Ah, Bruxelles.. The European Capital. Though I think that it maybe the fact that it is the home of Belgian chocolates, beers, mussels and chips, that makes it so appealing.
I've been to Brussels quite a few times now; all thanks to having a lovely Brother - who likes to have visitors - who lives there. Each time I come back feeling a heap happier, and equally heavier. Now, its been almost a month since we returned from our fleeting four day break, so, whilst there are still some uneaten choccies lurking in a rather empty looking box in the fridge, it doesn't seem too late to tell you about our Belgian finds. (Note: At time of publishing, the remaining chocs may have been consumed.)
I suppose a good place to start would be beer. Belgians bloody love it; you can't walk 5 minutes down any road without coming across at least one bar/pub, which inevitably means you must go in and sample their offerings. It has become a bit of a thing when we go over, to try not to have the same beer twice, or at least to try something we've not had before if its on the menu. With so much choice, from Trappist brews, Lambics, wheat beers, or even a cheeky fruit number, it's almost too easy to do. Needless to say, with their super strong alcohol content, you may be feeling very merry by the end of the day, particularly if you're not normally a beer drinker, like me. Which reminds me, another popular drink, and a definite must on a sunny day, is a 'Half and Half'; half a glass filled with prosecco/sparkling wine, then the other half topped up right to the brim with regular white wine. It baffles me why this hasn't caught on elsewhere. 
As for food.. Where do I begin? Belgium is a foodie's heaven, and whilst there are plenty of fancy places to eat, it all still seems very traditional, and the 'divide' between the French and Flemish areas make this much more interesting. It's apparently a common saying that the food here combines the finesse of French Cuisine with the generous portions of the Germans!
I'd say that Belgium is quite meat and fish heavy (fussy vegetarians beware), and they really champion all the less popular, more unusual produce; i.e. grey shrimps, veal, horse, offal.. It's nose to tail eating. With this in mind, and after all the scandals that have occurred in the UK in the past 6 months, I made it my mission to scout out a good horse steak dinner. In fact, I ended up eating it twice as it was SO delicious; once cooked (rare of course, anything more than that is almost blasphemous to the Belgians) and the other raw; finely chopped into a steak tartare. Seriously, us brits don't know what we're missing out on. I'd love to see horse in the butchers.
In terms of fish, Moules Frites - mussels and chips to you and me - is arguably Belgium's national dish. Traditionally, mussels are only available during the months with an 'r' in, and whilst this isn't necessarily true, as you can find them on menus all year round, many still insist that they are bigger and better when eaten in the cooler months. Since we were visiting in June, we decided to stick by this 'old wives tale' and try other things. There's a bit of a fish bar trend around Brussels, particularly in St Catherines. People turn up during lunch, or after work, to these hybrid fishmongers/deli/restaurants/street-food places, where you can basically choose your fish, have it cooked in front of you, then stand at the bar (with a chilled glass of white) and eat it whilst chatting to pretty much anyone and everyone. A social eating experience. We went to Nordzee Mer Du Nord, which always has people spilling into the roads as it's so popular, and between three of us we tried their classic fish stew, shrimp croquettes, and tuna steaks. Oh, and a tiny bit of snail soup. Not much of a fan of those slow creatures.. 
Now, the Belgian folk sure have a sweet tooth; tarts, biscuits, waffles, etc, etc.. Even as a massive cake obsessive, for me, it really is all about the chocolate. It is seriously NOTHING like the 'Belgian Chocolate' you get over here. Artisan chocolatiers, such as Marcolini, Wittamer, Blondeel, create the most beautiful flavour combinations, which pair perfectly with their intense cocoa casings. If it wasn't for the knowledge that I'd be the size of a house, I'd quite happily scoff them all day. As mentioned earlier, we brought back quite a stash to keep us going, and they're in now short supply... There has been talk of a Eurostar chocolate/beer dash if we really get desperate.
Places I'd recommend:
Food (Around St Catherine's)
Chez Henri, Vlaamsesteenweg 113-115 - Posh nosh but not overpriced
Viva M'Bomba, rue de Flandre 17 - Horse and lots of offal
La Pre Sale, rue de Flandre 20 - Great traditional Moules Frites
Royal Brasserie, rue de Flandre - Vlaamsesteenweg 103 - Trendy Belgian restaurant that never disappoints
Drink
Le Cirio, rue de la Bourse 18-20 - Old fashioned and authentic bar, despite being so close to the Grand Place
Au Daringman, rue de Flandre 37 - Tiny bar with friendly staff, and amazing cheap eats at lunchtimes
Laboureur, rue de Flandre 108 - Seems to be my brothers favourite haunt, good for people watching
Monk, Sainte-Catherine 42 - Recently revamped bar, classic but quirky, and now offering charcuterie.
Hortense Spirits, rue des Sablons 7 - Underground cocktail bar with a very short menu but a vast array of spirits
L'Archiduc, rue Antoine Dansaert 6 - Retro jazz and cocktail bar
Other
Frederic Blondeel, Quai au Briques 24 - Chocolate shop/tea room but a MUST for hot chocolate - particularly the one with lemongrass and chilli - YUM.
Maison Dandoy, rue Charles Buls 14 - Supposedly the best place for waffles. Go for a liege style one, plain and simple.
Pierre Marcolini, Place du Grand Sablon 39 - Luxurious chocolates and patisserie. Take away, or stand at little tables and devour in store.
Neuhaus Outlet Store, Postweg 2, Vlezenbeek - A little tram ride out of Brussels gets you to the Neuhaus Factory Shop, where it's pretty much all you can eat chocolates and mega discounted products. Go with some restraint or you'll leave feeling a bit sick.
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