As mentioned in my New Year’s resolution post, I started a new job in January which has kept me pretty busy over the past couple of months. There’s another bit of news that has slowed me down recently as well – I’m pregnant! I’m due in early June so am almost 7 months along (yikes!), which is making life more challenging by the day. The second trimester was pretty good but these days I’m feeling more like Elizabeth Banks in What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

And to top it all off, we are moving house. Like I needed one more thing contributing to stress and fatigue levels at the moment! So hopefully you can excuse me for not posting over the past few weeks.

I promise that I’ll be back soon to write about the best of Brussels and my favourite things in this city. In the meantime, you can find me over on  Twitter and Facebook where I’ll keep sharing all sorts of Brussels goodness that I come across. And if you’re going through any of the above (hopefully not all at the same time like me), here are a few links to help you out.

If you’re new to Brussels or just have a new job…

LinkedIn Expats Networking in Brussels group

International Young Women Partnership

Young Professionals in Foreign Policy

Newcomers to Brussels

or having a baby in Brussels…

Brussels Baby Book (also see the Facebook page)

Brussels Childbirth Trust (I’ve signed up for their prenatal classes)

Antenatal and Baby (classes, midwifery services, support group)

or if you’re moving…

Online list of moving companies and a moving checklist (we’re using Scholts)

Thanks for understanding and see you all back here soon!

As the name suggests, the food (and I’m assuming the owner as well) is Turkish. Laid out in a self-service buffet, the various cold and hot dishes change daily and offer a wide variety of choice. The website describes the food as “Mediterranean cuisine with Ottoman influences”. Sounds pretty good to me.

I’m partial to the humus, grilled aubergine, fresh salads and usually go for one of the hot dishes, like chicken or lamb on the side. They also have delicious prepared items like feta cheese in pastry and vegetable tarte which are hard to resist. They even have typical Turkish bread like you would find sold on the streets of Istanbul.

Once you’ve filled your plate, or take-away box, and reached the cash register, the payment is simple – the cost is based on weight. They have a selection of drinks and a few desserts to choose from as well. If you decide to eat in, you can always go back for seconds, which is tempting as everything I’ve tried to date has been delicious. In total, I usually pay around €10, depending on how hungry I am on a particular day. Not cheap for lunch, but worth every bite.

If you’re looking for something different for a meeting (who else never wants to see an open-faced sandwich again?), El Turco offers catering and lunchbox delivery. The cold mezze buffet is €12 per person, with a supplement of €3 per person for hot food. The lunchbox is a pretty good deal at €9 per person, which includes 5 cold mezze and 2 warm dishes (minimum of 5 boxes for delivery).

The kitchen is open all week for lunch and also for dinner from Wednesday to Friday. There’s currently a special deal running for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights – an all you can eat buffet for €20. They also can open on Monday and Saturday nights for group reservations (minimum 30 people).

As mentioned, El Turco also has a bar, which is located in the back of the restaurant (or via Place de Londres entrance). I’ve not yet gone for an after work drink, but it would be a good place to stop between the office and the metro after a long day. They have live music on Friday nights to liven the mood. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming events.

Afiyet olsun! (That’s bon appetit in Turkish, at least according to Google translate )

73 Rue du Trone (6 Place de Londres), 1050 Ixelles
Tel: +32 2 503 3648
Open: Kitchen – Monday to Friday, 11am-3pm, Wednesday to Friday, 6-10pm; Bar – Tuesday to Friday, 5pm to late

Images via El Turco.

The street style blog phenomenon has exploded in recent years (think The Sartorialist). So the website Belgium Cycle Chic, which started a couple of years ago, is right on trend. The blog features pictures and stories of interesting and stylish people on bikes around the country as a way to express street style, fashion and bicycle culture. The site was inspired by Copenhagen Cycle Chic, a concept which has spread to several cities and countries around the world, including bicycle capital Amsterdam.

Everyone is welcome to send in their photos of bike street style. So if you’re part of the scene, and maybe need a little motivation to look good on your bike, send your shots and a little description to info[a]cyclechic.be. You never know, you might be featured in the next post!

Another way to have some fun with your bike is to join the Brussels Bike Tag game. Started by Sebastien Pepinster who discovered the idea while living in Paris, the project aims to encourage people to ride bikes a bit more in winter and also discover the city along the way. So how does it work?

