I am lucky enough to work in the Glaverbel building … so having a pop-up restaurant right on my doorstep is a Godsend! Especially for weekday lunch time dining! No wasted time travelling… and great food! Woohoo
I thoroughly adored the concept of 2013 – “Bowery goes South” which was held in the centre garden of Glaverbel last year – so when I heard that there would be another “secret garden” type event happening in September 2014… I waited eagerly to hear more!
From 11-26th September 2014, the interior garden at Glaverbel is transformed. Not only with a make-shift tent, but because the whole feeling around the building has changed – an air of excitement and mystery!
The glorious tent… is beautifully created by well-known designer Penneman Michel – those hanging “leaves” had me feeling like I was enjoying some outdoor dining… and the pots of herbs on the communal long tables went a long way in making dining companions feel private & secure.
The very original menu (“luncheon on the grass” or “déjeuner sur l’herbe”) is from French chef, Yannick Alleno, – although I have to confess that when asked, the waitress had no idea who he was and what influence he had on the actual cooking of the menu items (?!?)
The food promises to be aromatic, natural & fun – all of which is not only promised, but also delivered.
All 3 of us ordered the Eggs as a starter… crunchy chopped green vegetables set in jelly and topped with 2 perfectly poached eggs & sauce… OMG… delicious!
I went for the Skate Fish dish (aka Ray)… served with boiled potatoes, capers and slices of grapefruit (whereby the citrus tang really set off the beautifully smooth and rich fish taste….) – another 10/10 from me.
While my 2 companions ordered the vegetarian option – a whole Celery bulk cooked to perfect and topped with edible flowers…(I managed to steal a slice and I can verify that this was enough to make any meat-eater consider being vegetarian!)
A delicious way to spend Friday lunch… the only problem is wanting to enjoy a few glasses of wine with your lunch… but still having to work… neither of which go well together 😦 (sadly).
Pricing wise – it is a bit steep for lunch. 37€ for 2 courses (you can choose between starter/main or main/dessert) or 47€ for all 3 courses – and the starter/main courses provide more than one option – while there only seemed to be one type of dessert.
If you haven’t tried it out yet – you still have until Friday 26th September… not only for lunch – but they have been so popular that they have extended their hours to include Thursday & Friday night. (Plus we heard that their menu changes each week …)
Telephone: +32 2 479 720 711
Address: Chaussee de la Hulpe 166, 1170 Brussels, BELGIUM
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