Restaurants

One of the things I missed as soon as I left my Torino was the ritual of the aperitif. After work we used to meet in bars in the town center, and enjoy some drinks accompanied by free food, this is the concept.

And one day, walking around Brussels, I heard someone speaking my dialect, I turned around and saw “La Piola” aperitif bar in Brussels. I almost cried while ordering a glass of white Moscato wine and picking some of the food.

A few years have passed since that day, and the Piola is still running. There are 2 even.

La Piola Libri is a bookstore, wine bar, apero bar, concert/conference place for Italians or Italy lovers. The evenings with Guccini and Vinicio Capossela were unforgettable.

It’s nested in the European Quarter not far from Schuman.

The second branch, La Piola is just off pl. Chatelain (rue du page 2, Ixelles). It’s an apero bar, a wine bar and also a good simple Italian restaurant with a nice front terrace and a backyard garden.

Do not expect the variety of food you can get in Torino, but still I feel at home (you can even read La Stampa, the Turin newspaper).

This restaurant is excellent. Everything about it is worth your visit. The food, the service, the interior, and the price quality equation.

I go there often and I always have such a great experience. I have rarely encountered such a perfect service. You will be treated as royalty. You are offered a very high quality appetizer, with papadum, pickle, chutney and raita. All served in beautiful traditional bowls and plates. The main course is so fresh and great tasting you will feel good all evening.

Furthermore it is situated in a very active neighbourhood with bars everywhere and people walking even on a Tuesday evening.

A nice bar where it is great to sit quietly on the weekend. It is a fairly small bar in the center. It has a large terrace that is heated in Winter. It is located near the trendy bars in Brussels not far from the Bourse.

There is an 19th century warehouse (!) in front where you will regularly see tourists looking up in amazement. The service is quick because most people go to the other bars. You can have salads or a main course and they have a large selection of cocktails. Inside there is a small bar and a roomier setting where there are some tables.

Place Rouppe is in the centre of Brussels and has several nice bars and restaurants surrounding the roundabout.

There is a bar “Houtsiplou” with a very large terrace, they serve juices, salads, main courses and other beverages and snacks. The quality is high and the prices are low. The people who serve there are very sweet and fast. The high ceiling inside enlarges the place and the windows let in a lot of light.

Place Rouppe is in the middle of rue du Midi, with a great photography shop and two musical instruments shops (guitars and drums) and the Stalingradlaan. The Stalingradlaan has several Moroccan food shops and restaurants, two Moroccan bakeries, fish restaurants and coffee bars. This area is a wonderful entrance to the center and offers a lively atmosphere.

Set in the beautiful art nouveau building `The old England’, this museum guarantees a well spent afternoon. Various instruments, European and non European. are at display. Infrared headphones offer the possibility to hear extracts from the instruments you are viewing.

They collected a large sample of extracts for you to listen to, making a visit to this museum a feast for body and soul. In September until June concerts are organized there. These concerts make use of the enormous rare and ancient instruments in the collection.

Your visit is chronologically structured taking you to instruments and their sounds from ancient times until present day. Guided tours are also offered to give you a more thorough understanding of musical evolutions. Next to this rich collection of instruments the museum has a library where you can proceed your investigation of everything about music. It has a long history of collecting, renovating and preserving instruments that makes this museum extra spectacular.

There is also a shop where you can buy books, Cd’s and other music related products. Pictures and video extracts nicely put next to the instruments on display give you further insights. This is truly a museum where education, entertainment and conservation come together. Even if you don’t have time to visit this museum you can still visit the restaurant without paying for the entrance to the museum.