Brussels Bistro

We've finally proven Thomas Wolfe wrong–you can go home again, especially when this refers to the reincarnation of the restaurant Cafe Brussels into the newly opened Brussels Bistro.  We used to love Cafe Brussels on the Danforth, especially for their moules-frites (mussels and fries), rack of lamb dish, and the gorgeous decor of the two-tiered restaurant.  It was a sad day when it closed.

But now, Cafe Brussels has been re-branded and reopened in the Beach area under the new name of Brussels Bistro.  The decor is much more modest than the opulent Cafe Brussels, but charming in its own right.  It is in a renovated house that is reminiscent of the restaurant Corner House.

The best of all is that the menu is the same as the old place, and my favourite dishes are still there!  The menu contains an entire section specifically for mussels.  The one I like best is the "Mussels a la Snob" which sit in a broth containing wine, garlic, cream, flour, butter, tarragon, celery, carrots, onions, herbs, and peppercorns.  It's so good I find myself drinking it like soup.  The frites are thin and crispy and come served with mayonnaise.

My other entree of choice is the "Carré d’agneau, Roquefort", otherwise known as rack of lamb with roquefort sauce, accompanied with seasonal vegetables.  The blue cheese flavour in the sauce is amazing and goes so well with the perfectly cooked lamb.

We were so excited to experience the old Cafe Brussels food again that we couldn't decide which of our favourites to order.  We ended up with both, by sharing the mussels as an appetizer followed by the lamb as an entree.  This was a bit too much food but we were too busy tripping down memory lane to care.  In our defense, we did skip dessert so as not to be complete gluttons.