eating abroad

This Hotspot in Brussels Is One to Know

Recently, I took the train to Brussels for work for a day. Travelling by train is fun, not least because your hands are free, so you can snack on all kinds of things you wouldn’t be able to when driving. I also can’t visit a city, even if it’s only for a day, without thoroughly researching what I’m going to eat there—and although I first had to deal with a major disappointment, things eventually worked out after all…

Foto van culinair journalist Delilah Warcup - van Eyck

Initially, I had my heart set on eating oysters on the terrace of Mer du Nord (or North Sea, as it’s also known—the bilingualism really is a thing) in the afternoon, standing up, with a glass of chilled white wine. The location I wanted to visit isn’t on the square with the very fewest tourists, but there are usually enough locals doing the same thing next to you that it still feels as though you’re blending into the atmosphere of the city. But things turned out differently…

Closed or open on Monday

Because Mer du Nord is completely closed on Mondays (and Sundays), I now know that next time I should try to arrange work on another weekday. Fortunately, it soon turned out there was a great alternative—something completely different, but a lovely discovery: Knees to Chin.

Buns and rolls

You could imagine doing an energetic little hop at the name, and you might well do one when you see these incredibly delicious rice-paper rolls with fillings. There’s also a choice of a few side dishes, some wonderful bites such as vegan and pork steamed buns, and a few desserts (the Vietnamese black sesame cake is excellent!).

Tears in my eyes from the rice

Knees to Chin already has four locations in Brussels and one in Ghent, and the kitchen team consists of a group of spirited women originally from Vietnam. They come from different regions of Vietnam, each bringing their own culinary knowledge. They bring this Asian street-food culture to Brussels perfectly; I almost had tears in my eyes over how delicious I found the bowl of rice with peanut sauce. And that was the side dish! I was also overjoyed by the spring roll I chose, with minced chicken and lemongrass. Generously filled, with clearly distinguishable flavours.

Bring on the sauces

Another nice touch: your order comes with an array of homemade sauces. That way, if you like, you can try something different with every bite; hoisin sauce turned out to be my favourite. I would have liked there to be a screamingly hot sauce among them too, but perhaps I should simply have asked at the bar (where you place your order and pay immediately).

spring roll knees to chin — De-li-cious!

One small drawback

The only real drawback was that grumpy, disinterested service also proved impossible to avoid in Brussels. (Please note: this was the girl behind the cash register, not the chef! And this server’s behaviour was offset by another absolutely lovely, service-oriented colleague.)

This is where you want to go

It may sit somewhere between a street-food and hipster concept, but the lady chefs are authentically Asian, and secretly it makes me very happy that you can also order a perfectly decent glass of wine here, served in a proper glass, to enjoy on the terrace. It’s also very affordable, especially for a city like Brussels. Knees to Chin: remember that name and stop by during the day when you’re in Brussels or Ghent! But not on Sundays, because they’re closed then.

Knees to Chin, several locations in Belgium

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