Thalys sale to Paris and Germany

Thalys is having another special sale for tickets to Paris and Germany (Aachen, Cologne). Tickets are on sale online from today through September 9 for travel in the fall (exact dates depend on destination chosen). As always, book early, especially if you want to travel over the weekend. Second class tickets go for EUR 25 (one way) and travel in first class costs EUR 50 (one way).

Brussels Airlines sale tonight 23 Aug

Brussels Airlines is having another evening sale tonight, from 18h00 through midnight. Book early, as tickets tend to go fast (especially weekend tickets). Thirteen destinations are included in the sale (Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Copenhagen, Geneva, Gothenburg, Madrid, Malaga, Marseille, Nice, Rome, Stockholm, Venice), which offers one-way tickets starting at EUR 50 each way (taxes included). This offer is good for travel between 12 November 2007 and 25 February 2008.

This time they even added an extra incentive to book: You get a EUR 10 gift certificate for the airport shops good for any purchase over EUR 50.

This is a good offer for tickets to destinations like Rome and Nice, which otherwise tend to cost considerably more than EUR 100 roundtrip. (Other cities, such as Madrid and Berlin can be reached for about the same price even when there are no sales if you book in advance, or via low cost airlines like Ryanair and Vueling, which will resume its service to Madrid this fall – it also flies to Barcelona and Valencia).

Museum of Musical Instruments

The Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) is one of Brussels’ best. Housed in a beautiful old Art Nouveau building that originally belonged to the department store “Old England”, just off the Place Royale, MIM is home to one of the world’s best collections of musical instruments. The museum’s architecture is an attraction in itself and one of the museum’s floors is devoted to the history of the building.

However, what makes the museum one of the top of its kind is its collection. For the EUR 5 entrance, you get a pair of headphones that are activated when you approach the instruments in the museum. Within a certain range from each of the instruments, you will hear a short piece of music played with that instrument, so you won’t just see, but also hear.

This is a must-see in Brussels. Allow about two hours for a leisurely, complete visit. And if you need a break, you can always go to the cafe/terrace on the top floor, which is said to have one of the best views in Brussels (however, since the terrace is often closed due to bad weather, that’s not always true…)

The museum is open Tu-Fri 9h30-17h00 and Sat-Sun 10h00 to 17h00. Tickets are sold only up to 45 minutes before closing. Best option is to go on weekends by buying the Mont des Arts pass, which for EUR 11 allows you to visit a number of museums in the area and on some Sundays even listen to a concert.

Porte de Namur / Saint Boniface restaurants

Given the recent search requests for restaurants in the Porte de Namur area, here is my pick of restaurants in Saint Boniface (just behind Porte de Namur)

1. Le 2eme Element (Thai) – considered by many to be one of the best Thai restaurants in the city, Le Deuxieme Element does not disappoint, although service sometimes is not that friednly and waits can be long due to its popularity.

2. Mano a mano (Italian) – Its outdoor seating is definitely a plus in the summer for this friendly Italian restaurant that is popular for its thin crust pizzas and pastas.

3. Belgo Belge (Belgian) – read more in the Belgian restaurants post

4. L’ultime atome (Belgian brasserie) – Popular brasserie for lunch, dinner or just a coffee or drink at any time of the day, this brasserie’s terrace is always bustling with expats. The menu choices are wide and food is fine, but it does not blow you away.

Of course, you can always go to the other side of Porte de Namur and check out Point Bar. Any additional suggestions are welcome!

Top Japanese restaurants in Brussels

UPDATED 2009

Here is my top list, with validated choices from Japanese experts, as well as my own additional picks.

1. Yamayu Santatsu – top quality Japanese food, a top choice of Japanese businessmen, this restaurant located on the Chaussee d’Ixelles 141, not far from Place Fernand Cocq, offers authentic Japanese food worth the price ou pay. However, if you do not speak Japanese, the experience will not be as rich, as the daily specials are written on a board in Japanese only and the menu you get if you speak Japanese is also different. Tel: +32 2 513 53 12

2. Tagawa – Another favorite, but in more of a business setting (large restaurant, tables at a fair distance from each other so conversations cannot be overheard). Great Japanese food on Avenue Louise 279 (Tram stop: Vleurgat), with an extensive menu. People tell me the quality has gone down, so I would go for Santatsu or Samourai. Tel: +32 2 640 50 95

