Resto Angelina. This season's best news

The neighborhood around Hallepoort/Porte de Hal is back in business. No doubt the creative restaurant-bar Angelina has everything to do with it!

We have Frédéric Nicolay to thank for some of the most noteworthy establishments in Brussels – Café Belga, Flamingo, Bar du Matin… Self-taught, a determined man who follows his own path. And it works. Until now, however, he has been lacking somebody capable of playing his counterpart, a real player with the know-how to conceive a menu to live up to the decors he has created.

Good news, Nicolay has found this rare pearl in the form of Philippe Emanuelli, sommelier responsible for the Café des Spores, among others. Together, these two accomplices, with the help of chef Yoth Ondara, are working to restore the Hallepoort/Porte de Hal area to its former glory. The duo has brought usAngelina, a bar/restaurant that is the best news we have to
offer on our return after the summer break. This large, open, rustic space on boulevard de Waterloolaan, boasts a decor that combines wood, a white marble counter-top, lights by Dokidoc, and school chairs. A success.

There is a vast choice of house cocktails – don’t miss out on the iced sake with diluted yuzu juice – as well as craft beers and unusual wines such as Tariri, a blend from Armenia.

As for the food, we were blown away by the incredible quality of the dishes served, given the limited means in the kitchen: everything here comes out of one simple oven. This central stove produces pizzas from out of nowhere, including one combining cime di rape, beans, salad, and ham (€12), one with soft aubergines (€6), or a magnificent octopus one (€15). All this is accompanied by chilled side dishes that are not to be passed up: juicy tomato salad (€10), artichoke vinaigrette (€9), or even a plate of Belgian mozzarella (€14). Exceptional!

Angelina, 136 Boulevard de Waterloo/Waterloolaan 136, Bruxelles/Brussel, 02-534.07.49, 7/7, 10 > ...

open: 7/7 from 10 till ...