Before they were covered over in the 1870s, canals used to dominate the Ste-Catherine neighborhood. An old harbor and its accompanying fish market brought nautical color to the area, along with scores of fish restaurants. The harbor has long since disappeared, but Ste-Catherine remains a destination for seafood lovers. The marché aux poissons is still running (albeit only weekly) and the fish restaurants have happily stayed put.

Many of these (Bij den Boer, Jacques, le Pré Salé) are old-school joints with low ceilings and traditional recipes. But a relative newcomer has been making waves with its trendy style and tweaked approach to cooking. I had heard of Vismet before, but finally raced over to reserve when Jordan Greenwood - the man behind the famous Linkebeek cheese shop - told me it was one of his favorites.

We were seated on the terrace with a good view of the waiter gently turning away a procession of un-reserved hopefuls. Happy to have snagged a spot, we tucked into the two croquettes that arrived as an amuse - upscale versions of the Brussels bar staple. My starter came from the regular menu, salade de pinces de crabe fraîche, avocat et agrumes, and my friend chose mussels from the list of nightly specials. 

As tasty as my crab salad was (fresh claw meat, homemade mayo on the side, perfect grapefruit), I couldn't keep my hands off those mussels. I'm normally not a fan, but these were moules de bouchot, raised on elevated platforms in Normandy to be small in size, sweet and nutty, without any trace of sand. They were sautéed simply with garlic and some smoky mild peppers. Our house white was chilling in a wine bucket cleverly stuck to the side of the table, leaving us plenty of table surface to jostle for the last shell.

After polishing off the last of our starters, I wandered inside to check out the main dining room. As lovely as the terrace is in summer, Vismet's interior looks right for a cold Belgian night. Warm wood, expensive lighting and an open kitchen create a theatrical setting for the performance of Tom Decroos. The jovial chef earned his stripes at the renowned Sea Grill, but unlike that two-star training ground, Vismet is moderately priced and draws a relaxed and trendy crowd.

When I returned to the table, my friend was still brooding over the loss of so many mussels. He brightened when the main dishes arrived - my grilled swordfish with sauce salmoriglio (lemon, garlic, olive oil and herbs) and his filet de merlu à la palermitaine.

I found myself again making sneak attacks across the table. My plate was perfectly fine, but the Palermo-style hake was simply outstanding - crispy and and flavorful skin atop melting interior flesh. With an eggplant gratin and a side of fries, it was enough to feed four.

After so much food, we passed on dessert but said yes to complimentary bubbly. My crab salad had been a mistake (I'd ordered something else) but I didn't fuss because the error looked (and was) very delicious. The champagne "sorry" was a nevertheless a nice touch and a perfect finish.

The damage: 87€ for two, with wine

Vismet; 23 place Ste-Catherine, 1000 Brussels (Ste-Catherine)

Call us cheesy, but momondo has gone crazy for coagulated milk. We've given our writers the mission of uncovering 'le meilleur fromage' in Paris, 'il migliore formaggio' in Rome, and the hands-down best cheeses in London, Madrid and Brussels. So grab yourself some bread and wine and join us on this tour of the best cheese shops in Europe.

Brussels 

After four years of living in Paris, I probably qualify as something of a cheese snob. But because French fromagers rarely stock foreign cheese, I'm also pretty ignorant to the traditions of other countries. During a recent jaunt to Brussels, I asked a food-obsessed local friend where I could learn more about Belgian cheese. He told me there was only one game in town: the Crèmerie de Linkebeek.

The Crèmerie de Linkebeek has been operating since 1902, making it the oldest cheese shop in Brussels. The epitome of old-school, the name Linkebeek comes from the nearby village where the original owners kept their cows. Today, after more than 100 years in business, the shop still has a very retro feel. Its future, however, lies in the hands of a young upstart couple.

Jordan and Laurence Greenwood took the reins four years ago, revitalizing the shop and turning it into a foodie destination. "We're trying to honor the shop's history while also putting our own personal stamp on the place," Jordan told me. You can buy raw milk in glass bottles here, just like in the old days, but you can now also pick up a bottle of wine and some fig balsamic condiment. 

As for their core business, Jordan and Laurence have sought out hard-to-find cheeses from small producers and have built the most impressive collection of Belgian cheeses to be found anywhere. Jordan explained that the main difference between the two traditions is that the French wash their rinds with with wine during the maturing process, and the Belgians use beer. That's because cheese production has traditionally taken place in monasteries – the same Abbeys that have been producing famed Belgian brew for centuries. In modern times, some beer companies like Chimay even make their own branded cheese. Jordan was explaining this all while illustrating with sample after sampe. I was in heaven.

Next up, I tasted some of the best-selling cheeses at Linkebeek - the Vieux Bruges, a hard cheese that seems the perfect partner for beer, and the Hervlon “extra piquant” double crème, a super stinky cheese that’s widely exported. Jordan said that the shop also carries a few cheeses that are on the verge of disappearing. Fromage de Bruxelles - a more pungent and salty version of fromage blanc - was devoured for breakfast by past generations of city-dwellers. Producers are dying off, so the older residents of Ste-Catherine flock to Linkebeek to get their fix while they still can. 

In helping his customers to choose the perfect cheese, Jordan switches seamlessly between French, Dutch and English. The English bears a slight Brooklyn accent because a portion of his childhood was spent in New York. The mixed heritage gives him a linguistic edge and, more importantly, his grandma Shirley's recipe for New York style cheesecake.

Some of his personal favorites at Linkebeek are the Fleuron de Bruges and the Lebailli - a nutty cow’s milk cheese that’s washed in wine. He also loves (and I agree) the Testun al Barolo. An Italian sheep's milk cheese that’s been rolled in the marc of Barolo wine – it was smooth and delicious, almost dessert-like. He's also a big fan of the herbed ham and other charcuterie that's available for takeaway.

For those (like hotel-bound travel writers) who can't do takeaway, the Crèmerie de Linkebeek operates a lunch table on the adjascent terrace. Without worrying about where to store the leftovers, the cheese-curious can order up a sample plate or a light tartine of fromage blanc, spring onion, and radish. I kept company on the sun-dappled terrace with a towering slice of of that New York style cheesecake. Made by Laurence using grandma Shirley's recipe, it was the best that I've ever had.

Crèmerie Linkebeek; rue du vieux marche aux grains, 1000 Brussels (Ste-Catherine)