du Grand Sablon) serves posh nosh of pastries and continental breakfast, while Mokafé (9 Galerie du Roi) is excellent for coffee, cake and people-watching. Just around the corner from The Dominican hotel, housed in a former bank, Belga Queen (32 Rue Fossé aux Loups) delivers high-octane glamour with marble columns, a stained-glass ceiling, and excellent brasserie-style fish, meat and veggie dishes. The glossy clientele match the sexy interior. A club downstairs offers jazzy sounds and DJ sets nightly.

Going out

The heart of the Brussels gay scene is the Rue Marché aux Charbon (and its adjacent Rue des Grands Carmes), which extends from the Grand’ Place to the Place Fontainas. Along this route, you find the lion’s share of gay bars. A Brussels institution, Chez Maman (7 Rue des Grands Carmes) gets the party started with drag shows that add some glamour to the nightlife scene.

Before clubbing, all roads lead to Le Belgica (32 Rue Marché au Charbon), the dive bar that packs them in thanks to pumping house grooves and the house drink – a potent shot of lemon genever that sneaks up on you. Across the street, Boys Boudoir (25 Rue Marché au Charbon) is somewhere you either love or hate: French pop and MTV-friendly tunes and kitschy décor, with a piano bar upstairs. Expect a steaming sea of hairy bears, Amsterdam leather daddies and topless hunks bumping and grinding next to the occasional Latino go-go boy in shorts at La Demence, which takes place on the last Friday of every month (lademence. com). If you’re up to making the trek, Red & Blue in Antwerp gives good dance beats every weekend – attracting a packed crowd with a decadent vibe. Several party series keep the scene hopping from week to week. For those who like to cruise, Navigaytion (navigaytion.be) is the annual party event, with several boats sailing the River Schelde in Antwerp with club beats providing the soundtrack. And at the end of the weekend, the Le You tea dance (18 Rue Duquesnoy) serves up retro disco and nouveau house every Sunday evening, while the ladies are catered for at the tea dance at Le Box (7 Rue des Riches Claires).

Shopping

There’s a definite uptown/downtown divide when it comes to retail therapy in Brussels. Uptown is more BCBG – or bon chic, bon genre: penny loafers, cravats and Burberry raincoats. Here, the axis of fashion is the Boulevard de Waterloo/ Avenue Louise area, where all the usual suspects – Gucci, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani and others – can be found. The nearby PH Natan (68 Rue du Namur) stocks edgier menswear from John Richmond, Costume National and the unfortunately named Acne Jeans. Bespoke fanatics are well served by Maison Degand (415 Avenue Louise), which sells suits by Brioni and Kiton, as well as its own made-to-measure line.

Downtown is more fashion forward, with Stijl (74 Rue Antoine Dansaert) drawing international fashionistas favouring Flemish legends Dries Van Noten, Ann Demeulemeester and Dirk Bikkembergs and rising stars Raf Simons (who also designs for Jil Sander) and Kris Van Assche (the force behind Christian Dior’s men’s line). Those who see getting dressed as an intellectual pursuit head for Martin Margiela (40 Rue Léon Lepage), where the conceptualist guru does his thing. Nearby, mad hatter Christophe Coppens (2 Rue Léon Lepage) turns heads with chapeaux that run from street smart to surrealist chic. The French chain Palais des Thés has two Brussels outposts (45 Place de la Vieille Halle aux Blés; 25, Chaussée de Charleroi) selling an encyclopedic array of teas from around the world.

Although it is a 40-minute train journey away, Antwerp is worth the trip for serious fashion fiends. Here you’ll find flagship shops for Ann Demeulemeester (Leopold de Waelplaats), Dries Van Noten (16 Nationalestraat), as well as Mercken (28 Lange Gasthuisstraat), the exclusive outlet for the new Tom Ford collection, where the former Gucci master does dandy deluxe. For shoes, hit Coccodrillo (9a/b Schuttershofstraat): Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci – if they don’t have it, then it ain’t worth wearing.

Antique aficionados are spoilt for choice in Brussels, the unofficial birthplace of art deco. If you don’t make the Sablon Antique Market (Saturday, 9am to 6pm; Sunday, 9am to 2pm), there are always the posh shops on streets fanning out from the upscale Place du Grand Sablon, the square where Brussels’ elite meet and eat. Art deco, art nouveau, Third World ethnic and other retro and antique pieces are to be had on the adjacent Rue des Minimes, Rue Ernest Allard and Rue du Sablon. But if the thrill of the hunt is more you, make time on your trip for Rue Haute and Rue Blaes, parallel streets off the grittier Place Jeu de Balle flea market square featuring shops selling top-notch treasures, if you have the patience to sift through the dross.

To satisfy your sweet-tooth, Pierre Marcolini (1 Rue des Minimes) does chocolates for the Wallpaper* generation: modestly-sized works of art in chocolate sold in designer sleek, square, black boxes.

