A short, but busy week at work went surprisingly fast. I couldn’t stop thinking about my trip to brussels, and my first experience on the Eurostar. There is something nice about not having to sit through the ordeal of National Express coach to Stansted airport with no air conditioning, and then fighting through passport control. Instead a mere two hours and you’ve passed through France and into Belgium.
Arriving in to brussels we quickly made our way on to the tram/train network, which was an absolute filth pot. Bohemian music was being badly played by the gypsy community, beggars were sprawled outside nearly every train door, and pickpockets were practically fondling against our pockets – still, it’s all about the experience, or so they say. Brussels itself has a very large migrant community, which does mean there is an array of cuisine across the capital, and also has a fantastic African district serving up some real treats. But the city is looking grey, dirty and run down. WY was located in an upscale part of the city to the south-east.
This one Michelin starred restaurant, is situated inside the Mercedes House and is led by head chef, Bart De Pooter. We sat down and it took a good ten minutes for any member of staff offered us an aperitif, or wine menu. Our fellow diners looked as though they were all talking business, in sharp suits – we were clearly the only ones here for the meal experience. Service was ample throughout our meal, but there was a real lack of it.
It was great that the kitchen opened up in to the dining room and once we chose our menu and of course, our wine we were quickly brought over a lovely selection of breads. Some poppadoms and breadstick stood in a bowl of Indian bombay mix, with a curried coriander hummus dip. A warm whole brown loaf was accompanied by two very unusual, but delicious butters. One, had a slightly sweet flavour with a texture like marshmallow, and the other a red wine butter with mousse like texture – all very good.
Nibbles were in the form of a single clam and lime mousse served in a martini glass to refresh our palate, before moving on to a black pudding loaf, filled with berry fruit compote and apples. But the little wafer parcels filled with foie gras pellets and a sour tart berry puree was very indulgent and a lovely start to our meal.
We dined at lunch, which will set you back around 70 euros per head, including wine pairings. There was only one choice of starter, which was ox tongue served two ways, sliced and as a loose terrine. Some dollops of candied white cabbage puree, pickled micro turnips and a very delicious, sauce of cloves and spices. It all tasted very pleasant, but as a dish it was quickly forgotten.
The zander (white fish) fillet was probably the best part of our meal. A delicately cooked piece of white fish with a nice crispy skin – and a huge dollop of caviar. The fish was set on a bed of bulgar wheat and had a lovely flavour running through it all with the addition of a fennel consume. A good helping of some chilli flakes gave it all a nice oomph. The dish was good, but i was yet to warrant any of my dishes, including this one, a Michelin star.
Chicken fillets were topped with some streaky bacon, a potato rosti, salsify and lots of mushrooms. What i suspect was a mushroom puree made the dish look a little dull and the jus that accompanied it tasted very oily. It looked a mess on the plate and everything felt quite heavy, with no delicacy to it. A real let down of a dish.
Dessert fared a little better. With the addition of a pre-dessert in the form of a peach sorbet and deconstructed cheesecake it really brought us back, and I would have happily eaten this as my full dessert instead. All the flavours married together beautifully, and that sorbet, well it was something else indeed.
A beautifully presented date and pumpkin ravioli, came served with an array of toasted nuts and sweet candied peel – it was very unusual, especially the mouthfeel of the ravioli which was translucent and hard, like a piece of candied fruit. A very potent calamansi sorbet made this dish an alluring one, but in a good way or not, i couldn’t quite decide.
We had a late lunch here at WY, but in a Michelin starred restaurant i felt the closing of this dining room and relaxed service before we even finished our meal meant we never got the chance for that ‘dining experience’. Wines were very expensive from the menu so make sure to opt for the wine paring, it offers great value for money. With Michelin starred dining in Brussels you can do so much better, and for me WY does not deserve its star, for now. It needs some serious hard work to impress its diners – not everyone is here on business.
6/10
