Belgo Noord

Going into Belgo Noord feels like being whisked away to some Northern European drinking den. Fat men with moustaches smile at you from the walls, strangely elaborate glasses glint above the bar and pretty young things in Belgian aprons greet you and take you to your table. There are two large menus at Belgo Noord, one for food and one for beer, and the latter makes a more than regular appearance in the former with Belgo making a speciality of using beer in their cooking. The food itself is very European and the house-favourite is mussels (which are all organic and delivered fresh every day) served in a variety of fragrant soups, including the Mariniere Traditionelle and Green Thai. Sweet and creamy mussels are still flavoured with the sea and the assiette de charcuterie is wonderfully varied and structured. But don't worry if creatures-in-shells aren't your thing, there's a great choice of (beer) battered fish, sausages in (beer) gravy, (beer) basted rotisserie chicken, and steak as well. We can't finish without saying a bit more about the beer at Belgo. The choice is vast and it would take someone of super-human strength and sobriety to do it justice. We enjoyed a citrussy weiss beer called Bruges, a very light, fruity strawberry-flavoured beer that did actually taste of strawberries, and an elderflower-scented beer called Powel-Kwak, which comes in a glass that looks like it belongs in a chemistry lab. If you're really adventurous you can get a stick of schnapps shots. Even if you don't leave Belgo Noord wanting to grow a moustache and change your name to Herman, you'll find it a very, very good restaurant. Tasty food, tasty beer served in a fantastic, faintly ironic venue - what else can you ask for in London Town?