The Butchers Store is one of a handful of businesses occupying an
old distillery building. It comprises of the butchers shop, butchers
restaurant, cheese shop, bakery, and a bar in the distillery itself.
The problem was the whole place was closed! We had a good look
around from the outside and knew this was a fantastic venue so we
would make the effort to return. A bit deflated we headed back to
Antwerp Central. It's now about 3:20pm and too late to hit any shops
in Brussels so we opt for a couple of beers and a mooch around
Antwerp. There are loads of lovely little independent shops around
Antwerp which is so nice to see. It gives the place real character.
Nowadays you go from one city to the next in the UK and you see all
the same shops set out in all the same way, boring! No offence, I just
think independent traders should be encouraged to pitch up against
the big retailers and be given help to do so. Anyway, I digress.
We arrive back in Brussels at about 6:00pm and decide to scope out
tomorrow's destination and get a feel for what’s about - making our
travelling a bit easier for the next day. After a long day, we head back
for some food and drink and plan the following day. I really wanted to
see The Butchers Store in Hove so decided to drop one of the Brussels
shops and put it on the list for the Tuesday. During our research of the
area I came across a store called Michilsen near the store in Antwerp,
so we had a plan. Get an early start in Brussels then head back to
Antwerp.
DAY 2
Eager to get going, we had our breakfast and made the twenty minute
walk to our first destination Dierendonck.
Our first impression was WOW! This was a small shop with railing
tracking around the ceiling above displaying a wide variety of air
dried meats. The front window display was full of lovely looking corn
fed chicken and guinea fowl, rabbits, duck and rare breed pork with
lovely firm fat covering. Also pigs cheek, marinated lamb racks and
much more. Walking inside you can smell the air dried meat, a lovely
pleasant musty kind of smell you get from the charcutier. The block
is on the shop floor protected by a glass screen so you can get a good
view of the butcher working. The dry aged beef looks superb and they
only use meat from their own farm. This is truly a very impressive
shop, we spend about fifteen minutes taking it all in before moving on.
Next we went to Charcurereue le comptoir de tom. Specialising in air
dried meats, pate, terrines and cheeses. It is all beautifully displayed.
Behind the counter the staff make sandwiches on artisan crusty
baguettes using all the produce from the shop. The wall comprises
of sleek black shelving, home to a variety of oils, vinegars and olives.
Hanging from the ceiling is dried olive branches which looks fantastic
with the lighting behind. After our experience yesterday we know
exactly where to go so this saves loads of time getting back over to
Antwerp. Before we knew it we are walking back up the road towards
The Butchers Store in Hove. Admittedly a bit apprehensive, I hope it's
open! Bingo, lots of people milling around browsing, phew!
Outside is a huge dry aging fridge packed with some superb looking
beef hindquarters, sides of pork and fore ribs. The main shop is split
in two - raw on the right - cooked on the left. Both counters look
stunning. Overhead beef hangs from the ceiling, by the look of it, it's
been aging for a good 60 days. This means it will have an intense beef
flavour and eat like butter. The meat counter has all the traditional cuts
you would expect displayed nicely. They also have a good variety of
added value products, lots of marinated and breaded dishes. It all looks
very impressive. The deli counter is equally good. Full of dried and
cooked meats, terrines and salads it all looks great. What they did do
particularly well I felt, were the ready meals and I have got some new
ideas in ways I can approach them. We had a good look around the
other shops and started to plot our rote to the next shop.
Michilsen is in a quieter area than the rest we have visited but from the
outside the shop front was stunning. It resembles more of a high end
restaurant than a butchers shop. The theme was black and gold and
lots of marble. Taking a closer look in the window it's filled with hams,
beef ribs, sirloins and chops all looking very appealing. Walking inside
it’s an exceptionally beautiful shop. Everywhere you look it's expertly
finished. A long sweeping counter stretches the length of the building
with a shallow window protecting the food but allowing the customer
to get a really good look at the food. To the left is the self serve full
of pizzas, salads even desserts. A bit further down was all the ready
meals and fine wines. The serve over counters were full and expertly
constructed with everything in its place. The salad section had shrimps
in a white sauce and smoked salmon in a cheese and chive sauce to
name only two. There must have been about thirty different varieties.
This is easily the best shop I have ever seen and it was a joy to visit, this
was what the trip was all about.
On a high we headed back over to Brussels to relax. All in all we found
Belgium to be a very friendly diverse place with very high standards.
I’m now buzzing with ideas and rejuvenated for the coming year.
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