belgian cuisine is a mix of local regional dishes mixed with those from neighbouring france, germany and the netherlands. the plethora of belgianbeerbars in new zealand and australia capitalises on a brilliant range of belgianbeercoupled to reasonably hearty eclectic fare.
leuven, like the others, is not high end gastronomy. however on a saturday afternoon in winter after shopping in town it is nice to come here for abeerand snack before heading home.
the decor is ... well ... belgianbeerbar decor - a clever wood panelled space, usually with a few old oddments or tin signs that try to give a european feel. once you've been into one you'll recognise the others.
thebeerlist is great but there are some gaps and it's my impression that it may be time for a few additions to keep up with craftbeerfashion - geuze for example or higher end flavoured beers. everything on the belgian list is highly drinkable but watch the abv%.
food - i try to go for something traditional (what's the point of doing anything else here) so my eyes usually rest on things like herring, stoemp, oxtail, flemish beef stew. i also love meat loaf so i've had that a couple of times too.
the national dish of belgium is mussels and fries moules-frite so you have to try them at least once. although traditionally steamed with onion and celery - moules nature - exotic bases also have appeared such as coconut and lime.
seating is wooden - pretty hard, but after a 9%beeryour anatomy becomes less sensitive. the space is cosy and, when it's cold outside, the beer, frites and mussels can make the world seem a very pleasant place to be - for a little while anyway.