Needs a tenderer touch!
While Belgian cuisine may not be as popular or gastronomically renowned as its Gallic neighbour’s offering, the menu at Covent Garden’s Belgo Centraal puts in a good shout for more culinary kudos.
With dishes including Croquettes with cheddar, gruyère & Orval beer cheese and Waterzooi – a classic Belgium dish of chicken, leeks and potatoes in a light cream & chicken broth – you can’t help but be a little impressed with the potential of the restaurant.
Built underground, you have to go down a set of stairs to get to the main area of the restaurant, but you come out on a brilliant view of the open kitchen, with pots and pans bubbling away on massive flames.
Unfortunately, the food was a little hit and miss. The Wild Mushroom and cream rotisserie chicken was succulent and tasty, while the Beef carbonnade was tough, despite the sweet tasting Gueuze beer with apples & plums that it’s braised in. The sauce for both the Traditionnelle and Green Thai mussel pots were delicious, but the mussels themselves were a little on the small side. However, the Dame Noir with its dark chocolate ice cream, Chantilly cream and white chocolate sauce pulled it back around in the end.
Essentially, Belgo Centraal was good, but it could be a lot better. It needs a bit more of a tender touch in both its food and its atmosphere. The decor is slightly austere and the entrance to the place, along with its seating staff, aren’t massively welcoming either.
Belgo Centraal, Covent Garden review: 3.4/5
