Follow up and end of my gourmet Brussels adventure…I finish off with a very lovely culinary experience that I was made to discover. After my wintery exploits, I got to relive the same spirit with the belgian Tram experience.
The principle: endulging in a gastronomic meal imagined by 8 hands (as in by 4 famous Belgian chefs) riding in a tramway that scour around Brussels for two hours. Pretty cool, don’t you think?
You have to get a reservation on site, then you have a choice between two times : 6.30pm and 9pm. We chose 6.30pm because the other was full already.
At 6.30pm on the dot you have to meet up at the start of the journey which is on Place Poelaert otherwise it will leave without you (…with it’s mouth-watering food on board=if that’s not a good motivation to get there on time I don’ t know what is!)
You are then shown to a seat on board. You can reserve for 2 or 4 heads or if you are more they could put you on one of the corner tables but the idea is to be an even number of diners because the seats are that way laid out in the tram.
So bear that in mind with your circle of friends: be selective and ruthless ha ha!
Once inside, it’s quite fun to glimpse the special layout: at the end of the tram, the “kitchen” where the caterers prepare the menu that the chefs have concocted and there are seats all along the sides by the long windows.
Our tables have deliberate indentations designed for plates and glasses so they don’t slide off with the bumpy roads. With that, nothing moves, nothing is lost…nothing is transformed!
The tram leaves. Mise en bouche with a receipe from Giovanni Bruno, chef at the italo-belgium Senzanome in Schaerbeek.
Take a breath for this description: Organic Burratina with olive, basil and tomato caviar on Sardinian bread, Aubergine confit with dashi vinegar, courgette cappuccino and Parmesan Cheese foam. Very very fresh and perfect to get in the mood for a taste experience. I was particularly fond of the burratina which is a lovely creamy mozzarella…mmmmm!
It’s fun to see the reaction of the passers-by wondering what is this party on board of a tram, as if a UFO was passing in front of their eyes.
Then it’s time for Cannelloni with veal, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, capers, emulsion of Cetera anchovies from the chef Lionel Rigolet. He is everywhere! Remember the famous “pistolet”!
While we are enjoying our courses and the landscape, the prepartions for the rest is running smoothly.
The best for me , and not only because it’s the brain child of a Japanese chef…it’s the lamb filet and quinoa with japanese mushrooms and ponzu sauce. The ponzu, this famous sauce used to dip in our meat during the shabu shabu, memories, memories!
This dish was concocted by the michelin star chef Kamo Tomoyasu, of the restaurant Kamo (the same Kamo from the Mary chocolate box! It’s weird how things come back!) …that said I definitely have to make a point of checking out his restaurant on my next visit to Brussels!
After that, the cherry on the cake was the dessert from the chef Bart de Pooter from Wy the restaurant in Brussels: French toast with buttermilk (and yes, sometimes the names of dishes can be simple).
After two hours of gourmet journey, we were back to place Poelaert. By the way, I shot a little film on board (below) so you can get a little taste of the ambiance!
In any case, this experience was quite refreshing and it is a great way to discover the different sides of Belgium cuisine while getting a feel for the city, the menus are adapted all year round, in brief, a beautiful (and tasty) experience! (English translation by Isa)
TRAM EXPERIENCE
Unique Menu 89 euros
(Starter, 2 main courses, dessert, Drinks included)
All infos on the site
