On the northwest side of the place and at the corner of rue au Beurre (it is also called rue Boule et Bill, the main characters (a little boy and his dog) of a humorous comic strip series (franco-belgian), created in 1958 by Jean Roba (1930-2006) :
the « MAISON DU ROI D’ESPAGNE » (in dutch « Den Coninck van Spaignien ») .
« Enter without knocking » in the mythic tavern.
LE ROY D’ESPAGNE
Grand Place 1
Website : https://roydespagne.be/fr/index.php
Open 7 days a week, from 8am to 1am.
Why the n°1? It was not always the case! Until 1796, number 88. With the French occupiers, number 340. The "Dutch" also changed the numbering after Waterloo (1815), number 379…
Isn't that curious?
And the TOWN HALL (only architectural witness of the medieval place) with its belfry of more than 90 meters high) has what number? 0?
It is impossible not to notice the hundreds of statues that adorn the building. More than 300 representing the dukes and duchesses of Brabant, the great families of Brussels, the corporations...
Its gothic tower of incomparable beauty topped by a spire supporting the benefactor archangel bienfaiteur Saint Michael (protector of the city of Brussels) is visible from some rooms of the HOTELS ARIS GRAND-PLACE and ALMA GRAND-PLACE (Premium rooms, Superior rooms)...
Don't hesitate to book them, great view of Brussels.
The ROY D’ESPAGNE (often called « le Café de la Grand-Place » ) pays tribute to the Spanish occupation of Belgium.
This old house of the bakers' guild is decorated on the façade with the bust of Charles II (king of Spain 1661-1700 known as « l’Ensorcelé » (« Hechizado ») sickly, impotent king, the last heir of his dynasty) to whom the café owes its name.
Four levels in height.
It is the only house on the Grand-Place (a place of prestige, magic) whose facade is not topped by a gable (= upper triangular part of the wall of a building used to give slopes to a roof).
If you look up, you will see that it is crowned with a balustrade bearing statues of characters from ancient mythology and a lantern tower topped by a dome.
The statue of the Renommée sounds the trumpet, work of the Belgian sculptor Paul Dubois (1859-1938)
Above the entrance door, Saint Aubert (the patron saint of bakers) keeps watch. There are also statues of various elements symbolizing the corporation: wheat, water, wind, etc.
The gallery on the first floor reminds us that the house was once a hardware store.
Rooms for banquets, receptions, seminars, walking dinner (this concept comes from Belgium and more specifically from Brussels. As its name indicates, it is a dinner during which one does not sit down). ...The "Fresco", the "Ginette", the "Caporal"...
7 different rooms.
The room of the Estaminet can accommodate more than 120 people. Reconstitution of a Brussels street of the XIXth century.
This emblematic place of the Grand Place (warm atmosphere, wall frescoes, central fireplace,...) proposes a rich menu of Belgian specialities.
Fresh and local products are privileged. All this in a breathtaking setting.
Its suppliers of VERT D‘IRIS, Lowy, ECLO – (ex Champignon de Bruxelles), FRAISES D’ITTRE … re examples of longstanding partnerships.
Producers in short circuit.
VERT D’IRIS is a vegetable cooperative that aims to create socially and environmentally responsible jobs in the Brussels food system.
ECLO and LE CHAMPIGNON DE BRUXELLES have merged to cultivate microgrowths under low-energy LED lights, as well as mushrooms grown from beer grains.
Possibility to visit this underground farm located in the CAVES DE CUREGHEM (Anderlecht). Mushroom farm of 3000 m²…
Micropods = mini-versions of vegetables like radish, broccoli, red cabbage, arugula...
Food of the future?
What if, in Brussels, a city was built underground... a city under the city"? Project in sight?
STRAWBERRIES FROM ITTRE (Brabant wallon)
And its « Lambada » strawberries, a very sweet Dutch species.
Don't hesitate to enjoy the delicious and authentic strawberries of Ittre at this family producer Les Vergers Micolombe.
AU ROY D’ESPAGNE : Brewery cuisine, "artisanal", pieces of beef of noble breeds (Angus) … in a somewhat unusual decoration.
The great classics of Belgian cuisine are honored, including the American prepared with its fresh fries.
This hand-ground beef preparation (also called "American steak") is said to have been invented by Joseph Niels (1890-1940), founder of a restaurant dynasty.
Why the American name? Americans don't like raw meat...
