Brussels: dinner at Restaurant Bruneau

Very discreet, quiet and respectable location. Inside, Brazilian diplomats with blondes, Asian bankers with waiting security, prosperous local businessmen and of course, perpetually hungry food tourists. The last time we were here, thinner, edgier, more hopeful, it was also spring, but the garden was open, the place was full of flowers, and people were talking about forced bilingualism.

Tonight it's cold and rainy, politicians are behaving badly in public, and just as I'm about to get maudlin, champagne arrives, with little yummies, including an exquisite "mini-gazpacho."

Delicate sauteed goose foie gras follows

and then I dig into veal sweetbreads with a mélange of new peas and baby fava beans,


and he succumbs to a nice piece of roast veal topped with morels.

Oh, and there was dessert - almost forgot, sommelier got chatty, but remembered in time,


Fresh strawberries around strawberry mousse with strawberry coulis


And for me a modest serving of a "mojito" (lime, mint, a little rum) sorbet with mulberry sirop. Seems to be a lot of lime around this spring.


Coffee, candies, cookies, truffles, and good night. Tomorrow: TGV to Lyon.