Tuesday may the 31, 2005.

Main impression:
One more time!

Odor:
Restobières clams and scampies.

Color:
Restobières presentations.

Flavor:
The flavor of the redcurant beer tasted with Joris at Cantillon.

Sound:
Cantillon bottling line, a "Noble vacarme".

Texture/sentation:
The three patés as "entrée froide" at Restobières, liver paté, black peper paté and I forgot what the third was. Three beer patés, three different beers, all covered with a thread of "sirop de Liège".

Day summary:
I meet Joris at Cantillon brewery where we taste a beer that Joris have been able to get from the owner of the "One Pint Pub" in Helsinki who made this special order. The client arrived with a trucload of redcurant and asked the brewer if he can do something in the style of a kriek. The brewer was sceptic considering the acidity of the fruits to be added to the one given by the spontaneous fermentation of gueuzes, he was thinking that the combinaison would be to acid but was agreably surprised.

Joris knowing the client was able to get a bottle so it was our turn to be surprised. Many differents flavors find their way to your palate with this beer and the mix is delectable.

After that we run (not realy but almost, I barely was able to follow Joris steps) to go to a café where René Magritte had his habits. Hard to be more typical, the restrooms are realy in the yard. We took an Orval (Joris was finding it a bit young for his taste, acording to him it must stay for six months in a celar, me I just found it refreshing since i was soaking sweats) and se run to Restobières.

Yesterday, Joris checked if all was ready for him to come to Brussels today. He also phoned to Restobières, officially it's their day off but they have 52 reservations already so two more don't mather... It's usefull to have friends.

This restaurant is the best culinary discovery I made in Belgium, This come close to the "Toké" in Montreal and at a fraction of the price (80€ for two includin tax, service and beers). All serving where made with beer, all where perfect!

What to say about this meal... first a cold "entrée" of three beer "patés" couvered with a thread of "sirop de Liège", followed by a hot "entrée" of scampies and clams in a Westmalle sauce. The main course was a "Carré d'agneau bouquetière" with a sauce made with "Divine" beer, it was literally melting in my mouth. To finish it all, chocolate and Rulles beer mousse.

(Note, I write this page almost two month later and i'm still salivating at the tought)

After the meal the owner give me the tour of his restaurant, it's a museum of the "Belgitude" where all passions of our belgian cousins are represented: beer, society games, food, royal family... He also wished to offer to Joris a Wets Kriek, from a gueuzes and kriek blender that is out of business now but Joris told him that he still have a case, he suggested that it would certainly please me, effectively I was touched by this gesture and I keep it for a special occasion.

Than we run to the other side of Brussels to go to Beer Mania buy few beers. This type of commerce couldn't exist in Quebec, we can sample the beers before buying them. For my part since I still was swetting, I took a white, Blanche des Honnelles from Abbaye des Rocs as sugesred by Joris. This commerce is also known under the name of "Aux 400 bières", there are only 400 because the owner is very selective, he don't even keep Cantillon in stock since he beleive that all the trafic of tourists visiting the gueuze museum cause problems to the necessary microbian life for an authentic gueuze production.

Then a last run (under the rain) to the Delirium Café, my knee can take no more (my breath neither) specially considering the full backpack and few more beers in an other bag.

Note: Two weeks after my return from Belgium, my knee was still hurting me so I went to see a doctor and I had a tendinitis to the adjuctors in the intérior of the right knee. Because I have hypertension I can't have anti-inflamatory, I had to get three physiotherapy sessions (ultrasounds, ect...). Two months after my injury I still feel a bit of pain if I do somes false mouves like turning my body on my knee without moving my feets.

We try two beers from a new brewery, good nose but they didn't finish their fermentation, specialy the one Joris took, he can't even finish it. We then share an other one but it's just average. Joris heve to go because he promised to be back to Ursel by the 8:00 PM train.

I stay the time to take a special Mortal that is excellent (aparently it's a brewer mistake). I then get home to rest my knee and feet injured in the Gambrinus honorific fields.