Brussels Travel Forum

We're off to Brussels tomorrow- for the Christmas markets- once again.
WE went last year and found a beautiful restaurant/ cafe which we'd like to find again!
I can't remember its name or exact location.
It's very near the underground excavations/ museum and, I think, near the Bourse?
It's a stunning Art Nouveau restaurant- looking almost excatly as it would have looked in the 1900s.
Please- can anyone help?

I think you´re probably thinking of Cafe Falstaff

http://www.ebru.be/Restaurants/RstFalstaff.html

Dave

Unfortunately it is closed. It already went bankrupt 6 or 7 years ago, was taken over by a company called Montecristo Bel (you may have noticed that what used to be the "New Falstaff" next door was called the Montecristo) and has now gone out of business again. Of course, someone else might have taken it over recently (haven't been down the Bourse lately - it is indeed right next to it, on the left hand side if you approach from the Grand' Place) but you should be prepared for disappointment.

I thought it opened again a oouple of months ago?
the previous owners were really not running good business.

Oh dear! Has the Falstaff really closed? That is a shame as it was quite an iconic place (it is mentioned in most of the guide books), and although not the best food, service, ambience, or premises in Brussels, it somehow seemed to add-up to something greater than the sum of its parts. However, I have to say that that street has become rather grotty with all the vacant buildings and the bus stands etc. Maybe the City has some plans for that area?

Andrew

I've heard rumors that the Falstaff was taken over.
And if so, I hope the quality of staff and food will be better than last year when I was there.
Price/quality was fairly overrated.
And then all the busses in front of the terace waiting and not turning off their motors. Really not nice when you sit there in a bit of sun eating your mussels.

Peter

Don't worry, we aren't having any sun so no-one is likely to be sitting outside the Falstaff even if it has re-opened!

Yes- we found it- it was the one- and it IS open!Next door is shut down- was that the MonteCristo?
It is unfortunate that the buses pull up there- but was handy for us as the 95 served our hotel area too!
We just had a coffee in the restaurant so can't comment on the food.Ambience was very pleasant.
Le Cirio was buzzing- so perhaps that's the new favourite?
Both equally beautiful examples of Art Nouveau- thanks for all your help.
BTW- it was freezing, blowing a gale and pouring with rain- so no sitting ouside, anywhere!Each time we went out we got soaked.Our hotel exceeded all our expectations, considering we'd gone on a cheap deal.It was so luxurious.I'm not used to staying in hotels- so I was really impressed.The normal nightly cost was 3 times the cost of our whole trip!
We both got food poisoning though- which marred the visit somewhat!We feel very frail on our return.We did so much on our 1st 2 days-I don't think we missed much by being so ill.
The pharmacist said there was a bug going around Brussels- so maybe it wasn't the moules- that we blamed??

well I guess it was the bug...
it is going on fast from one to the other,
not only in Brussels, lots of pple are ill but after 2 days you should have been ok again.

If you are merely "blaming the moules", and were not tested for what was actually wrong, it is far more likely that you picked up a stomach bug than that you had food poisoning, e.g. salmonella: these are not the same thing at all! And if it WAS food poisoning, it should have been reported because you would not have been the only ones that suffered.
Le Cirio is not a new but a very old favourite, always considered more of a locals' haunt than the Falstaff. And yes the Montecristo was next door to the Falstaff, the company that ran it ran both properties but maybe the new owners/managers have only taken on the original Falstaff. Let's hope someone manages to make a go of it, for some reason that side of the Bourse seems to really struggle commercially compared with the other.
Which hotel did you stay at? Anyway, glad you managed to enjoy Brussels despite the weather.

Dannie- you've heard of the 'bug', then?My friend saw postings on DS about it- it's raging thru Europe!
Lyn-I'm presuming we were affected by the moules as it was the only meal we'd had that day and the vomiting came on within hours.I have to admit that the loo was suspect in that restaurant.
We had done and seen so much in the days before that we didn't really miss much.We'd liked to have taken the metro out to the Atomium on our last morning- but we couldn't.
The Grand Place 'Son et Lumiere' was a stunner.The soprano singing the "Queen of the Night" aria was amazing.We didn't mind at all that it was pouring with rain!
We did seek refuge in a little bar-just off the Grand Place, when we'd seen enough.
The day before we shelterd in St. Catherine's church, after trailing around the delightful market.We discovered a Russian Orthodox ceremony taking place.The priest, was chanting, what appeared to be a blessing of food offerings, wrapped in pretty parcels.All was revealed when a babe in arms was carried out, with her family--to be christened.
The food was for the christening breakfast.
We 'talked' to the mother, who told us the baby, who was just 10 days old, was to be called Diana! What a delightful coincidence? We all smiled and laughed together.
Diana Andrea Florentina was her full name--I'll probably never forget it!Andrea was her mother's name and Florent, her father's.They were Romanian.
It was a lovely scene of serendipity that we'll treasure.

two weekends ago my mom was ill... previous week I was not very well... but it never came to really illness and a few days ago my son was ill and I thought my daughter's baby was not a 100 % either.

It doesn't mean it is not possible you got ill by mossels... we once had this but I can assure you... LOL
`-)

I've been looking at research figures on this Norovirus( if this is what we had), kindly supplied by DeptfordLads on here.
There has been a huge increase in this virus since 2005- mostly in Germany and England/Wales.The incidence in England has risen from 83 cases in '05 to 768 in '06!
In Germany it's risen 4X to 604!In France it's also very high.
Ireland has had only 7, while Spain is the lowest reported at 2!
It is stool borne and often thru seafood!!Also transferred thru raspberries!( in the water used in preparation of both products-I suppose?)
God- it's disgusting to think of.

I can think of a possible reason for the sudden influx of it to our shores but I cannot say on here!

Anyway- it's an horrific thing to get and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
We're both recovering slowly- but still feel so weak.I still have the headache that came with it and can't bear loud noises.
Let's hope it's given me an immunity to it now.

woww you have been hit really hard!
the increase of numbers also can indicate that more cases are registered.
here in Belgium we also have a website where you can add what you have and they draw statistics from it too. However it is only few years we are doing it and with the increase of people adding their info on it, the figures will go up accordingly.
I can think of a good reason why the concentration went up `-)
and yes... rather don't want to talk about it hahaha

I don't know if ours was that bug or just an ordinary infection.
I hope you will recover soon!

oh correction... I think it has been the Norovirus, always active between November and March and this year it has seen a dramatical increase because there is a new variant to which we are not resistant.
Last year there was a school and after a barbeque, 2/3 of the kids and teachers fell ill... they thought of food poisoning but by tests they found out it was caused by a virus... must have been the same.
I hardly can imagine reading the precautions you can stay safe from the virus.
Even 3 weeks after infection you can pass it on...
just imaging public transport... how high the risk is there, public toilets, unsufficient hygiene in kitchens...
it looks a bit frightening how quickly it spreads...

Exactly.
I did ring my GP's surgery -just to report mine, for their figures.
My doctor rang me later that evening to see if I was OK.What a sweetie.
He says there have been many cases in Richmond too.
I've never heard of it- till this year.
My friend and I are busy bleaching everything in sight- since our return!
I've had an email from my friend in Oz.She's been on travels around India and got the virus- she was hospitalized and had to have intravenous injections!
It does make one more aware of hygiene in the home- but one can't account for outside-- restaurants, etc and, as you say, public transport, etc.