Looking good

Salons to keep your hair looking hot abound in Brussels, but turning you into a serene being is the aim of Sea Me (544 Chaussée de Waterloo), the first day-spa for men. Face and body care, massages and holistic hocus pocus will help sort out any hangover. The Karen Sammon Skincare Center (147 Rue Franklin) takes a total approach to your dermis with skin diagnoses, facials, and a wealth of potions to save your skin. And if you just need a touch-up to keep you going, Antwerp boasts both a Kiehls shop (80 Lombardenvest) and an Aveda Lifestyle Salon (28 Schuttershofstraat).

FR Le Bruxelles Gay de luxe

Dormir Un grand nombre de repaires chics se sont récemment ouverts à Bruxelles.

Le hall lumineux de The Dominican (designhotels.com) donne directement sur une cour de cloître reposante, rappelant le passé monastique du bâtiment. A l‘autre bout du spectre, vous avez la Maison Noble (maison-noble.eu) à des prix très raisonnables, la demeure du couple Brendon et Matthieu. Ici vous serez accueilli comme si vous logiez dans le pied-à-terre d’un ami, et l’atmosphère informelle, chaleureuse de cette maison de maître de 1820 aux magnifiques touches décoratives art nouveau est fort agréable.

Manger Bien qu’il ait perdu une de ses trois étoiles au Michelin l’année dernière, Comme Chez Soi (23 Place Rouppe) reste toujours le standard ultime en matière de restaurants à Bruxelles. Si par malchance vous n’arriviez pas à obtenir une table, la Villa Lorraine (28 Chaussée de La Hulpe) propose également une vision raffinée de la cuisine française et belge traditionnelle. Pour les moules, rien ne vaut à Bruxelles la Taverne du Passage (30 Galerie de la Reine), l’élégant établissement art déco a en outre une excellente liste des vins.

Sortir Avant de sortir en boîte, toutes les routes mènent au Belgica (32 Rue Marché au Charbon), le bar un peu louche où le monde s’entasse, attiré par les rythmes house, funck et groove. Attendez-vous à un défilé vaporeux d’une faune poilue, de représentants du monde cuir d’Amsterdam et de sublimes boys torse nu, sautant et hurlant à La Demence, une soirée qui a lieu chaque dernier vendredi du mois (lademence.com). Si vous êtes prêt à faire le chemin, Red & Blue à Anvers offre de bons rythmes pour se déhancher chaque week-end. Pour ceux qui aiment partir en croisière, Navigaytion (navigaytion.be) est LA fête annuelle, avec plusieurs bateaux voguant sur l’Escaut.

Shopping Les passionnés d’antiquités sont choyés à Bruxelles, lieu de naissance non officiel de l’art déco. Si vous ne parcourez pas le marché des Livres et des Antiquités du Sablon le samedi (9h à 18h), il y a toujours les magasins huppés dans les rues qui partent en éventail depuis la Place du Grand Sablon, le quartier distingué où l’élite bruxelloise se donne rendez-vous et dîne.

NL Gay Brussels Deluxe

Overnachten Onlangs openden een aantal chique boetiekhotels hun deuren in Brussel. De hal van The Dominican (designhotels.com) baadt in het licht en ziet uit op een rustgevend, met kruisgangen omgeven binnenplein. Je ziet meteen dat het gebouw ooit als klooster dienstdeed. Aan het andere einde van het spectrum is er het heel betaalbare Maison Noble (maison-noble.eu) van de partners Brendon en Matthieu. Hier mag je je aan dezelfde behandeling verwachten als in het pied-à-terre van een vriend. In dit stadshuis uit 1820, met prachtige art nouveau-elementen, gaat het er heel gezellig en rustig aan toe.

Eten Ook met een Michelin-ster minder blijft Comme Chez Soi (Rouppeplein 23) de gouden standaard als het op lekker eten in Brussel aankomt. En als alle tafeltjes al ingenomen zijn, kun je terecht in Villa Lorraine (Terhulpensesteenweg 28), gespecialiseerd in traditionele Franse en Belgische gerechten. Voor mosselen moet je in de Taverne du Passage (Koninginnegalerij 30) zijn, een elegante art deco-kroeg met een uitstekende wijnkaart.

Uitgaan Zin in een discotheek? Breng dan eerst een bezoek aan Le Belgica (Kolenmarktstraat  
32), die uitpakt met stevige houseritmes. Voor harige beren, oude mannen in leren pakken en heupwiegende topless stoten moet je elke laatste vrijdag van de maand naar La Demence (lademence.com). Kick je op lekkere dancebeats? Dan moet je naar de Red & Blue in Antwerpen, als de afstand je niet afschrikt tenminste. En wie van cruises houdt, kan terecht in Navigaytion (navigaytion.be), hét jaarlijkse partyevent bij uitstek, op verschillende boten die de Schelde afvaren.

Shoppen Liefhebbers van antiek komen beslist aan hun trekken in Brussel, de officieuze bakermat van art deco. Wie de boeken- en antiekmarkt op zaterdag aan de Zavel (9 tot 18 u) gemist heeft, kan nog altijd terecht in de chique winkels rond het Zavelplein, het trefpunt van de Brusselse elite.

Leave a Reply