3. Samourai – Small Japanese restaurant hidden in a shopping/office court next to La Monnaie (Rue du Fosse aux Loups 28). The restaurant opens only for a couple of hours each evening, but serves great (probably Brussels’ best) albeit expensive sushi. Also a favorite among Japanese business people, with a more intimate setting and less busy than the other two restaurants. I would go for this one. Tel: +32 2 217 56 39,

4. Chez Oki – Great French-Japanese fusion restaurant with original dishes, such as foie gras sushi. The friendly chef is Japanese but trained in France and he successfully combines the two cuisines to offer you a savory dining experience. Can get a bit pricey as well (around EUR 50 per person, with wine), but both the service and the food are great and the menu changes regularly (you can be added to the sms alert list). Located on rue Lesbroussart 62, between Place Flagey and Avenue Louise. Closed on Sundays, and Sat+Mon for lunch. If you want more information, read this more detailed review. Since I first went, the quality has declined, so it probably is at the bottom of my list now…

5. Izaka-ya – Located on Chaussee de Vleurgat 123, just off Avenue Louise, this small, casual establishment represents the typical Japanese venue where people go for drinks and a snack after work. It’s relaxed and fun, great to go with friends. They also have regular (large) dishes on their menu but the best option is to pick a lot of the smaller dishes and have a tapas-style dinner. Very popular on weekends so make sure you book a table. Tel: +32 2 648 38 05

6. Nonbe Daigaku – The former chef of Tagawa decided to open his own restaurant on Avenue Adolphe Buyl 31 (Ixelles, just off Boulevard General Jacques), where he offers a great selection of Japanese dishes (sushi and other) that you are unlikely to see in other Japanese restaurants in Brussels. This is a Brussels must. Tel: +32 2 649 21 49

Know of any other restaurants? Please share your recommendations!

Weekend in Stockholm

Most people travel south to find some sun, but a weekend trip to some of the northern Scandinavian cities is as good as an option during the summer (it is often sunnier and warmer than Brussels, especially in summers like this one!) Below are just some suggestions for a weekend escapade in Stockholm for first-time visitors:

Saturday

Some hotel suggestions (modern, clean, design hotels – mid to high range)
Rival Hotel, Hellsten Hotel, Lord Nelson Hotel

• Morning: Vasa Museum – visit the original and well preserved ship that sunk in 1628. One of the city’s top cultural attractions
• Brunch: Riddarbageriet – Riddargatan 15, Tel: +46 8 660 33 75
• Afternoon: Tour of the city – by boat or bus or hot air balloon… or on foot… Suggestions:
  • Gamla Stan – Stockholm’s old town walk + shopping
  • Visit of the Stadshuset (City Hall)
  • Coffee break at Kaffeekoppen (order the apple cake with custard)
• Drinks at Absolut Ice Bar – This is the original ice bar in which temperatures are -5ºC and as its name suggests, everything is made out of ice (even the glasses you drink from)
• Dinner at Bakfickan – Swedish food, traditional setting in the opera house. Jakobs Torg 12, Operahuset, Kungsträdgarden Tel: +46 8 676 5809
• Drinks at Nox terrace – If you’re still up for drinks after dinner, check out this modern Swedish, design, hip restaurant and cocktail bar. Popular for drinks in summer evenings. Grevturegatan 30 – 114 38 Stockholm – Tel +46 8 545 82 400

Sunday

• Brunch at Haga Forum – Tel: +46 8 33 48 44- Annerovägen 4, 16970 Solna
• Walk around the Djurgarden, one of the city’s most beautiful green areas
• Spend a relaxing afternoon at the Spa. You can go to Centralbadet or Sturebadet
• Finish your weekend with drinks and dinner at F12, a stylish and trendy modern Swedish restaurant and lounge.

Mamma Roma: Real Italian Pizza

With three shops in Brussels (Flagey – Chaussee de Vleurgat 5, Chatelain – Rue du Page 5 and Place Jourdan), Mamma Roma brings the Roman pizza experience to Brussels. This popular and casual pizzeria sells pizza for eat-in (fast food style) or take-out in the traditional al taglio fashion, i.e., you buy the pizza by weight, which allows for mix-and-matching for those of us who can’t or don’t want to stick to a single choice. Delicious pizza with a crunchy crust, sanctioned by the many Italians you will regularly find there, and available throughout the day (opens from 12h00 to 23h00 in Chatelain location. Flagey shop and the newer, larger Place Jourdan store – TBC), every day of the week.

