More than twenty years ago, Le Cheval Marin went bankrupt, and the restaurant has remained closed ever since, except for a brief reopening in 2018. But today the doors swing open again and the city gets a little more colorful.
Le Cheval Marin was renovated for a long time by AB InBev, together with the Monuments and Sites Department of the Brussels Region, until the Café la Pompe team reopened it in 2018. The corona crisis put an early end to that initiative, and the beautiful seventeenth-century building, which was the residence of the captain of the port of Brussels, closed again.
But today you can walk in again. When you push open the door, you find yourself in a large room with a very charming decor, reminiscent of the somewhat dark cafes of Central Europe, in Vienna or Prague. Impressive wooden paneling, a sensual bar – you feel like touching it -, small round tables in marble and lots of mirrors, the whole thing forces you to introspect and even describe it. We fall in love with the shades, from green to taupe, and note how the elegant S-shaped sofa shapes the space as a kind of central island.
The owners of Le Cheval Marin have class: they serve an excellent beer list and delicious home-made croquettes in an elegant setting
The Café des Minimes team – Charles Levie, Léopold van der Gracht, Jean Van Campenhout and Tanguy Soille – is now at the helm. This quartet, also the driving forces behind Café Circus on London Square, knows their stuff. Just look at the beers they offer – from Brasserie de la Senne, La Mule, Illegal (6.10 euros for the Golden IPA), La Source …
Their good taste doesn’t stop at that beer glass. With a not too extensive menu of snacks and small dishes, they are not fooling anyone – with the exception of a meager and far too salty portion of olives (5 euros). The best proof of their dedication can be found in the shrimp (16 euros for two) and cheese croquettes (13 euros for two). These delicacies, wrapped in panko, appear on our plate with fried parsley and pickled onions. They are unmistakably homemade. The same applies to the vegetarian americain with beetroot and accompanying herbs, served with crispy fries.
Also worth mentioning is the hall on the first floor, which plays the cultural card: live concerts every Thursday, and DJ sets and jam sessions at the weekend.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