It’s just like a game of tag. First, head over to the project’s Facebook page to see where the last photo of someone’s bike was taken. Your aim is to find the location in Brussels, take a picture of your bike in the same spot and then take a photo of your bike in a new place in the city (ideally in a different commune). Next upload your two photos to the Facebook page by creating a new album with the tag number and your name. See the page description for more details about how to participate.

The goal is to reach 200 tags of different places around Brussels. The game is currently at number 102 (when this was posted), so there’s still plenty of time to play along. The winner will be randomly selected from participants who posted a valid tag. The more times you tag your bike, the more chance you have to win! I couldn’t find any details about the prizes, but I’m sure they will be bike related. And really, the idea is just to have a little fun!

Good luck to all of you on bikes this winter. Stay safe and warm!

And for some more cycling info fun, check out previous posts here and here.

Images via Belgium Cycle Chic and Brussels Bike Tag.

The no-fail option – Pierre Marcolini. Although they are a bit more expensive than your average box of chocolates, Marcolinis in their sleek black packaging are top-of-the-line Belgian chocolates and will always impress. The regular variety box includes classic and more adventurous flavors (like Earl Grey tea), and I’m sure they have some special offers for Valentine’s Day. Besides the flagship store on Sablon, you can also find them at Rob supermarket, the Midi train station or the Marcolini stores in Uccle and Woluwe.

1 Rue des Minimes, Place du Grand Sablon, 1000 Brussels
Tel : +32 2 514 12 06
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10am-7pm, Friday and Saturday, 10am-8pm

Something a little different – Laurent Gerbaud. This up-and-coming chocolatier has gathered inspiration travelling through Asia, especially China, and incorporates several unusual flavors and ingredients with Belgian chocolate to make for a unique treat. Located in a small shop across from BOZAR, Laurent is often in the atelier himself, whipping up a fresh batch and chatting with customers. Another recent discovery is Alex & Alex, a champagne and chocolate bar just off the Sablon. They do lovely pairings of bubbly and hand-made chocolates, which in my book would make a great Valentine’s gift.

2D Rue Ravenstein, 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 511 16 02
Hours: Monday-Sunday, 10:30am-7:30pm

For non-chocolate lovers – Maison Dandoy. If you’re looking for something sweet that isn’t made from cocoa, cookies (biscuits) from Dandoy are the way to go. Set up in 1829 by Jean-Baptiste Dandoy, the original shop is still located near the Grand Place and filled to the brim with different flavor speculoos and other types of cookies. There are six other locations around the city, including Brugmann, Sablon and Uccle. Another good option is a box of macaroons from the famous French pâtissière Ladurée. Although we don’t have a shop in Brussels, the store People Concept downtown (14 rue du Lombard) sells them. The Paul bakery chain also does a nice assortment of macaroons.

31 Rue au Beurre, 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 511 03 26
Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8:30am-7pm

So enjoy something sweet today and spread the love!

Images via ETVonWeb, Discover Kiosk and New York Serious Eats.

But of course the issue of violence against women is one that still needs a lot of work. So tomorrow on St Valentine’s Day, the European Women’s Lobby is joining the global One Billion Rising movement with a flashmob in Brussels to raise awareness and protest violence against women.

It’s unbelievable but one in three women will suffer physical violence during her lifetime, meaning one billion women in the world. Every day in Europe seven women die because of domestic violent attacks by their husbands or partners. If you’re as outraged by this fact as I am, head down to Place de la Monnaie at 5:30pm tomorrow to join the group dance and song, and take a stand.

Here are the instructions for the flashmob dance (get practicing tonight!) and you can read the lyrics to the song composed for the occasion “Rise Up, Stand Up!” here.

For more information, check out the EWL’s website or the Facebook event page.

This is a great way to make Valentine’s Day a bit more meaningful beyond the typical flowers and chocolates. And hey, the event will be over by 6:30pm, so you’ll still have time to make your romantic dinner tomorrow night!

I first heard about Jean-Baptiste and his truck when he opened a couple of months ago but just never managed to find him at lunch time. Let’s blame it on the weather this winter, shall we? Anyway, this past weekend while perusing the stalls at the Flagey market (as noted yesterday, one of my favorite things to do in Brussels), I at long last found the Keep on Toasting truck.

