Jardin Van Gogh Hotel

Place Sainte-Catherine 5-7, B-1000 Brussels

The benefits of eating mussels in Brussels go well beyond the pleasant turn of phrase – the mollusc is Belgium’s national food, so you’re guaranteed to get some pretty top-notch mussel-laden plates in the capital. But when it comes to quality seafood, simple is usually best, so head to Jardin Van Gogh the more casual, relaxed (read: open for lunch) sister eaterie to the city’s popular Jardin Restaurant. It takes its shellfish very seriously; in fact, look at the frontage, on Place Sainte Catherine, a little too quickly and you’re likely to mistake it for a fish market, so abundant are the displays brimming with prawns, a dozen varieties of oysters, lobsters, clams, crabs and langoustines. The interior is modern and quirky – there’s a bright red bar, and a back garden decked out in Astro Turf – but the food is firmly classic. Should you not be tempted by the seafood platters, start with the creamy, salty thyme-topped bone marrow; it melts in your mouth, and comes in a very generous portion. Hot aramelised apple tart with seared foie gras, calf sweetbreads escalope and slow-cooked lamb knuckle also cater well to any fish-phobes.