Je suis souvent passée par le Café Béguin en me rendant à la rue de Flandre, repaire de beaucoup de mes restaurants fétiches et à chaque fois, c’était un rappel pour un jour aller le tester. C’est maintenant chose faite. Si vous vous rendez dans le centre en voiture, c’est accessible et il y a pas mal des parkings couverts situés à quelques pas.
Le restaurant se trouve sur la Place du samedi et il jouit d’une belle terrasse. Nous nous sommes quand même installées à l’intérieur car le temps était un peu instable. Le Café Béguin est multi concepts, c’est aussi un bar à cocktails, une salle de concert, un lieu qu’on peut privatiser pour des évènements… L’endroit est spacieux. Dès qu’on passe la porte, on tombe sur les comptoirs du bar et de la cuisine où sont disposés les différents ingrédients qui composent nos plats. On peut s’installer le long du mur sur les banquettes. Les couleurs sont chaudes et vives.
Côté cuisine, on a une carte à tendance méditerranéenne et africaine. Parmi leurs spécialités, il y a les Didons (plats fusion-afro) en version tapas ou plats. J’avoue qu’il y avait beaucoup de plats qui me tentaient et le choix logique fut de prendre un plâteau regroupant plusieurs spécialités. Il y en 4: viande, poisson, végétarien ou le mix du Chef (Kiongozi) que nous avons testé. Il y avait des pilons de poulet Karamel, afro fish stik, galettes de manioc, salade de lentilles et taboulé, Alokos (beignets de banane plantain), frites de patate douce et salade verte. Pour accompagner le tout, il y avait trois sauces.
Le plateau est servi pour deux (32 euros) ou trois personnes (45 euros) et il est généreux. J’étais contente de retrouver les frites de patate douce, c’est vraiment un de mes accompagnements préférés. Elles étaient bien croustillantes et moelleuses. Tout était une découverte en terme de saveur. Par exemple, ces fish sticks n’avaient rien à voir avec les fish sticks qu’on trouve habituellement. Ici, le poisson était entouré d’une panure à base de céréales qui était plus épaisse que la traditionnelle à base de chapelure. Les galettes de manioc m’ont beaucoup plu. Le goût est assez neutre (comparable à la pomme de terre) mais en galette, il est mélangé avec une pâte qui lui donne beaucoup de saveur. J’aime aussi la texture qui est un peu caoutchouteuse (ce n’est peut-être pas le mot idéal) mais bien dorée à l’extérieur. Les salades étaient aussi très bonnes et bien épicées. Les sauces ajoutaient une touche gourmande mais tout était assez assaisonné pour s’en passer.
Pour le dessert, je n’ai pas pu résister à la gaufre de patates douces, crème fraîche et fruits rouges (autour des 7 euros). J’étais curieuse de découvrir ce dessert et la gaufre était délicieuse. Elle donne l’impression d’avoir été un peu caramélisée ou enrobée de chocolat sur les bords qui étaient légèrement croustillants. On reconnaissait la patate douce, c’était très réussi. J’ai un peu été déçue par les fruits rouges. A la lecture de l’intitulé, je m’attendais à avoir un peu plus de fruits qu’une simple déco Mais c’est mon seul bémol.
Ouvert du lundi au dimanche de 11h à 23h, vendredi et samedi fermeture à 2h30
02-217.76.22
12A, Place du samedi à 1000 Bruxelles
I often pass in front of the Café Béguin when going to rue de Flandre, a haunt for many of my favorite restaurants and every time, it is a reminder that I should stop by. It’s now done. If you go downtown by car, it is quite accessible and there are a lot of underground parking located a few steps away.
The restaurant is on Place du samedi and has a beautiful terrace. We still settled inside because the weather was a bit unstable. The Café Béguin is multi concepts, it is also a cocktail bar, a concert hall, a place that can be privatized for events … The place is spacious. As soon as you walk through the door, you come across the bar and kitchen counters where the different ingredients of our dishes are arranged. We can sit along the wall on the benches. The colors are hot and bright.
