THE TRAM EXPERIENCE

Last Saturday I finally got to try The Tram Experience. Needless to say, I was very excited since all my previous attempts to find tickets for the very first edition had failed miserably. Both The Tram Experience and the Dinner in the Sky were the hit of Brusselicious 2012 and luckily, they have been repeated ever since. The 2013 edition was undoubtedly more tempting and Brussels-focused, since all participating Michelin-starred chefs came from the EU capital and menus included desserts made by famous pastry chefs. The chef sponsoring the 2013 edition was actually Lionel Rigolet. Enough said! I guess the expertise of the brilliant chef behind Comme Chez Soi speaks tons about the quality of this culinary mini adventure.

We arrived at Place Poelaert a bit before 21:30 and were already super excited to see THE white tram (i.e. an old-fashioned tram from the 60’s remodeled especially for the event and sponsored by Electrolux) waiting for us! In no time we got in, were greeted by the staff and took off. To be honest, we anticipated a welcome message by the driver or an announcement of some kind to make things feel a little bit more special, which unfortunately never happened. No worries though, two glasses of Pommery champagne, a glimpse out of the window going up Avenue Louise and we were already having the time of our lives! Everything is well-thought of: nice route without any stops (the tram passes by Flagey, Merode, Montgomery, the Tram Museum, Herrmann-Debroux, Boondaal Station and Buyl), cool interior with white sleek furniture (with special cut-outs to make sure that nothing falls off), eccentric lighting and black and white pictures from Brussels landmarks.

Our appetizers, inspired by Gaëtan Colin (the young Michelin-starred chef of Jaloa and D’Oude Pastorie), were already served: cappuccino of shellfish with yuzu and a dash of smoked bacon, tartare of fera fish and oysters, espuma of passion fruit and crusty bread with seaweed butter. The shellfish cappuccino was heavenly and worked perfectly together with the seaweed butter. As soon as we finished, our very kind waitress topped our glasses with wine, and brought us our starter, another work of art by Gaëtan Colin: large freshwater shrimp, mayonnaise of foie gras, cream of artichokes and citrus oil. This was my personal favourite; a true feast of flavours! The main dish was a creation of Stefan Jacobs from Vadouxvent: saddle of rabbit with confit of legs, and white asparagus with lard featuring brewer’s spices. In all honesty, this was the least impressive dish for me –  it felt a bit dry and not very interesting in terms of flavour combinations. My compensation came with the dessert though, a creation of the one and only Pierre Marcolini, who managed to wow us once again. His chocolat primitif was out of this world – chocolate beans, a variety of pralines and chocolate ice cream with blueberry coulis. 

All in all, a great meal and a unique dining experience. The price is definitely on the expensive side (89€ for three courses plus as much wine, water and champagne you wish), but if you ask me well worth it! If you’d like to treat yourself to a tasty evening around Brussels, book your tickets and be quick (I had to wait several months). Enjoy The Tram Experience! 

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Address: Place Poelaert, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
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