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126 | DESTINATION GUIDES<br />
Brussels<br />
Belgium<br />
DIALLING CODE +32<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI<br />
A taxi to the centre<br />
costs about €35.<br />
Every 20 minutes,<br />
routes 12 and 21<br />
go to Schuman metro<br />
station in the centre.<br />
Tickets: €3.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Thai<br />
Orchid (1629 Chaussée<br />
de Wavre, tel: 02 673<br />
7098) Try fi lling threecourse<br />
lunch menus<br />
served in this Zenlike<br />
environment.<br />
UP TO €30 Spicy Grill<br />
(102 Rue Stevin, tel: 02<br />
512 2505) Set in a 20thcentury<br />
mansion, this<br />
renovated restaurant<br />
is modern in style and<br />
cuisine. As expected<br />
by the name, the food<br />
is hot stuff!<br />
UP TO €50<br />
Pheniciens Palace<br />
(7 Avenue Jules du<br />
Jardin, tel: 02 779 4222)<br />
Find great Lebanese<br />
cuisine at this superb<br />
villa. Order the large<br />
Phenicien menu for<br />
a selection of the best<br />
dishes on offer.<br />
EXCLUSIVE<br />
Le Chalet de la Forêt<br />
(43 Drève de Lorraine,<br />
tel: 02 374 5416) Chef<br />
Pascal Devalkeneer<br />
heads up this sumptuous<br />
restaurant minutes<br />
from the city centre. The<br />
chef’s fi ve-course menu<br />
allows diners to sample<br />
his fi nest cuisine.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY De Ultieme<br />
Hallucinatie (316<br />
Koningsstraat, tel: 02<br />
217 0614) As impressive<br />
as an art museum,<br />
this venue consists of<br />
three rooms of various<br />
architectural infl uences.<br />
It’s a great place to chill<br />
out with a drink.<br />
LIVE MUSIC Marcus<br />
Mingus Jazz Spot<br />
(17–19 Rue de la<br />
Fourche, tel: 02 514<br />
1615) Fantastic live jazz<br />
NH BRUSSELS<br />
CITY CENTRE<br />
★ ★ ★ ★ ★<br />
Fantastically<br />
positioned right in<br />
the centre of the city,<br />
the NH Brussels is an<br />
ideal base from which<br />
to explore the city. Sip<br />
a delicious Belgian<br />
beer at Brasserie<br />
Chez Louise. From<br />
€110, book at hotels.<br />
easyJet.com.<br />
is played in this cosy<br />
club located in the chic<br />
Floris Arlequin Hotel.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Conways (10 Avenue<br />
de la Toison d’Or, tel: 02<br />
511 2668) The resident<br />
DJ and outrageous staff<br />
make Conways a popular<br />
place to dance till dawn.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Dig for<br />
a designer bargain at<br />
vintage store J M Piu,<br />
where you can fi nd<br />
almost-new designer<br />
goods at great prices<br />
(10 Plattesteen).<br />
SEE Discover the<br />
customs, accents and<br />
quirks of Brussels in an<br />
interactive exhibition<br />
– Experience Brussels<br />
– held at Brussels<br />
Info Place until 30<br />
December (2–4 Rue<br />
Royale, biponline.be).<br />
GO The Colonne<br />
du Congrès, in<br />
Congresplein is an<br />
impressive column,<br />
which towers over the<br />
city. Stroll through the<br />
nearby streets and soak<br />
up the spirit of the city.<br />
ESCAPE Leuven,<br />
just 30 minutes away,<br />
is home to Belgium’s<br />
oldest university, the<br />
KUL. Don’t miss the<br />
Oude market, then stop<br />
off for a pint of worldfamous<br />
Stella Artois in<br />
its hometown.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Brussels’ Law Courts<br />
were built between<br />
1866–1883. Back then<br />
it was one of the largest<br />
constructions of the<br />
19th century, measuring<br />
26,000sqm.<br />
Fadil Kebsi<br />
Bucharest<br />
Romania<br />
DIALLING CODE +40<br />
CURRENCY Leu (RON)<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI<br />
The fare to the city<br />
is about RON80.<br />
Bus 783 to Piata<br />
Unirii leaves every<br />
30 minutes. Tickets:<br />
RON8 (valid for two trips).<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Die<br />
