Long Lunch Saturday. The traditional mid-point of the MTG weekend away. Nursing a slight hangover from the previous evening’s mischief I’d spent an interesting morning. My first appointment was with a money changer. And this was no furtive hole in the wall London-type experience. It was more like entering the realm of an old school bank manager where I was invited to sit down and discuss my plans for the weekend, the possibility of some guiding work in London and a couple of recommendations for local Middle Eastern food. All good but I had a rdv with Art and wanted none of this small talk, charming as it was.

Eventually I was released with a fistful of Euros, 10 of which I invested in entry to Musee M. Here there was an excellent collection. None of it weapons grade material but all of it thoughtfully presented and pleasurable in its variety. In fact it was so good I went back the next day to lie on their rooftop sofa and listen to some John Coltrane.

But lunch? Lunch was at Troubadour, a barn of a place in the centre of town mostly filled with Belgians of a certain vintage with a smattering of brats. The service was unhurried (though not quite to the extent of Abacco’s, which seems to have become Number One in the Hit Parade of these reviews (everyone likes a hit)).

The food was excellent – a whole mass of razor clams up front in a delicious garlicky sauce followed by rabbit (alas, the hare was off, I couldn’t relive memories of the truly magnificent Villa Ostinato). But their service was so slack that they didn’t push us for a dessert or even a second bottle of wine. So we emerged into the daylight early, peckish and under-boozed. Which was a shame.

5/10

To see where else I’ve been click on the google map below.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=18qCyiPZih_gzhGG8mwfacnNRWD3b0bo&ehbc=2E312F

Belgium Food Belgian Food Leuven restaurants