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)