Henri
“Who’s Henri?”
Well, in fact, there is no Henri.
Henri is the result of almost 20 years of hard work and passion by Jurgen and Sven Campens.
My bosses.
I first met Henri in 2009. Back then, I was working my first job in Brussels at La Poissonerie La Mer du Nord and had to deliver fish here once in a while. It was at that moment that I first thought: “One day, I’ll work here”. I thought the same thing in 2014, when I worked a little closer on Rue de Flandre, at Selecto. I even think I told Sven at that time: “I’m going to work with you soon”. There was always something about it that made me feel at home at Henri. It was where I wanted to be. The staff, the food, the atmosphere, everything just worked in harmony. I finally got my chance in 2015 and even though we parted for a little while since then, I of course, found my way home again.
Sven and Jurgen are sons of a well known butcher (now retired) in Beersel. So you can rest assured that any meat that comes through the door is of incredible quality. The suggestions now always includes a Dierendonck piece as well. The food menu is in two parts. The Classics include many native Belgian dishes such as Tomates Crevettes, Steak-Frites and Shrimp Croquettes. The second part are the Suggestions. They change every three weeks and include more seasonal products, following vegetable harvests and hunting seasons.
I often get asked: “what should I order?”
And I often answer: “How hungry are you and how much time do you have?”
Everything is delicious. But if it’s your first time visiting, try the marbré as a starter (like a carpaccio, made with raw beef, tartufata and goose liver). As a main, just follow your heart… or stomach! The roast beef salad is totally worth a go, it’s surprising! And we have die hard fans of our Américain préparé.
Now, the wine list. A full 22 pages now and Sven can still tell you details on each one!
Not only well known references, also some less known wines and grapes from places like Corsica and Portugal. We’ve been seeing more natural wines come in as well. It’s very refreshing to work for someone who’s always curious and willing to make changes to their products. It’s certainly part of their success.
I could go on and on about Henri. After all these years, i still consider myself one of their biggest fans. And I’m not the only one! The amount of return customers is impressive (some come more than once a week) and that speaks volumes.
Longue vie à Henri!
Open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner. Lunch specials all week.
Reservations are a must!
Call them at
02/218 00 08
