Shops open Sunday, 27 April

The Woluwe Shopping Centre will be open this Sunday, 27 April, which means that probably other shops in town also will be including other malls such as City 2. But with such nice weather, why spend your weekend in an indoor mall?

Atomium anniversary begins

The 50th anniversary celebrations of the Atomium have started today and will run through 19 October. There are special activities planned to celebrate the anniversary of this controversial piece of art/architecture designed for the 1958 World Expo in Brussels, so to find out all the details, check the official website.

During the celebration period, the Atomium will be open daily from 10h00 to 19h00 (and until 22h00 on Sundays). Metro: Heysel

Tasso restaurant at Tour & Taxis

Tasso goes on my list of disappointing restaurants I will probably not go back to. Main reasons: It is overpriced, the portions are small and the food is not good.

Tasso clearly benefits from its location in the impressive Tour & Taxis building, which accounts for most of its classy and classic, sort of chic modern atmosphere. The drawback is that other than offices and a couple of shops and exhibitions, there is not much at Tour & Taxis and it is somewhat far from “civilization” (but very accessible and convenient if you have a car, as there is plenty of parking on site).

That being said, the ambiance is probably the best at Tasso. The food is far from spectacular (overall, it is not bad – except for the sushi, which is bad, but more on that later – but not memorable or that tasty at all…) and very expensive for what you get. Here is an example:

Ravioli starter – 3 small pieces for about EUR 15

The fish dishes (cooked) seem to be a better value (most main courses cost around EUR 23-30) but nothing spectacular either.

Absolutely to avoid: their “sushi” – so far, the worst I have had in Brussels (even worse than the prepackaged ones sold in grocery stores). I suspected it would not be great, but I was hoping to be wrong, especially as sushi occupies some significant space on the menu. Impressions: the fish was not fresh, it was not properly cut, the nori was too chewy, the rice was not fresh and had been stored in the fridge and taken out again and was too tightly packed and mushy. I suspect the sushi rolls had been pre-prepared, left in the fridge for hours (hopefully not days) and taken out of the fridge, and the pieces were too large and just sloppily prepared.

Dessert and coffee, however, were decent so if you’re in the neighborhood, you can always stop by for that…

Spud’s – the restaurant at the new Sofitel

Spud’s is the weird choice of name for the bar and restaurant at the new EU-targeted Sofitel at Place Jourdan.

I recently went there with a friend who had received a special offer via American Express that gives you a discount of the price of one of the main courses, which is equivalent to a reduction of around EUR 20-25 off the total bill (which with the discount and wine came up to about EUR 70 for two). (Apparently, many other restaurants in Belgium participate in this promotion and the restaurants change regularly).

The ambiance is nothing special – generic, modern hotel, discreet but a bit dark. The clientele: mostly business people (still wearing their suits after all-day meetings) and a few couple with an average age of around 40-45.

The food was good, solid continental cuisine, Belgian/French, dominated by fish and seafood, both of which were very well cooked: very tender (scallops are recommended – see first picture below) and not too heavy on the sauce. The good thing is that even if you only order a main course, you are likely to be satisfied with the meal, as they give you two complimentary appetizers (amuse-gueule) of a decent size (both were fish based: salmon sashimi style and a(n also raw) tuna with cucumber concoction.

The dessert menu has the usual chocolate, apple and caramel “musts”. The only thing that stands out is an original potato-based dessert, which is called the “Aztec” (see picture above) and raises expectations for the novelty factor, but in fact just tastes like a fairly sweet vanilla mousse.

Although the food was good, I am not sure I would dine there often. It is a good choice for an occasional dinner, if you want to try something new and go somewhere where you might find some extra privacy and good service (yes, they were attentive and polite throughout – something relatively rare in Brussels restaurants). However, the food and the venue did not leave a very strong impression and was not special enough: With all the great restaurants there are in Brussels, this is a “good-to-try”, but probably a place you would be happy going to just every year or two.

Serres de Laeken – Laeken Royal Greenhouse opens April 19

Like every year, the royal greenhouse in Laeken, in northern Brussels, will open to the public for roughly a month to display its impressive collection of plants and flowers.

This year, the greenhouse will open on Saturday, April 19 and be accessible to the public for just EUR 2.50 through Monday, May 12. The greenhouse will open almost every day (completely closed on Monday) from 9h30 to 16h00, except for Fridays when they open at 13h00. There are evening openings (worth visiting because of the beautiful lighting, which makes the evening experience completely different) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunadys from 20h00 to 22h00.

Even if you are not much into plants and flowers, the greenhouse is worth a visit even if you just want to look at the huge grounds of the royal palace, or admire the architectural beauty of the greenhouse, which was designed by Balat, the professor of the Belgian architectural icon Victor Horta.

Book about 1.5 hours for the visit – or more if you’re planning to take pictures or go on weekends when it gets quite crowded and you might have to walk slowly as you tail the people in front of you.

The site is accessible by public transportation (metro or tram: Heysel + a 10 minute walk or more, depending on your pace). For exact directions, check the STIB website (but don’t rely too much on the schedules, as the STIB only occasionally sticks to them).