This of course just happened to be the day when the Belgian TV channel RTBF was filming a segment about entrepreneurs during the economic crisis, including Jean-Baptiste. You can watch the clip here (and maybe even catch me on camera too ) Keep on Toasting has already gained a lot of popularity due to unique sandwiches and Jean-Baptiste’s great use of Twitter and website to keep people informed of his location.

The little white truck was tucked among the vendors at the market, with a few customers lined up and lots of interest from passers-by. The menu is straight forward – 4 different sandwich options and one dessert every day. The current selection includes the croque-belge (ham, Belgian cheese, Brussels sprouts, nutmeg), croq-français (Entremont cheese, chicken, leeks, rosemary-honey), croq-italien (mozzarella, Italian ham, grilled courgette, red pepper tapenade, thyme), and croq-indien (tandoori cheese, sweet-sour carrots, lemongrass, raisins, curry). All cost €5 and for the moment you have to pay by card (Bank Contact or Proton), as the chef works alone and doesn’t want to handle food and money at the same time.

I opted for the croq-italien, and as it was a cold day, Jean-Baptiste wrapped them up so we could take them home to eat along with a bowl of soup. He also very kindly threw in an order of crepes (€2 for 3), which was the dessert of the day. The sandwich was toasted to perfection on his griddle and had the right balance of ingredients. Even after the ride home, it was still warm and delicious.

If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend finding the Keep on Toasting truck for a lunch-time snack. You can check the website for the menu and calendar of locations (which changes daily) or follow Jean-Baptiste @keepontoasting or on Facebook for his latest news.

And if you’re really a social media guru, your first Foursqaure check-in at the truck will grant you a free dessert and your tenth check-in will gift you a free croque-monsieur sandwich.

Wishing you all a happy weekend and to Jean-Baptiste, keep on toasting!

1. What makes you happy in this city?

I guess I’m pretty easy to please. What makes me happy is to go for a walk through the Flagey market on a Saturday morning with my dog Charlie, pass by the Etangs d’Ixelles, stop by the Parc du Roi to let him play with other doggie friends, and then finish at Natural Caffe with a cappuccino and a pain au chocolate. It’s a great way to start the weekend on my own or with a friend (a shout out to my friend Jen and her dog Kali who we miss at the park!)

2. What inspires you in this city?

I find the unexpected, low-key nature of Brussels inspiring. At first glance, it can seem dull and quiet, but if you start the scratch the surface, it can show a whole other side. There are so many creative boutiques like Hunting & Collecting and small art galleries like Harlan Levey Projects scattered around the city. They’re not always in the most obvious locations but there are some tools out there to help, such as Shop in Brussels and Design September, and of course just exploring new areas of town. I recommend starting with the Dansaert / Sainte Catherine neighborhood.

3. What works well for you in the city?

I’d have to say what works best in Brussels are the restaurants. We are truly spoiled for choice and quality. It may not always be the cheapest, but man we have some good food here. One of my absolute favorites, Chez Marie, sadly closed recently, but there are still loads of great choices including La Canne en Ville, Les Brassins, Britxos, Gaudron, La Cuisine, O-Liban. Need I go on?

4. What would you do better?

If you’re a regular reader, you know I always try to focus on the positive aspects of this city, but I’m going to make an exception today. One of my gripes about this city is the metro. I recently changed jobs and have started taking public transport to work (instead of the car), and while it’s great to skip the traffic and road rage in the mornings, I must say that the metro seems worse than when I used to take it regularly a few years ago. So many of the stops are under what seems like permanent construction or crumbling, there aren’t enough of the new trains running and what is with the infrequent times during rush-hour? I’m not sure if the background music and strange artwork make up for it. Follow @STIB_Fail on Twitter if you want some more views on the subject.

5. How would you do it better?

Now this is a tricky one. It’s easy to complain about aspects of life in Brussels, but not as easy to suggest solutions. One idea on my list would be to do away with “priorité de droite”, the traffic law which basically means that you must give way to traffic coming from your right (but not all the time, very confusing). More often than not, this rule drives me crazy and has made me think seriously about donating a stop sign to a corner in my neighbourhood. Maybe I could start a stop sign campaign? Just kidding, sort of. This is one of the things that makes Brussels a special place after all.

How would you answer the questionnaire? Be sure to share your thoughts!

