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Picturing a colony

Tens of thousands of Belgians are visiting Carl De Keyzer’s new shows on the Congo
© Royal Museum of Central Africa, Tervuren; photo François Michel

Carl De Keyzer is a people’s photographer, meaning it’s incredibly easy to become involved in a matter of seconds with the subjects of his expressive work. Inspired by a quaint 1958 tourist guide, the Flemish photographer – a member of the Magnum agency – spent 10 months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2008 to photograph its Belgian colonial remnants.

The result is Congo (belge), a success at the Photo Museum in Antwerp, with more than 33,000 visitors so far.

Although it’s easy to enjoy coming face-to-face with De Keyzer’s work, deciphering layers of meaning in each photo, it wasn’t an easy trip for the photographer. The DRC appears to have inherited the Belgian art of bureaucracy, and De Keyzer had to spend many Congolese francs and many hours in waiting rooms to get the right permits.

Monique Philips
(April 7, 2010)

Working in the black

Illegal workers in service trades cost millions in lost tax revenue
© Shutterstock

The number of cases of infringement on social protection laws, when employers are found to be employing staff illegally, fell last year by 2%, it was announced last week with figures from the Social Inspection and Investigation Service (SIOD). The worst offenders remain the catering and building industries.

Most infringements by far took place in the catering trade – hotels, restaurants and bars, as well as take-aways – which accounted for 46% of all “positive checks”. Those are cases where inspectors determined that a breach of employment regulations took place.

Alan Hope
(March 31, 2010)

C-ing is believing

Jason Blanckaert earned his Ghent restaurant a Michelin star two years ago and now puts his recipes online
Photos: ©Julie van Schooten

Sitting across from me after the lunch service is over, the chef ’s posture manages to convey arrogance and boredom at the same time. He seems tired of the conversation. He doesn’t like to describe his cooking style; he isn’t involved in pricing so can’t comment on the cost; nor does he have an opinion about the quasifamous artwork in the dining room.

Perhaps he has gotten used to the attention that comes with earning a Michelin star. Already at 30, Jason Blanckaert is a chef who makes no apologies.

Blanckaert has been at the helm of C-Jean for a few years now, earning the 25-year-old restaurant a place on the culinary map of Ghent. This fine-dining establishment located near the city’s belfry seats 30 at small, white linen tables, a wall of bottled wine separating the kitchen from the front. The lunch menu is just as small: three starters and three mains, listed on chalkboards.

Courtney Davis
(March 31, 2010)

The one-star wonders

© Kris Vlegels

The exalted Michelin guide offers one, two or the coveted three stars to a lucky few restaurants across the world. Belgium has two threestar restaurants, 13 two-star restaurants and an impressive 86 one-star restaurants. For most diners, it’s difficult to ascertain the difference in quality and presentation, which is what makes one-star restaurants so intriguing: excellent and unique cuisine and service, without the three-star price.

Besides C-Jean, here are two one-star restaurants worth your money.

IN DE WULF

(March 31, 2010)

Locals know better

A new Use-It office and map calls for a waffle binge

The most beautiful thing about the city maps produced by Use-It Tourist Info for young people is how they cut to the chase. In their map of Bruges: “Never take pictures on the Markt. It’s not because there are statues everywhere that you have to take pictures of every single one.” And in Mechelen: “Choose the right football team.”

In the new edition of the map of Brussels, I was delighted to see: “Brussels is ugly, and we love it….So don’t be surprised that we built a terrible apartment block next to an Art Nouveau jewel or a pseudo-classical monster in front of Central Station.”

Lisa Bradshaw
(March 31, 2010)

bite

Wagamama

Wagamama has been on my list of favourite restaurants for a decade. I discovered it as a student in London, and I ate there countless times in that all-too-short six-month period.

Back in the US, I would occasionally think back to those Japanese meals while waiting patiently for Wagamama’s brand to expand across the ocean – naturally, now that I live in Brussels, it can indeed be found in Boston, my former home.

But fortunately, among their 37 international locations, one can be found Antwerp.

Sharon Light
(March 31, 2010)

bite

Fondue

From the diner’s perspective, fondue – or its cousins, raclette and gourmet – is a special dining experience. It’s interactive and creative, which makes for a fun night out, but not something you’d do regularly. Which I guess is why you don’t find fondue restaurants on every corner.

For my most recent fondue indulgence, I headed to Aalst to visit the Fonduehuisje Le Bourguignon. Open for 12 years, Le Bourguignon specialises in these Swiss-style, cook-it-yourself meals.

Each table features an electric stove in the centre and an exhaust fan overhead. It sounds industrial, but they’ve disguised it in a sleek design. The restaurant is comfortable and modern, featuring chocolatey brown tables and walls, perhaps to tempt you towards dessert.

Sharon Light
(March 24, 2010)

TO BE OR NOT TO.be

So, what do you think of first when someone says “Belgium”? If you live outside Brussels, you might have trouble conjuring anything outside of the tourist clichés of beer and chocolate. That’s because half of us live in Flanders and half of us live in Wallonia, and we don’t always know what “Belgium” means at all, let alone means to us.

Which is why TO BE OR NOT TO.be is a very good idea. Six documentaries – three by Dutchspeaking directors and three by French-speaking directors – explore what “Belgium” means and provide some fascinating perspectives on the country’s past, present and future.

Lisa Bradshaw
(March 24, 2010)

Where chefs go to eat

Bruges’ Rock Fort is on par with its three-starred neighbour

It must be a tad daunting being located right next to one of Belgium’s only two triple-Michelin-starred restaurants. But in this case you wouldn’t know it. Standing brazenly next to De Karmeliet in Bruges’ Langestraat is Rock Fort, a small eatery that easily holds its own in the culinary shadow cast next door.

Don’t let the silly sunflower signage or the fact that you have to walk through the front bar to get to the restaurant dissuade you. Upon entry, you will immediately be put at ease. The well-balanced combination of modern white tables and walls with rugged wooden floors and flannel-wearing staff makes it clear that this restaurant might be modern, but it is also comfortable.

Courtney Davis
(March 24, 2010)

Game on

From Atari to Wii, Play Belgium dives into the history of computer games and peeks ahead to the future
Explore Playstation games you’ve only heard of

The Kelders van Cureghem in Brussels is currently alive with beeps, buzzes and voices raised in victory (or defeat). The interactive exhibition Play Belgium features more than 200 games demonstrating the evolution of computer technology. And you get to play with all of them.

The event is part exhibition and part arcade; information panels offer answers to all your questions about gaming and enlighten you on the versatile uses of computer games.

There could not be a bigger contrast between the dark and quiet setting of the Kelders and the bright and noisy objects filling them. As soon as I entered, I was welcomed by the eclectic sound of 200 switched-on electronic games. I received a little booklet to guide me through the exhibition and a quiz (that enters me into a prize drawing if I got all the answers right).

Katrien Lindemans
(March 24, 2010)