Brussels Bruxelles - Amsterdam Bruges and Brussels - page 436

frambozen in Flemish). These beers look and taste more like a dry,
somewhat bitter cider. The brewer doesn't add yeast—the beer fer-
ments naturally from yeast found floating only in the marshy air
around Brussels. For more on Belgian beer, see page 367.
A la Mort Subite, north of the restaurant streets, is a clas-
sic old bar that has retained its 1928 decor...and many of its 1928
customers (Mon-Sat 11:00-24:00,
Sun 13:00-22:00, Rue Montagne-
aux-Herbes Potagères 7, tel. 02-513-
1318). Named after the “sudden
death” playoff that workingmen
used to end their lunchtime dice
games, it still has an unpretentious,
working-class feel. The decor is sim-
ple, with wood tables, grimy yellow
wallpaper, and some-other-era gar-
land trim. Tiny metal plates on the
walls mark spots where gas-powered flames once flickered—used
by patrons to light their cigars. A typical lunch or snack here is a
tartine (open-face sandwich, €5) spread with fromage blanc (cream
cheese) or pressed meat. Eat it with one of the home-brewed,
lambic- based beers. This is a good place to try the kriek (cherr y-
flavored) beer. The Bruxelloise claim it goes well with sandwiches.
At Le Cirio, across from the Bourse, the dark tables bear the
skid marks of over a century's worth of beer steins (nightly 10:00-
1:00 in the morning, Rue de la Bourse 18-20, tel. [phone]).
A la Bécasse is lower profile than Le Cirio, with a simple
wood-panel and wood-table decor that appeals to both poor stu-
dents and lunching businessmen. The home-brewed lambic doux
has been served in clay jars since 1825. It's just around the corner
from Le Cirio, toward the Grand Place, hidden away at the end
of a courtyard (Mon-Sat 10:00-24:00, Sun 11:00-24:00, Rue de
Tabora 11, tel. [phone]).
Two Humble Bars: The classics recommended above are
famous among tourists and understandably so. The following local
hangouts offer a more basic, neighborhood feel: Fin de Siècle is
a youthful bohemian scene serving basic, no-pretense Belgian/
French dishes for around €13 (daily from 18:00, Rue des Chartreux
9). he adjacent Le Greenwich is a chess bar with a rough, circa-
1900 former elegance serving good beer and simpler plates—like
spaghetti (closed Sun, Rue des Chartreux 7, tel. [phone]).