Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), Question: where in Brussels (or Belgium) can you eat out on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day?
The brutal truth is that there are precious few places in the “capital of Europe” or the whole country where you can do this.
But, happily, there is one place – and a very good one – where, on arguably the two most “iconic” days of the year, you can let someone else do the hard graft and enjoy a damn good meal.
That place is called “The Poet” and, apart from being one of the genuinely few places to eat out on these two upcoming holiday dates, is also a bone fide top restaurant in Brussels
Who says so? Well, no less an independent judge than Trip Advisor.
The respected international travel guidance platform currently ranks this resto an incredible loft 18th among all the countless restaurants in Brussels.
It is a remarkable accolade and one that reflects very well on both the quality of the food and also the fantastically friendly service and welcome guests are given at this place.
It is part of the 262-bedroom Renaissance Brussels Hotel, just off Place Luxembourg and in the shadow of the European Parliament.
Over the years, it has become a must-place to stay for visiting government ministers, and even heads of state and prime ministers are their very frequent visits to Brussels.
MEPs even count the hotel as a kind of home from home during their workdays in Brussels.
But make no mistake: there is a lot more to this restaurant than merely hosting such folk. It is, particularly at weekends, also a great place to dine for perfectly ordinary people, including those living in its locality.
One of the reasons it is popular for “non-VIP” personnel is the cocktails it creates.
These are the work, essentially, of three people: Benjamin, from Brittany, Sarah, from Belgium and Aziz.
Benjamin used to work in London and Sarah in New York and it was here that they perfected the art of producing a cracking cocktail.
Each of the three talented cocktail shakers produces their cocktail which appears on the drinks menu under a special inventive name such as “Maya Angelou’s Star” and “Dickinson’s Smokey Bon Voyage”.
So, what is the secret of their success? Well, Ben told this website, “It is all about finding a good balance and, of course, a good product. The result can be magical.”
If the cocktails are creative so too is the menu which changes every 3-4 months and which currently features some particularly unusual dishes such as oxtail croquettes.
Of course, croquettes are a mainstay of most menus in Belgium but oxtail croquette? The executive chef here, French-born Jerome Ragon, wants to try something a bit different, and here, this single dish (oxtail croquette) is evidence of what he has achieved and maybe one reason why The Poet is No.18 on Trip Advisor’s rankings of the best restaurants in Brussels.
The menu is not especially long but it more than makes up for that in quality. You do get a sense that Jerome and his team in the kitchen invest all their effort and creativity into their endeavors.
Guests here are lucky also to be able to do something quite unusual in most restaurants. You can personally select a wine of your choice from the impressively stocked wine cellar. This is located next to a couple of rooms, one seating 30, and the other 24, which are best used for private functions such as parties and birthdays.
However, both will be in use for the big days coming up: Christmas and New Year.
The 76-seater restaurant, very tastefully decorated, has designed a couple of special menus for these two-holiday dates.
It will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the menu for these two days costs a very reasonable €55pp. It consists of “three servings and endless sharing”. Among the dishes on the menu are the aforementioned oxtail croquettes, curried roasted butternut roasted codfish, poultry supreme, and tartufata.
The equally terrific menu for New Year’s Eve and 1 January 2024 is no less than a 7-course affair, costing €125 pp and consisting of pan-fried scallops, lemon granite, deer filet, and foie gras, goat cheese mouse and chocolate cremeux.
If that is not a tantalizing and appetising way to welcome in the new year we are not sure what is.
Look out too for the very affordable €25pp 2-course lunch menu and another plus is the large, three-storey underground car park.
Supervising things in the resto is the wonderfully friendly and pleasant Kalinka, who is from Bulgaria (reflecting a multi-national team) and who started here as a trainee way back in 2017.
Ably supported by her very hard-working team, she (and they) epitomize why this place is well worth a visit – whether it is over the festive season or anytime in the coming 12 months.
The Poet
Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Ixelles
Tel – 02 505 2911