In 1926 he created the restaurant CANTERBURY (at the time, Boulevard E. Jacqmain, "authentic temple of Brussels gastronomy") and decided to call the steak tartare "American")
The menu of the new CANTERBURY founded in 1993 (along the étangs d’Ixelles) is the work of the Belgian (Brussels) painter Pierre Alechinsky (pioneer of the avant-garde group CoBrA = revolutionary and international movement, founded in Paris in 1948 whose word is formed by the first letters of the name of the artists' capitals of origin: Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam).
The « beef Belgian tartar »?
He had noticed that the tartare prepared in the dining room was sometimes very different from one boy to another!
His recipe has not changed: minced beef, mayo, finely chopped pickles (picalilli), Worcestershire sauce (the real english sauce invented in 1837 by the Lea & Perrins company by two British chemists John Lea and William Perrins of which we are the first consumers in the world)onion, parsley, capers, French fries (ideal accompaniment) watercress, small onions, large pickles with salt... not vinegar.
A little aspect of cannibalism for some?
In ancient Greece, moralists, philosophers and physicians advised against eating raw meat.
In a restaurant, if you order an American fillet, say that you are an omophagus (that's simply someone who eats raw meat). Your guests will be amazed!
A « healthy food » section is also on the menu at the ROY D’ESPAGNE : faumage croquettes (= vegetable substitute for cheese, usually made from oilseeds or seeds), vol au vegan, vegan boulets liégeois, vegan burger…
Healthy food does not contain any industrial or processed products, pesticides or additives.
The ROY D’ESPAGNE carries the GOOD FOOD Label ewhile respecting the environment as much as possible.
You will also have the opportunity to discover it during the « Festival Nourrir Bruxelles » (questioning our modes of consumption and food production in connection with the Brussels Region).
Isn't the future of our plates and our planet an issue that concerns us all?
The GoodFood label aims to support and guide restaurants that are committed to a sustainable approach. It consists in the consumption of local and seasonal products, alternatives to animal proteins, food produced in the respect of the environment, while minimizing food waste.
Large choice of Belgian beers: Jupiler, the mixed beer (Jupiter + Sprite), Stella Artois, Kraken, Hoegaarden, Westmalle, Chimay...
Not forgetting the « Roy d’Espagne » beer elaborated by Jean Philippe Bosman, in collaboration with the brasserie JANDRAIN-JANDRENOUILLE. Something to delight your nostrils?
Each ingredient in the recipe of this beer refers to an element of the façade of the King of Spain.
During a European summit, the French president Emmanuel Macron came to drink a beer in this brewery. Same for our former Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, (since the end of December 2019, president of the European Council), the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel…
What beer did these guests drink when they looked at the beer menu?
THE JUPILER
The Jupiler is a blonde beer, a « lager » that is a beer of low fermentation.
It was created and manufactured by the Piedbœuf brewery (in 1966) which became the Jupiler brewery, today the À.B. InBev group (which controls about 55% of the Belgian beer market).
The Jupiler akes its name from the section of the city of Liege called Jupille-sur-Meuse (« suburb ») where the Piedboeuf brewery is located.
Up to five million hectoliters can be brewed there each year (Jupiler, but also Stella and Corona!).
It has five essential ingredients: water, yeast, malt, hops and corn.
Its blonde color does not come from the yeast, but rather from the malt.
This beer is still a reference among lager-type drinks. It has become the most sold beer in Belgium! The "favorite"?
During its first years, many considered this product to be a man's drink (« Les hommes savent pourquoi ») or a sports beer. To remedy this, the brewery will publish more feminine campaigns.
The beer gave its name to the Belgian soccer league: Jupiler Pro League and the Dutch D2 soccer championship: Jupiler League.
The Jupiler beer brand is the long-time sponsor of the Red Devils, the Belgian soccer team.
The logo of the beer remains an idea of Albert Vandamme, (the creator of the Jupiler). From the beginning, he wanted an emblem for his brand that embodied brute force. Thus, he will choose to use as logo a bull.
This logo now revolves around three colors: white, red and black.
I can't help but think of « Li Tore » (« Le taureau » en wallon liégeois) (which is the popular name for the sculpture « Le Dompteur de taureau », work of the Liège artist Léon Mignon, (1847- 1898) a symbol of the Cité Ardente. Gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1880.
He is regularly greeted by the students during "Saint-Torê" (« Saint Taureau », in Liège Walloon dialect) lthe third week of March.
It's the opportunity to party one last time before the "blockade" (period of intense work) of the June exams...
Jupiler is a very strong beer with many variations of the same recipe. In bottles, cans.
%20(Copier).jpg)
The main variants of this type of beverage are :
• Jupiler : the oldest of all Jupiler drinks.