As for the food, we have a menu with a Mediterranean and African trend. Among their specialties, there are the Didons (fusion-afro dishes) in tapas or dishes. I admit that there were many dishes that tempted me and the logical choice was to take a plate bringing together several specialties. There are 4: meat, fish, vegetarian or Chef’s mix (Kiongozi) that we tested. There were Karamel chicken drumsticks, afro fish stik, cassava patties, lentil salad and taboulé, Alokos (plantain fritters), sweet potato fries and green salad. To accompany everything, there were three sauces.
The platter is served for two (32 euros) or three people (45 euros) and is generous. I was happy to find the sweet potato fries, it’s really one of my favorite sides. They were crisp and mellow. Everything was a discovery in terms of flavor. For example, these fish sticks had nothing to do with the fish sticks that are usually found. Here, the fish was coated with a cereal-based breading that was thicker than the traditional breadcrumbs. The cassava pancakes pleased me a lot. The taste is quite neutral (comparable to the potato) but in cake, it is mixed with a filling that adds a lot of flavor. I also like the texture which is a little chewy (it is perhaps not the ideal word) but golden outside. The salads were also delicious and spicy. The sauces added a greedy touch but everything was seasoned enough to do without it.
For dessert, I could not resist the waffle of sweet potatoes, whipped cream and red fruits (around 7 euros). I was curious to discover this dessert and the waffle was delicious. It gives the impression of being a little bit caramelized or coated with chocolate on the edges that were slightly crispy. We recognized the sweet potato, it was very successful. I was a little disappointed by the red fruits. When reading the title, I was expecting to have a little more fruit than a simple decoration But it’s my only downside.
Open Monday to Sunday from 11h to 23h, Friday and Saturday closed at 2h30
02-217.76.22
12A, Place du samedi in 1000 Brussels
I often went through the Café Béguin by going to rue de Flandre, a haunt for many of my favorite restaurants and every time, it was a reminder for a day to test it. It’s now done. If you go to the center by car, it is accessible and there are a lot of covered parking located a few steps away.
The restaurant is on Place du samedi and has a beautiful terrace. We still settled inside because the weather was a bit unstable. The Café Béguin is multi concepts, it is also a cocktail bar, a concert hall, a place that can be privatized for events … The place is spacious. As soon as you walk through the door, you come across the bar and kitchen counters where the different ingredients of our dishes are arranged. We can sit along the wall on the benches. The colors are hot and bright.
In the kitchen, we have a map with a Mediterranean and African trend. Among their specialties, there are the Didons (fusion-afro dishes) in tapas or dishes. I admit that there were many dishes that tempted me and the logical choice was to take a plate bringing together several specialties. There are 4: meat, fish, vegetarian or Chef’s mix (Kiongozi) that we tested. There were Karamel chicken drumsticks, afro fish stik, cassava patties, lentil salad and taboulé, Alokos (plantain fritters), sweet potato fries and green salad. To accompany everything, there were three sauces.
The platter is served for two (32 euros) or three people (45 euros) and is generous. I was happy to find the sweet potato fries, it’s really one of my favorite accompaniments. They were crisp and mellow. Everything was a discovery in terms of flavor. For example, these fish sticks had nothing to do with the fish sticks that are usually found. Here, the fish was surrounded by a cereal-based breading that was thicker than the traditional breadcrumbs. The cassava pancakes pleased me a lot. The taste is quite neutral (comparable to the potato) but in cake, it is mixed with a paste that gives it a lot of flavor. I also like the texture which is a little rubbery (it is perhaps not the ideal word) but golden outside. The salads were also delicious and spicy. The sauces added a greedy touch but everything was seasoned enough to do without it.
For dessert, I could not resist the waffle of sweet potatoes, sour cream and red fruits (around 7 euros). I was curious to discover this dessert and the waffle was delicious. It gives the impression of being a little caramelized or coated with chocolate on the edges that were slightly crispy. We recognized the sweet potato, it was very successful. I was a little disappointed by the red fruits. When reading the title, I was expecting to have a little more fruit than a simple decoration But it’s my only downside.
Open Monday to Sunday from 11am to 23pm, Friday and Saturday closed at 2.30am
02-217.76.22
12A, Place du samedi in 1000 Brussels
Tour Gastronomique 