A hot bowl of mussels with fries sealed the deal this afternoon. It was easy deciding what to eat, but it was another matter when it comes to choosing where. The entire stretch of Rue des Bouchers was lined with restaurants. Waiters stood at the entrances urging you to enter.The first restaurant we sat at unpleasantly asked us to leave because we did not order a drink to go with our food.
We skipped right next door to La Cotelette which not only did not require us to buy drinks, the boss offered complimentary drinks. The €12 set lunch started with creamy fish soup and warm bread, followed by mussels and fries, and completed with buttery waffles with sugar and chocolate fudge.
Nabil, the restaurant manager, taught us French, offered a shoulder massage, sang for us, and wanted to hold back the bill just so we stayed longer.
A day in Brussels is short, but we managed to cover the key sights, such as Sainte Catherine Cathedral, The Stock Exchange, Saint Nicolas Church, Brussels Town Hall, Grand Place, and the Manneken Pis Fountain.
It was difficult saying goodbye to the hotel. At €55, Hotel Queen Anne offered a private double room en suite with television and hairdryer (I have learnt to appreciate these little luxuries), breakfast with excellent scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, selection of bread and cereal, and the experience of riding in its super vintage lift!
Location: Bussels, Belgium
Cost: £12 set lunch, €27 hotel, €1 orange juice on the train, €5 black netted stockings
Highlight: Meeting Nabil the friendly restaurant manager
Train: Paris Gare du nord to Brussels Midi in 1.5 hours
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