"Artery-thickening and highly satisfying"

Added Wed 23 Nov 2011 by Leila

Belgo Noord on Chalk Farm Road is always busy, the sort of bums-on-seats place that’s filled with noisy 20-somethings at the start of a night out. Despite its many possible comparisons to something like say, a Pizza Express, the staff here know their Grimbergen from their Grottenbier. For Belgo’s has hundreds of beers; blonde beers, wheat beers, strong beers like the 12% Bush Scaldis and others that go by names like Delirium Tremens and Morte Subite. Then there are the fruit beers: coconut, peach, strawberry, and other girly flavours.

Belgo’s food has always been a cut above mere fast food too; the main specialty are the mussels, served with a side of thin frites and rich mayonnaise. It’s artery-thickening fare – there are King prawns fried with garlic that look like they are swimming in oil, and the creamy croquettes are made with Cheddar, Gruyere and Orval beer cheese, with a slab of piccalilli to break up the gloopiness. The gravadlax is far lighter, with lovely, flavoursome slices of dill-encrusted smoked salmon paired with crème fraiche and four huge slices of rye bread.

The Florentine open platter of mussels fails to disappoint, as it’s a plate of open shell mussels covered in a spinach and cheese sauce with liberal amounts of smoky bacon lardons, and a kilo pot of Mariniere mussels smells of garlic and white wine. Unusually for a stew, the beef carbonnade also comes with frites, wasting a large portion of the Gueuze beer gravy (try mopping sauce with a matchstick-thin chip). Aside from that it’s a great dish, the meat falling apart with the slightest prod, the gravy with a slight wintry sweetness to it thanks to cooked plums. Great winter comfort food, a meal is only around £30 a head.

"Good for a fast, cheap meal"

Added Tue 14 Oct 2008 by Leila

I am always harping on about how evil chains are, and how these corporate monopolies are ruining the world. There are only four Belgo restaurants in London, so I will allow myself this one exception, even if I do disapprove of their persistent advertising and Xmas promotions as early as September.

The thing is, I really enjoy the food here. As close to junk food as I permit myself, I have many a time gorged on their Florentine mussel platter, open topped mussels cooked in spinach, oodles of Gruyere cheese and bits of bacon, served with fries and rich dollops of mayonnaise. A heart attack on a platter it may be, but a tasty one. Mussels really are the speciality here, and the half kilo and kilo pots offer a variety of sauces; the Green Thai has coconut and lemongrass, and the sadly retired Portuguese pot had chorizo and baby potatoes floating around in a tomato sauce.

The variety of beers is also very impressive and despite not being a beer drinker myself I have enjoyed the coconut and peach flavoured kinds. There are dozens of other types on offer, explaining why the Clapham and Kingsway branches have simply been called called ‘Bierodrome’.

There are so many different meal deals going on here it becomes a little irritating; there are lunchtime specials, dinner specials until 7.30 pm, monthly specials and pre-theatre specials (Belgo Noord is located opposite the Roundhouse) some of which start at £4.50 for a full main course. The low prices and popular flavours ensure Belgo is mostly very busy, however staff are always attentive and helpful no matter how many drunken birthday parties are taking place. Perfect for a tasty, inexpensive, and fast meal.