Leo Beer and Phanganist went to visit our friend Quentin from Seetanu Bungalows to experience his famous ‘Belgian Beer Bar’ Restaurant.
Popular amongst locals already the restaurant was busy and already smelling great when we arrived which got our mouths watering for lunch!
Quentin poured us a glass of Limburge Witte, a light Belgian Beer (as we were after all working!) and we sat down for a chat before we had a chance to enjoy their famous mussels…
Tell us the concept of Belgian Beer Bar…
It is like a ‘brasserie’, how we say in Belgium, a different kind of food. We have Western food, meat, salads, spaghetti, Thai and Belgian food for sure like liegeoise salad, the mussels, paninis and burgers. We have ten different types of mussels! Beef tartare is particularly Belgian and the beef stew, our homemade french fries are very delicious.
So you have a love for Belgian Beer Quentin?
Yes we have more than two thousand different beers in Belgium and I have forty eight of them here. Three on tap soon to be six. They all have a unique flavour and each beer has a different glass which is specific and unique for the bubbles and it opens the flavour, the same as wine.
We have blond, amber and dark beers and ‘trapiste’ which is a monk beer, there are only twelve in the world, seven of them are Belgian and I have six available here!
Why is Belgian Beer so special?
It was the monks who started it in Belgium and now each village has its own micro brewery and it has just grown and grown in popularity.
Belgian beer’s start at 3% up to 12%, most are between 6 and 10%. The 10% ones are called ‘triple’.
And you designed the menu yourself?
Yes, we started five years ago with nothing, then small with just Thai food. I went to the market and would see these mussels which was strange for me at first as in Belgium they are usually black but here they are a wonderful blue, green colour.
Now in high season we sell about twenty five kilos of mussels, I go every morning to my supplier and they know my order. It’s the same for our potatoes for our homemade fries, you don’t want to have potatoes with too much sugar in as then they don’t go crispy.
I teach my staff the recipes and I am so happy to do this as they learn so fast it’s amazing! A lot of our dishes are fully homemade and I have a local friend who makes all of the bread.
When our mussels ‘moules marinere’ arrived we were not disappointed, they look exactly as Quentin describes them and from pictures that we have seen before.
What better way than to enjoy some seafood next to the beach and ocean with a cooling breeze coming in from the sea…
Belgian Beer Bar’s homemade fries are a delight with an irresistible warming flavour which can be accompanied by their choice of homemade mayonnaise. We tried Quentin’s own favourite, the wasabi mayonnaise first which was cheeky and nicely spicy but not too fiery that it’s going to knock your socks off like pure wasabi can do sometimes.
The beautiful green colour that the shells of the mussels has comes from the warm temperature of the sea around here, it is the plankton that gives them the green colour and even the insides of the shells are beautifully rainbow coloured that you can enjoy some natural art whilst tucking into a bowl of the sea.
We also tried our fries with their homemade chipotle and black pepper mayonnaise, the first being sweetly spiced and the latter more earthy and subtle, you’ll have to try them for yourself to pick which one you like the best.
Our beer was a great accompaniment, light, refreshing and citrusy and the amazing breeze was welcome on this warm afternoon. The light blue water was sparkling and the peaceful sound of the waves and trickle of the waterfall means you could wind away a nice couple of hours eating lunch.
On the menu at Belgian Beer Bar there is something for everyone’s taste and they are open all year round except for Songkran when they take their staff on an annual holiday.
They serve breakfast throughout the day, families with children are more than welcome and even their steaks are gaining in reputation with people from Chaloklum and Ban Tai making the journey to Sri Thanu to try the charolais steak.
As well as the famous beer on offer they also have fourteen types of wine to choose from their wine cellar and bubbles for a treat or special occasion.
Residents of Koh Phangan can also enjoy a 15% discount at Belgian Beer Bar.
As ever, Quentin was very hospitable and he welcomes everyone always with the same charm to Belgian Beer Bar.
Opening hours are 8am to 10pm non stop and in high season it is recommended to book a table.
Phanganist readers get 15% off at Belgian Beer Bar, just mention that you saw it on Phanganist.com and use ‘Phanganist’ as the special promo code!!
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