The Poet

Since the opening of The Poet, the European quarter features a new trendy restaurant. Situated within the Renaissance Hotel, this new place stands out thanks to its exceptional décor, top-quality cocktails and -of course- tasty food. It’s a versatile setting that lends itself perfectly for business lunches as well as relaxed drinks with friends after a long day of work.

What's in a name?

The name has not been chosen randomly. The restaurant is situated in the rue Parnasse, which is a reference to the 19th century French writers’ collective with poets like Verlaine, Mallarmé and Prudhomme – who were called ‘Parnassiens’. Another wink to that period is the menu, which is a notebook featuring poetical verses about… a romantic affair with a dish of onions?

The menu

Since The Poet takes great pride in its cocktails, I had to try one. The official mixologist wasn’t present at the time of our visit as he was participating in an international cocktail championship, but the stand-in barkeeper promised to do his best. He mixed up an excellent Penicillin cocktail and served my partner a special The Poet beer.

For starters I opted for the Burrata with caponata (a Sicilian eggplant salad) and rocket salad, while my partner tried the oxtail croquettes. Even though I’m not a big meat-eater myself, I thought the latter was exceptionally tasty.

Given that The Poet specializes in fish, crustaceans and steak, we decided the try some of those. As a main dish I ordered the ‘Shrimps & Chips’ whereas my partner had the ‘crusted pistachio salmon’. Although mine wasn’t bad, he was definitely making the better decisions today. (Yes, I felt slightly jealous after seeing and tasting his dish.)

For dessert, I felt adventurous and picked the most unusual option on the menu: goat cheese, roasted plums and macadamia nuts. Although I like all the ingredients individually, I had never seen them combined in one dish. The result is surprising to say the least! Goat cheese lovers will adore it.

A beautiful place

To conclude, The Poet is a very beautiful and bright venue conveniently located close to the European institutions and the Bruxelles-Luxembourg train station. The main eye-catcher is the enormous marble bar in the center, which sits under a colorful ceiling with original lampshades. The marvellous design is the work of Jean Philippe Nuel, specialized in the design of hotels and restaurants.

The Poet is very calm and spacious which makes it easy to discuss things over lunch without being bothered. Those are just a few reasons why it’s an excellent place for serious occasions like business lunches.

From what I’ve heard, the vibe of the place is very different in the evening when the DJ turns up the music and the mixologist works his cocktail magic. Guess we’ll have to go back!

Practical information

• The address is Rue Parnasse 19, Elsene
• More information on the website of The Poet
• Open every day for lunch and dinner between 12:00 and 22:30.
• The bar is open until 00:45.

Comments

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