o :- : - o~ o| | :/ n

- fnnee squne HeLs -

Omnivore
P
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
y
:

R
u
d
o
l
f

v
a
n

d
e
r

V
e
n
Hncn cn st a trial in
Brussels. Its freezing, the
skies are leaden and youre still
paying o your Christmas credit
card bill. Im supposed to be on a
spring health kick, but a cursory
glance in the mirror conrms my
fears: I look like an angry bowl
of porridge on legs, grey, lumpy
and defeated. What I need
what we all need is Yti.
Yti opened last October in a
tiny cobbled backstreet near the
GrandPlace and its like a
culinary hug: warm and
welcoming. The interior is a
cheery mix of pale wood, vivid
batik curtains and mismatched
vintage Formica chairs with a
small selection of deli treats to
buy on bright yellow shelves.
Multilingual and much-
travelled owner Maxime Everaert
strives to oer fresh, natural food
that isnt self-denying. You
dont need to be a hippy to eat
well, says the menu. Everythings
local and seasonal, much is
organic, but its also sublime
comfort food: who wouldnt be
tempted by homemade
shngers in a Parmesan and
parley crust or a caramelised
onion tarte tatin with ginger?
Yti opens for breakfast with
variations on eggs, homemade
Hns tui tit prouvant
pour le moral Bruxelles.
Lhiver est cens tre pass,
mais il fait un froid de canard et
le dcouvert creus Nol peine
se rsorber. Malgr ma dtox
printanire, le miroir me renvoie
limage dun vieux bol de
porridge sur pattes, gris, boum
et dprim. Ce quil nous faut,
moi et nous tous, cest Yti.
Ouvert en octobre dernier
dans une ruelle pave proche
de la Grand-Place, Yti agit
comme un gros clin culinaire.
Chaleureux, accueillant et
joyeux, lintrieur mle bois
clair, rideaux en batik colors et
chaises formica vintage, avec sur
les tagres jaune vif quelques
gteries dpicerie ne.
YTI
emm eeooNcfoN
Bookalokal is a new departure for Brussels: a website bringing together supper clubs and
enthusiastic home cooks with adventurous visitors and locals in search of a different dining
experience. Browse available meals from South Indian vegetarian lunches to Champagne and
canaps, then book and pay online so on the night you can just turn up and enjoy. bookalokal.com
Bookalokal est un concept indit Bruxelles. Ce site Internet rassemble restaurants privs et
cuisiniers amateurs dun ct, touristes et rsidents en qute de nouvelles expriences culinaires de
lautre. Faites votre choix en vous aidant des fiches dtailles (djeuner vgtarien indien, soire
champagne et canaps), rservez et payez en ligne pour pouvoir savourer le jour J. bookalokal.com
granola, warm buttermilk
biscuits (a bit like scones) and
fresh juices. An eclectic selection
of teas and good coee are
served in sunshine-yellow mugs.
At weekends, there are two huge
brunch options: the Brooklyn
features a stack of pillowy
American-style pancakes with
maple syrup, bacon and wilted
greens, while the Natural has
cheese and charcuterie and a
vegetable rsti cake, cumin
scented and deliciously savoury,
served with an intense beetroot
mousse. Its generous, fresh and
incredibly cheering: a ray of
foodie sunshine to keep us going
till spring arrives.
Emma Beddington blogs at
belgianwa ing.com
BREAKFAST
IN BRUSSELS
LE PETIT
DJEUNER
BRUXELLES
YTI
4 rue de Bon
Secours, 1000,
+32 (0)476
888 594,
IloveYti.be
Nature &
Brooklyn 22,
boiled egg 2,
granola 5
Nature
Brooklyn 22 ,
uf dur 2 ,
granola 5
ANOTHER TO TRY / GALEMENT AU MENU
MET0225-030 Breakfast/Lunch/DinnerLGSF.indd 30 19/02/2013 10:40