• Jupiler Tauro : 8.3 degrees of temperament, inspired by the brand's image. Not packaged in cans.
A glass and a bottle were created especially for this beer. They are embossed with the effigy of a bull.
• Jupiler Blue : light beer in alcohol.
• Jupiler Blue Lemon and Lime : called Jupiler blue lemon and lime in French, this product is brewed with citrus.
• Jupiler 0.0 % : it contains 0.0% alcohol.
• Jupiler Pure Blonde : it contains fewer calories.
Jupiler, this "Belgian mousse" is best enjoyed in its Jupiler glass.
No « binge drinking" (rapid and excessive alcohol intake, "express drinking"). Danger !
You can choose between :
- The Jupiler glass with feet: flute-shaped
- The striated Jupiler glass: the bottom of the object (about a third of the glass) remains striated.
- The straight Jupiler 50 cl glass: also ribbed, it is often used for tasting light beers such as pi
The old logo on the Jupiler glasses used to let you know where you should stop pouring the beer to get a nice head.
There are more than 400 breweries in our country, which market at least 1,500 different brands of beer in an exponential way.
THE HOEGAARDEN
Hoegaarden is a Belgian white beer from Hoegaarden, municipality in Brabant, east of Leuven.
Very well known and appreciated beyond the borders of his country of origin.
In the 19th century, this Flemish town was home to 35 breweries, about 200 taverns for a population of 2000 inhabitants.
It is also a brand of the biggest brewer in the world, the AB InBev group.
It is produced at the Hoegaarden Brewery(in Dutch : Brouwerij Hoegaarden).
In the brewing vocabulary, "white" is the name of a type of Belgian beer that is characterized by a very pale color, a slight cloudiness and a sweet and sour flavor. Smooth texture.
The white beer (with a unique taste!) is not filtered after fermentation (twice). It still contains suspended yeast.
In the Middle Ages, known as "Hope" or "Louvain white". The "popular champagne".
Since the 70's, blanche is produced by numerous breweries all over the kingdom.
In view of the success it has nowadays, every municipality in Belgium (large, medium or small) will have its own white beer?
Isn't beer to Belgium what wine is to France?
It offers a true identity to the "flat country".
Hoegaarden (an example of the witbier style of beer), created by the monks of the homonymous village around 1145, was revived in the 1960s by Pierre Celis (1925-2011), a milkman who dreamed of becoming a brewer.
"The original Hoegaarden?
In 1145, Belgium was still part of the Netherlands.
Some call the classic Hoegaarden "nectar of the gods".
The only white beer available in 6 L barrels.
The Hoegaarden brewery also offers variants among which you will find :
• Hoegaarden citrus : infused with citrus essence, perfect for summer?
• Hoegaarden agrum : seasonal drink. Local fruits such as citrus
• Hoegaarden cherry : a hint of natural cherry juice and cherry blossom flavor. Ideal for spring?
• Hoegaarden rosée : tasty bitterness with aromas of raspberries.
• Hoegaarden spéciale : it remains a seasonal drink. This "Christmas Beer" is brewed exclusively during the cold months, from October to February. Available exclusively in Belgium!
The Hoegaarden logo is a gothic style font topped with an icon (the color scheme is traditional for many beer brands - blue, white and gold).
The Hoegaarden brand emblem is a double coat of arms.
On the left: a brewer's forearm with a hanging towel and a hand grasping a fork
A tribute to all the brewers of Hoegaarden.
On the right: the forearm of a prince-bishop letting hang a maniple and the hand holding the episcopal crosier.
Symbol of the power formerly exercised by the prince bishop of Liege.
To enjoy the beverage with the foam, the Hoegaarden brand has its own glass (the bottom remains hexagonal), which has become a signature. Huge" size. Inspiration of jam jars?
Hoegaarden can easily be combined with a wide range of dishes.
For example, you can combine this beer using the ABC methodology (Align Intensity, Bridge Flavor and Cut with Taste and Texture). This means "Align Intensity, Bridge Flavor and Cut with Taste and Texture".
« Blanche » is also the artist name of a Belgian singer that the general public discovered in 2017 during the Eurovision Contest where she finished 4th with her superb song« City Lights ». Noticed before during the telecruise « The Voice Belgique ».
Tall the titles are "to be tasted" like recipes.
Since then, « Blanche », whose real name is Ellie Delvaux, has released her first album "Empire" (2020). A universe carried by her magnetic voice.
Text and links by Marc. L
Layout and translation by Lena