17.10.08: Out to Belgo

They met up in town with a friend Joe and after trying to get a table somewhere else they decided on Belgo, home of the fruity beer, mussels and frités.

SHE SAYS: My enjoyment of the mussels classique - steamed with white wine, shallots and garlic in a cream sauce - was heightened by hunger developed over a forced march through Covent Garden in search of sustenance. Everything's packed on a Friday nite. Little morsels of shell-clad seafood may sound light, but there's a whopping great many of them, and halfway through my kilo I could have slowed down, but didn't. The sauce was mild but not bland, and 'cream' in this case does not mean 'thick', so it was sop-worthy. Dunking the thin frites in a tiny tub of mayo added to the indulgence and rib-stickin' satisfaction.

HE SAYS: I opted for the curry-infused mussels and enjoyed 'em. The mussels were not the curry sauce experience I envisioned but more the subtle, fragrant variety - stilll very fresh and tasty. We were extremely famished by the time we sat down and it was a good thing there was bread and hot crispy frités available to mop up the broth and satisfy our hunger pangs.

13.06.08: Out to Belgo

Lining the stomach at Belgo's before a friend's Friday nite gig, with special dining guest Joe: He and She had mussels classique with celery, onion and a dash of cream, while Joe plumped for the tomato-based Provencal half-kilo. All of us made sure to order our own bowl of frites, each with its paper cup of thick mayo for dipping - not something you want to have to share.


And we were so hungry we forgot to take the photo til the damage was done! Mmm, look at the remains of that strawberry beer, top-left, too...

SHE SAYS: I do love the strawberry beer on tap - so intensely, almost sourly, fruity and refreshing - but I think Belgo's food is slacking on quality these day even as its prices have risen. The frites were tasty but not as crisp and hot as they should have been; I suspect they soaked up some rays from heat lamps. Mussels, too, were okay, but not as plump and plentiful as they have been in the past.

HE SAYS: The mussels were pretty good, but not as good as these; the chips were a notch above, say, these, but not as good as these. The beer waz fruity and so was the waiter. Overall a not bad outing made better by the company and plentiful beverages.