Brussels Bookstores

Bored of the Fnac? Explore a few other, more interesting and friendly bookstores in Brussels:

1. Filigranes – Filigranes is a large (for Brussels standards) French language bookstore that in a very un-Brussels-like fashion opens 365 days a year. Inside the bookstore, you will also find a coffee area (they also have wine and some sweet and salty snacks, like cakes and quiches). There is a small English books section as well.

Opens Mon-Fri from 08hoo-20h00; Saturday 10h00-19h30 and Sunday 10h00-19h00.
Address: Avenue des Arts 39-40 (Metro Arts-Loi). Tel.: +32 2 511 90 15

2. Waterstone’s – If what you are looking for are books in English, head off to the city center and you will find a Brussels branch of the UK-based Waterstone’s. The shop is not as cozy as Filigranes and has no cafe inside, but it has a large selection on its two floors and is also conveniently open on Sundays.

Opening Hours are Monday to Saturday 9h00 to 19h00 and Sunday 10h30 to 18h00
Address: Boulevard Adolphe Max 71-75 (Metro: De Brouckere); Tel: +32 2 219 27 08

3. Piola Libri – This is a small Italian bookstore, but charming and different from the rest. Read more about it in a previous post.

Open Monday to Friday 10h30 to 20h00 and Saturday 12h00 to 20h00. Closed on Sundays.
Address: Rue Franklin 66-68 (Metro Schuman). Tel: +32 2 736 93 91

Brussels Belgian restaurant picks

Note: Not necessarily in order of preference. Also keep in mind that during the summer the quality of the food may vary significantly as the main chefs go on vacation and their replacements do not always live up to the standards.

1. Belga Queen

Ultra-trendy restaurant, oyster bar, and lounge just right next to the opera house La Monnaie, this bank-turned-restaurant is an impressive and hip dining venue, offering good Belgian food, albeit at relatively high prices. There are menus around EUR 30-45 and drinks are rather pricey, but the spectacular ceiling and decor are worth it. Not the best place for groups, as there is a lot of echo in the restaurant (it was designed to be a bank, not a restaurant after all…) and it can get quite loud, making it difficult to hear each other. Food quality is sometimes excellent, other times a bit disappointing for the price, but the french fries are if not the best, among the best I have had in the city. Reservations definitely required for dinner. During the week, there is a special lunch menu priced at EUR 15.

2. Skievelat

Skievelat is a lower-key, more casual restaurant, possibly offering a much better deal in terms of price-quality than any of the other restaurants on this list. The restaurant, located a few steps away from the Grand Sablon, as you go down rue Joseph Stevens, offers excellent meat dishes, and of course, the traditional Belgian fare. The food is cooked in a simple, not sauce-heavy way and is just tasty. Most dishes range between EUR 10-15.

3. Belgo Belge

Conveniently located in the Saint Boniface restaurant hub (just behind Porte de Namur) is this popular Belgian restaurant, which serves all the traditional Belgian dishes and does a good job at it. The ambiance is nothing out of the ordinary (just your standard restaurant, really) but the food is good and reasonably priced. In the summer, there is outdoor seating, and all year-round, they deliver through the RestoPresto service (delivery is rather slow though…).

4. La Quincaillerie

La Quincaillerie is a restaurant with character, located a few roads from the popular Place du Chatelain. Both service and food are excellent in this restaurant that used to be a hardware store (you can still see all the small drawers/small compartments that were used to store all the hardware) and was built by Victor Horta’s disciples. This restaurant is a bit pricier (main dishes range EUR 20-25 but also go well beyond that) but the menu offers a good selection of meat and fish. Expect to spend around EUR 80 for a meal with wine.

My picks: For a simple, relaxed, but good meal and evening with friends go to Skievelat. For a fancier meal and more intimate setting, I’d go to La Quincaillerie. For a business meal or to impress out-of-towners, Belga Queen – it always works and people love it.

Brussels Airlines sale on 2 August

Brussels Airlines is having another evening sale tonight, 2 August, from 18h00 to midnight. Tickets (starting at EUR 50 each way, taxes included) can be purchased online for travel between tomorrow and the end of the month (August 3-31). Only Scandinavian destinations are included in this offer – Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Gothenburg – but they make for a great city trip (maybe a bit cooler than Brussels at the moment, but also sunnier!)

Ideas on what to do on a short trip to Oslo and Stockholm to come soon…