Volume X 2016/2017

Madame Pee Pee This is the person who looks after the bathrooms in
bars and restaurants. He or she will sit at the entrance with a saucer of
coins and charge you between 30c and 50c to use the facilities. Even if
you’ve already paid into a club or cinema, you’ll generally be asked to pay.
On the positive side, it results in clean bathrooms!
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Bring Your Boots! Belgium GAA is the biggest
GAA club in Europe, with over 100 members
playing in Hurling, Camogie, Men’s and Ladies’
Football. The club regularly takes part in
tournaments in Brussels and beyond. Training
takes place once or twice a week.
Follow the club on Twitter for
more details - @BelgiumGAA. In
addition to GAA, there are many
local and expat sports clubs for
you to get involved in, including
rugby, soccer, athletics, hockey
and cricket.
Keep fit!
Basic Fit (www.basic-fit.be) has gyms close to the Institutions – two near
Schuman and one beside the Parliament. We are told the services are
basic but good value. It’s w24 per month with no minimum contract or
w20 per month if you subscribe for a year. If you’re in the Council, we
hear that there’s an exercise room with a trainee rate of w30 per year or
part thereof. There’s a public swimming pool close to Schuman in Ixelles
(Rue de la Natation, off Rue Gray) which is one of the oldest in Belgium
and well worth a visit just for its wrought-iron and glass roof. There’s a
complex pricing system depending on your employment and commune
of residence, but you’ll never pay more than w3 for a swim.
A Spot of Culture. If you’re under 25, you’ll
get discounted tickets! The Magritte Museum
is very interesting and relatively cheap. There
are often fantastic exhibitions at the Bozar,
and some are free. For all you need to know
about the European Parliament and EU affairs,
visit the Parlamentarium on the Parliament’s
esplanade. It’s lots of fun and open seven days
a week. Entry is free of charge.
Eating
The following are some nice,
affordable restaurants. For a full
and comprehensive list, see www.
resto.be.
Maison Antoine, Place Jourdan,
Etterbeek Friteries in Belgium are
ranked, and “Chez Antoine” has
taken the first spot for many years
now. More than just a regular friterie,
Chez Antoine is an institution. It
has 40 different flavours of sauce
and some amazing chips. There
are no seats but you are allowed to
eat your chips both in and outside
many of the bars and cafés around
Place Jourdan. Be prepared to
queue every time you go, and often
for quite a long time (especially on
Sundays). Directly across the road
from Chez Antoine is the popular
pizza restaurant, Mamma Roma.
Pizza is sold by weight so you can
mix and match toppings.
Musical Instruments Museum
Terrasse Café, Old England Store,
Near Place Royale The Museum has
a rooftop terrace with a beautiful
view of Brussels. The food is very
nice but expensive. Unfortunately
the service isn’t great so expect to
be there for quite some time.
Fin de Siècle on Rue des Chartreux
(beside the Bourse) This is a lovely
place to bring your parents but it
isn’t so expensive that you can’t go
there with friends too. They do great
Belgian dishes at reasonable prices.
Restaurant Vincent, on Rue des
Dominicains, just off Restaurant
Street This restaurant is a little bit
more expensive but worth it if you
like your steak. The location allows
you to soak up the atmosphere
of Restaurant Street without the
substandard food!
Restobières, Rue des Renards 32,
1000 Bruxelles Located in the
Quartier des Marolles, this small,
traditional Belgian restaurant is
well worth a visit. Beer is used as an
ingredient in all dishes. It is equally
close to Porte de Hal and Louise
metro stations.
Le Deuxième Element, Rue Saint-
Boniface 7, 1050 Ixelles Said to be
the best Thai food in Brussels, it’s
also very reasonably priced. The
nearest metro station is Porte de
Namur. (Note that there are plenty
of good restaurants located on Place
Boniface, including L’Ultime Atome,
which is particularly nice for
Sunday brunch, and Mano à Mano,
which does lovely pizza.)
Centro Cabraliego, Rue Haute 171,
1000 Bruxelles This is a rough
and ready, smoke-filled Spanish
bar located in the Marolles (near
the bottom of the lift at the Palais
de Justice) that serves w2 beers,
unmeasured whisky shorts and
very good, cheap tapas. Only open at
the weekend, this place is a Brussels
institution. Punters often visit
nearby nightclub, Havana, after
closing time. Bring some Spanish
friends because they will be given
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