Hispania Brasserie in Brussels

We were back in Brussels. For the last meal of our Belgium trip, J made a surprising choice: Hispania Brasserie, a Spanish restaurant. The brasserie was located near Place du Grand Sablon in the historic upper town of Brussel. The decor was a mix of old and contemporary with gold and black tones. A friendly waiter welcomed us.

We both started with Octopus with paprika and potato purée. The dish was fantastic. Octopus was so tender and beautifully seasoned. J thought it was one of the top five octopus he had. We shared two main dishes: Hake with velvet crab bisqué and Iberian pork meatballs with pickles - our usual surf 'n' turf strategy. Both were flavorful. I haven't had such sophisticated Spanish dishes before. Our waiter asked which dish we liked most. J immediately answered octopus. I agreed with him.

The experience at the brasserie was superb. Thank you J! Oh, I should mention that their endless bread serving was wonderful. Whenever our bread plat was empty, our waiter or someone else came to our table with a bread basket. Funny, a piece of bread was somehow getting bigger and bigger.

In Brussels, we found small and large gardens/parks here and there. My favorite was Square of Petit Sablon, which was very close to the brasserie. The garden was neatly decorated with hedges, trees, fountains, and more than 50 statues of historical professions, celebrated scholars and humanists, and the Counts of the country. The garden was already beautiful in February. It must be marvelous with flowers and fresh greens in summer.

To be continued...