Whenever we get a hankering for a cold Hoegaarden blanche (¥900/¥1250 bottle), we head to Harajuku's salon alley where the tiny Belgian beer bar, Brussels, is hidden practically - and most appropriately - across from TinTin boutique. At this cozy, old European-style pub, Belgium's famous mealy wheat flows from the tap along with cherry Kriek (¥900 on tap) for those with a sweet tooth. A dark and somewhat smoky atmosphere makes you half expect to see the globetrotting Belgian reporter's apparition sipping a pint and discussing a breaking story with the bartender. Instead you might bump into media maven friends keeping a low profile over a cold one. Conversations flow as freely as the brew; it could have a lot to do with the sparse number of low-lying weathered wood booths shared among bière belge aficionados - or the beer's higher alcohol content.
When we feel like experimenting, we swap our beloved wheat for one of the giant bottles of hard-to-find Belgian labels. Brussels carries over 60 types of bottled brews, including Stella Artois, Duvel, Leffe/Blonde, Chimay, and Trappistes, just to name a few. They're served up in glasses specially cut and decorated by the various breweries to give their beer designer appeal.
As if the beer selection wasn't enough of a draw, the fairly authentic food is also good - although the menu is somewhat limited. The très francais plate of piping hot french fries (¥800/¥1500) served with a gluttonous glob of mayonnaise is not on our diets, but they're so good we can't help ordering them along with everyone else - you won't see a table without one. We speculate these beefy numbers are hand - cut (or the fryer's small), since you generally have to wait 20 minutes for them, but it's well worth it. Luckily - if not slightly puzzling - the tremendously tender beef stew in a piquant red ale sauce (¥1200), cheese plates (¥800/¥1200) and pâté (¥800), lasagna (¥1200), greens heaped with egg salad (¥800/¥1500), and sundry other dishes that pale in comparison to the Belgian fare always arrive in a hurry. Of course, it wouldn't be a Belgian beer bar without a giant bowl of garlicky mussels (¥1200/¥2500), and Brussels has them. They come steeped in tangy sauce you can't help but sop up with big chunks of baguette-although at almost ¥100 a pop, they're pricy shellfish.