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San Brussels: An Eclectic Dining Experience in Belgium

Photo Credit: San Brussels

Popular? A severe understatement. By 8:45 pm on a Saturday evening not only were all tables at this downtown restaurant full, so were all counter seats around the well-lit, open-style kitchen at the end farthest from the entrance.

San Brussels, in the Sablon quarter of the Belgian capital, emanates a refreshing, eclectic, loft-like atmosphere, with almost Zen-like décor: bare-brick walls, wood floor and a winding garland of metal leaves weaving its way across the ceiling. Central tables even feature iron-grill wraparounds.

San Brussels
Photo Credit: Columbia Hillen

The food, eaten only with custom-designed bowl and spoon, bursts with surprises, beginning with ‘pressed head,’ which was the amuse bouche on the restaurant’s tasting menu that we ordered. By origin, a central European dish, it's a miniature square of pig head terrine with a hint of nuttiness from a pea and carrot mousse. A topping of mustard seeds and a smear of basil loaned added freshness. A 2014 Clauses de Jo-Belles Pierres from Languedoc provided the perfect wine complement.

A small bowl of unfamiliar cuisine bedfellows arrived at-table next under the title ‘Charente-Maritime, a region in southwest France: an oyster on a bed of kiwi puree with a tapenade of Kalamata olives and a net of dill, the sea and the garden variety, and goat cheese snow. Breadcrumbs added a delightful crunchiness to the entire blend.

San Brussels
Photo Credit: Columbia Hillen

Sean Hillen

During an international media career spanning several decades in Europe and the US, Sean Hillen has worked for many leading publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Times London, The Daily Telegraph, Time magazine and The Irish Times Dublin, as well as at the United Nations Media Center in New York. Sean's travel writing for JustLuxe.com and worlditineraries.co has taken him across A...(Read More)

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