Deutsche Kneipe<br />
(9 Strada Stockholm,<br />
tel: 021 233 9462)<br />
Well-priced enormous<br />
portions of homemade<br />
German sausages are<br />
served with fried eggs<br />
at Romania’s home of<br />
German cuisine.<br />
UP TO €30 Las Tapas<br />
(6 Strada Covaci, tel:<br />
021 313 7580) A good<br />
tapas bar in Bucharest’s<br />
Old Town. There’s plenty<br />
of tasty fi nger food<br />
to choose from and a<br />
cocktail list long enough<br />
to tempt you to stay for<br />
the rest of the evening.<br />
UP TO €50 Byblos<br />
(14–16 Strada Nicolae<br />
Golescu, tel: 021 313<br />
Sitting comfortably?<br />
2091) Expect good<br />
Italian food at decent<br />
prices. It’s located<br />
behind the Romanian<br />
Atheneum, so it’s a<br />
good pre- and postconcert<br />
venue.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Poem<br />
(23–25 Aleea Suter, tel:<br />
021 336 3377) Descend<br />
the grand staircase at<br />
the Carol Parc Hotel<br />
to the classy realms of<br />
Bucharest’s rich and<br />
famous. Dine on glazed<br />
scallops with artichoke<br />
purée in front of<br />
a roaring open fi re.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Festival<br />
39 (62–64 Strada<br />
Franceza) You’ll fi nd<br />
this classy café on Piata<br />
Unirii. Book a window<br />
seat and enjoy cocktails<br />
and coffee while looking<br />
out onto the busiest<br />
square in the city.<br />
LIVE MUSIC Mojo<br />
Music Club (14 Strada<br />
Gabroveni) Acoustic and<br />
rock music is supplied<br />
by resident live bands,<br />
and there are regular<br />
karaoke nights in the<br />
heart of Bucharest’s<br />
Old Town. The walls<br />
are emblazoned with<br />
the covers of every<br />
great rock album ever<br />
made, plus the drinks<br />
are well priced.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Expirat/Other Side<br />
of Expirat (4 Strada<br />
Brezoianu) Expirat offers<br />
mainstream clubby<br />
sounds, while Other<br />
Side of Expirat – found<br />
in the entrance round<br />
the corner – is an edgier<br />
venue where the DJ is<br />
capable of putting any<br />
tune on the turntable.<br />
advertising@ink-publishing.com | www.ink-publishing.com | Tel: +44 (0)20 7613 8795<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Classy Austrian<br />
jewellery brand Frey<br />
Wille has just opened a<br />
Bucharest boutique on<br />
the city’s top shopping<br />
street, Calea Victoriei.<br />
Find everything you need<br />
for your Christmas gifts<br />
(118 Calea Victoriei).<br />
SEE Bucharest now<br />
has an IMAX cinema,<br />
the fi rst in the country<br />
and indeed, in this part<br />
of Europe. Find it at the<br />
Palace Cotroceni Mall<br />
and get out of the cold<br />
for an hour watching<br />
the latest Christmas<br />
blockbuster (take the<br />
metro to Politehnica).<br />
GO Bucharest’s Old<br />
Town is undergoing<br />
a huge reconstruction,<br />
which is nearly<br />
complete. Walk around<br />
Stradas Smardan,<br />
Franceza and Selari:<br />
all are packed with old<br />
buildings plus brand<br />
new bars, restaurants<br />
and quirky stores.<br />
ESCAPE As soon<br />
as the snow hits the<br />
ground, make like<br />
a local and head for<br />
Sinaia. Pistes are rough<br />
around the edges,<br />
but there is enough<br />
snow to keep the most<br />
seasoned skier happy<br />
for a day. Trains to<br />
Sinaia from Gara de<br />
Nord leave regularly and<br />
take about two hours.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
December marks the<br />
20th anniversary of the<br />
Romanian Revolution.<br />
Democracy was restored<br />
after dictator Nicolae<br />
Ceausescu, was shot on<br />
Christmas Day 1989.<br />
Craig Turp<br />
Imagine over 4.5 million people looking<br />
at your advert for a minimum of two hours.<br />
Make part of your plan today<br />
150x28 (4.5 MILLION).indd 1 15/4/09 13:42:27
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