Manhattn's Burgers (rue Henri Maus/avenue Louise)

I have a confession to make: I don't really like the idea of burger places. When I go out to eat I like choice, uncertainty, a bit of mystery even. I'm not that excited by restaurants that offer variations on one meal. Still, the high-end fast food joint trend of the 2010s has clearly reached Brussels, and one day (fortunately when I wasn't doing any proofreading work) I had the chance to visit Manhattn's (sic) Burgers.

Maison Antoine & Gare du Midi market (street food special)

One of the things that distinguishes Brussels is the ready availability of foodstuffs for immediate consumption, and the fact that people aren't afraid to eat them in the street (there's a good take on this here). I like this attribute of the city very much. So it seems time to take a look at a couple of outlets where metal cutlery and china crockery are replaced by plastic forks, fingers, and copious amounts of paper napkins.

(the market at the Gare du Midi in a rare break between showers)

Pizzeria Istanbul (rue Malibran)

I never said this blog was going to be about Belgian cuisine only, or even about Brussels' most celebrated establishments. Sometimes you have to take good food where you can find it, especially when part of a large group exploring the nightlife (well, Café Belga) round the place Flagey on a rainy evening, and not having much luck finding dinner. Luckily, one timely recollection and a short walk down a side street later, we were sitting in the utilitarian surroundings of the Pizzeria Istanbul.