Brut: seizoensgebonden wijnen en spijzen
Nicky van der Toorn: "Our high wine is not standard. The wines we serve are seasonal and so are the dishes we serve with them. An example of our high wine: we start with anti-pasti; fresh rustic bread, spreads, nuts, olives and charcuterie: sausages and hams. The second course consists of carpaccio of fish and meat. The third -warm- course also consists of fish and meat. The fourth course is sweet, or consists of cheese.
You can choose from red, white or rosé if they like, but basically we choose a matching wine with the dishes. We like to offer a surprise. Then it remains a challenge for guests who come more often, but also for ourselves. We like to combine wines and food that go nicely together. For the customer it is also nice that the choice is made for them. Then they taste a wine they wouldn't normally order. We have a high wine here every day; wine is our core business."
Rood, wit, rosé: wijn proeven en kopen
"At our place, the high wine evolved from blind tasting trios. In a tasting trio, you taste three wines of one color, with or without matching chocolates. The high wine is more elaborate: five wines of half a glass with matching appetizers. With a high wine, you want to surprise people. We ask people their preferences: dry, fruity, only white, or red. We serve different wines at each high wine. We do that by feel.
There is a build-up to our high wine. We start with a light, crisp, white wine. That clears the taste buds and then you can taste properly. We always conclude with a sweet wine with a luxury bonbon. We don't have a hot kitchen. We do have lots of beautiful cheeses that we match with the wines, smoked wild salmon and organic lamb salami. All the wine you taste in the wine bar is also for sale in our store."
Brasserie Downtown: onbeperkt proeven
"We serve the dishes on a wooden board. We really dress up our high wine. Especially when people come for the first time, they often say, 'Wow, how good it looks, how much there is.' It's two hours of unlimited enjoyment of our house wines. With that, we serve three rounds of savory appetizers. We usually start with small sandwiches with salmon, brie or ham hocks. Then a round of mini-salads and prawns and finally appetizers.
You can also upgrade the high wine. Then choose the Valpolicella, Rioja Crianza or Amarone; these are real top wines. Are you not really a wine lover? Then you can also choose a high tea or a high beer. We have eight different beers in the bottle and on tap. We're just barely a brasserie in Belgium."