ProPulse focuses on showcasing local artists and musicians to the professional community (with the hope to boost their careers). Like last year, the festival is featuring rock, electronic, jazz, pop and world music concerts at Botanique on 6, 7 and 8 February. In addition, Flagey is hosting classical music performances and Les Halles de Schaerbeek is showing dance, theatre and other artistic acts during the week.

Day-time events are for professionals only but all of the evening concerts and shows are for the public, with an entrance fee of just €7. Listening to the web radio on the festival’s website, I spotted a couple of good artists that have concerts open to the public.

Sarah Carlier (who I already wrote about last year) – Thursday at 9:40pm

Vegas – Wednesday at 8:50pm

There are a few other performances each evening so it’s worth a look at the full program here. Not a bad line up for such a bargain price!

Situated on a little square between Rue du Trône and Chaussée de Wavre, Chou (not to be confused with Le Chou de Bruxelles) is a tiny space with no more than 10 tables in an intimate setting. According to the video on their website, the whole idea behind the restaurant is ‘transparency’ – the chairs are transparent, the kitchen is open and you can see through the floor into the wine cellar. This is off-set with rustic wood tables and dark panelled walls, making it cozy yet modern.

Chou was opened by French chef Dominique Aubry in 2007 and offers a set 3-course menu for €45. This menu instant is described as the ‘chef’s inspiration’  and was my pick for lunch that day. There are other menu options with higher price tags and wine pairings as well.

The service started out with a little amuse-bouche, which in my opinion is a sign of good things to come. The first course was two huge scallops perfectly cooked with a mushroom puree – two of my favorite things on one plate. Happy so far.

Next came the main course of duck and a medley of vegetables and other interesting accompaniments (I can’t remember exactly what they were so please refer to the above picture. I think the orange puree was pumpkin or possibly carrot. In any case, yummy). And a flower petal and mousse make everything taste better, n’est-ce pas? I ate every bite.

Then the dessert. A trio of chocolate mousse, mini cheesecake and vanilla ice cream. All delicious and light enough not to feel stuffed from lunch. Coffee came with a generous selection of petits fours which I couldn’t resist tasting.

The wait-staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, and was just attentive enough during the meal. Now I know €45 is expensive for a mid-day meal, but if someone else is footing the bill (e.g. your employer) I would highly recommend it. Otherwise, go in the evening for a special dinner, as the food is truly of gourmet quality.

Thanks to the very generous colleagues/friends who introduced me to Chou. It was a lovely meal in a perfect setting on a cold day!

Wishing you a good weekend and happy eating!

Built in 1938 by Belgian architect Joseph Diongre, Flagey was originally the home of the National Institute for Radio Broadcasting and one of the first broadcasting buildings in Europe. It’s an impressive landmark nestled between Place Flagey and the Ixelles Ponds, and if you use your imagination, looks a little bit like a steamboat. The studios, especially Studio 4, have amazing acoustics and have hosted numerous concerts and recordings over the decades. Renovated in 2002, this art deco building now serves as a venue for all types of musical performances, film showings and other cultural events. I’ve been to a few classical and jazz concerts at Flagey over the years and always enjoyed the intimate setting of the studios.

Over the next four days, a special “Flagey 75” program will feature classical, jazz and big band music to celebrate this golden anniversary. Things kick off tonight with pianist Till Fellner exploring the 19th century with Robert Schumann and continue tomorrow with a performance by Musiques Nouvelles. On Friday, the Brussels Philharmonic will go back to Gatsby’s roaring twenties with ragtime and jazz from Shostakovich, Gershwin & Stravinksy. Then on Saturday evening the Matthew Herbert Big Band will get things swinging around 8pm, followed by an after party hosted by Radio Modern.

The anniversary year at Flagey continues with the Musiq3 Festival during the last weekend of June, the KlaraFestival in September and finally in December, a series of concerts around the “Voice”. The venue will also host some unique film screenings throughout the coming months, including an original documentary Phantom of Flagey featuring archival audio-visual material on 15 March.

Tickets for the concerts this week range between €20 and €35 (discounts for students) and can be bought online or at the door. If you happen to have a BNP Paribas Fortis card, you get a discount of 30% off all music productions at Flagey (except some of the festivals).

So here’s to you Flagey – happy birthday and many more!

Images via Flagey and Agenda Magazine.