:- : - o~ o| | :/ n
- fnnee squne HeLs -
Omnivore
vtvt nn Hot
Chinese restaurants in
London before, but theyve
rarely attempted any sort of
experimentation with Chinas
vast culinary canon. Now weve
got two new restaurants that do
exactly that. Bo London is the
Mayfair outpost of wok n roll
Alvin Leung, recently arrived
here from Hong Kong to tout
his X-treme Chinese cuisine.
Less wacky but just as creative
is HKK, the latest oering
from the Hakkasan group,
which has just opened near
Liverpool Street.
Tong Chee Hwee, who helped
launch the original ground-
breaking Hakkasan back in 2001,
is now the groups executive chef,
and HKK is very much his baby.
Its tasting menu-only set-up
could be considered a modern
take on the Chinese banquet.
The intimate low-key dining
room is built around a central
Lonbts n vu bien
des restaurants chinois
modernes qui obissent tous
une logique de rinterprtation
des classiques de la cuisine
cantonaise, quelques plats
explosifs du Sichuan en
plus, sans aucune vellit
dexprimentation partir du
vaste patrimoine chinois.
Deux nouveaux changent la
donne. Bo London est le rejeton
Mayfair du trs woknroll
Alvin Leung, frachement arriv
de Hong Kong avec sa cuisine
chinoise extrme . Moins
djant, tout aussi inventif,
HKK, dernire adresse en date
du groupe Hakkasan, vient
douvrir prs de Liverpool Street.
Le fondateur dHakkasan,
Alan Yau, nest peut-tre plus
de la partie mais le chef excutif
Tong Chee Hwee, artisan du
lancement de ce rvolutionnaire
cantonais en 2001, est toujours
l. HKK est un peu son bb.
Ici, il ny a rien que des menus
dgustation, comme une version
moderne du banquet chinois.
Intime et sobre, la salle
est organise autour dun
HKK
,oe wrwck
counter, above which hang
pretty white porcelain peaches,
and upon whose cherry wood
roasted Peking ducks arrive to
be carved.
You can have 15 courses for
98, but eight courses (48)
oer a more aordable, less
time-consuming lunchtime
option. A trio of dim sum and
the aforementioned duck aside
(a delicate portion of which is
delivered pre-wrapped in a
pancake), many courses would
be best described as fusion.
Dishes such poulet de Bresse
and dried scallop soup and Four
Treasure Ibrico ham wrap apply
foreign inuences to Chinese
food with stunning results.
Maxime Everaert ore une
cuisine frache et naturelle, sans
frugalit car, comme dit la carte :
Il ne faut pas tre un rescap
du Larzac pour bien manger .
Tout est donc local et de saison,
souvent bio, mais aussi trs
rconfortant : qui rsisterait
un poisson pan maison en
crote de parmesan et persil
ou une tarte tatin loignon
caramlise au gingembre ?
Au petit djeuner, ufs,
muesli maison, biscuits chauds
au babeurre et jus de fruits frais
partagent les tables avec des
mugs de th (slection varie)
et de bon caf. Le week-end
ore deux pantagruliques
formules brunch : le Brooklyn,
avec ses pancakes moelleuses
accompagnes de sirop drable,
de bacon et de lgumes verts,
et le Natural, qui ore fromage,
charcuterie et un rsti de
lgumes au cumin, servi avec
une mousse la betterave.
Gnreux, frais et revigorant :
un petit rayon de soleil
culinaire en attendant le vrai.
Emma Beddington blogue sur
belgianwa ing.com
LUNCH IN
LONDON
LE DJEUNER
LONDRES
HKK
88 Worship
Street, EC2,
+44 (0)20
3535 1888,
hkklondon.com
Eight-course
tasting menu,
drinks and
service 65
Menu dgustation
8 plats, boissons
et service
environ 65
MET0225-030 Breakfast/Lunch/DinnerLGSF.indd 33 19/02/2013 10:40