Deriving its name from the personal hobby of architect Victor Horta (psychedelic mushrooms), De Ultieme Hallucinatie is indeed a fanciful place. No tie-dye or oversize peace signs here, just plenty of swirling art nouveau details and a “step back in time” feeling that comes as soon as you’ve crossed the threshold of this restored 19th century house.
We were greeted just inside the front door by a period piano, a marble staircase, and signature Nouveau adornments everywhere. It was silent here and we delighted in the time warp feeling for a moment before passing on through to the second room.
A polished wood table was lit by Tiffany lamps and surrounded by wall cupboards and tapestried sofas. We wondered if it was the original dining room of Paul Hamesse, the architect who redecorated this house in 1904 in the contemporary style. It was beautiful but felt like a museum, so we continued on to the next room and found - Bingo! - the bar.
One of the prettiest bars I've seen, it was a long marble counter framed by a series of carved wooden "windows" overhead, with natural light pouring through stained glass above. I could have spent an entire afternoon here exploring the beer list, but this was a rare sunny day and the action was on the terrace.
The fourth and final room at De Ultieme Hallucinatie is a patio, filled with greenery and (slightly stagnant) pools of water. We took a table in the sun and ordered up some croquettes, the nothing-fancy bar staple of Brussels. They grey shrimp variety was tasty, but the cheese croquettes were like glue and required lots of cold beer to wash them down. Lucky for us, there was plenty of that around. But the trippy stone walls looked as if they were melting long before we had taken our first sip.
Although the food isn't anything to write home about, De Ultieme Hallucinatie is worth a stop for anyone interested in architecture. Learning about the turn-of-the-century style is especially fun with a tall beer in hand. And Art Nouveau or no Nouveau, the sunny patio and stylish bar make an excellent stop before a concert at the nearby Botanique.
De Ultieme Hallucinatie; 16 rue Royale, 1210 Brussels (St-Josse)