October, 2007

Rating: 6 out of 10

The Tariff: Lunch for 3

• pasta dish
• salad platter
• sandwich
• 1 glass wine
• 1 soda
• 1 bottled water
• tip
• 50 Euros (approx $65)

The Setting

Dark and somewhat pub like inside, we were looking for a spot to enjoy the late afternoon air and grab a bite, since walking all over town checking out the environs and the antique and flea markets had left us famished. We sat at an outdoor table from which we could look at the Grand Place--a large Medieval square of ornate guildhalls. Locals and tourists meandered by, making the outdoor table setting even more appealing.

The Service

Our waiter was a friendly young man with a sense of humor, who joked with us about taking our time and about our choice of menu items, but the pleasure of his company ended there. I know that Europeans don't like to rush diners and so sometimes service seems slow to Americans. I can assure you this service was slow! Our first clue should have been when he was slipping past us to catch a smoke and we grabbed his attention to place our order. He noted the order (mentally) and then went on for his smoke before going back inside to place the order! After that, getting his attention or requesting anything we needed was even more tedious. We decided to go with the flow and continued to enjoy sitting outside in such a nice location.

The Food

My choice was the clear winner. I ordered a salad with warm goat cheese; it was frisee served lightly dressed and garnished with several strawberries--very healthy and light. My daughter ordered pasta, and trying to avoid a meat sauce, wound up with plain pasta with a shake or two of parmesan--pretty boring. My son (who had up to this point been very impressed with the paninis and French baguette sandwiches he'd sampled) ordered a club sandwich, and found to his dismay it was basically a hardboiled egg with a slice of turkey, a bit of avocado, lettuce, and tomato on Belgium's version of Wonder bread--ugh. His side order of fries was forgotten and when we finally got it we couldn't get any ketchup or mayo to go with....

Manneken Cafe was pricey, but then we knew it was going to be since it was just off the main square. Still I was annoyed to find that when we had asked for water and were brought bottled (could have been a miscommunication) the single serving of bottled water cost almost 5 Euros! Another reason to avoid the touristy spots, I guess.

Manneken Cafe
42 rue au Beurre
just off Grand Place
Brussels, 1000 Belgium