Welcome to an always sunny Chez Léon !

A word or two from Rudy Vanlancker Dear Clients & Friends, It is as always with a certain emotion and definitely with a lot of passion that I have the pleasure of announcing the arrival the new Zeeland mussels! True to our family tradition I have taken good care to select the best products and to agree with our suppliers on a daily arrival of this mythical ingredient of the Belgo-Brussels cuisine! If the first days of July are anything to go by, it’s going to be a nice & hot summer in Brussels this year! Unfortunately not everybody can afford to go away on holidays this summer and therefore we at Chez Léon, invite you to join us for a day out in the city to celebrate Brussels in Holiday mood. Why not make Brussels a fun day trip with its festivals & happenings..and of course ‘ a casserole of moules’ at Chez Léon. This year we made a special effort to create a holiday atmosphere: for every casserole you order in my restaurant you can win a set of two tickets on Brussels Airlines to any destination of your choice in Europe! This action starts on July 15th and the big draw will take place on August 24th, so, no hesitation, I’d be delighted to send you on a great trip, courtesy of Chez Léon! Make this summer your Brussels summer and enjoy the “Summer in the City” party atmosphere, and don’t forget, we at Chez Léon can help you make this a special summer! Enjoy and have fun and….Bon Appétit! Rudy Vanlancker

Léon's highlights  Summer in the City 2009 will probably be remembered for its long hot summer and if you had no plans for holidays abroad, or if your budget does not stretch to a beach holiday, not to worry, Brussels has it all and so there is no need for you to go elsewhere. Enjoy the relatively quiet roads, the varied choice of festivals & exhibits, the magnificent new Magritte Museum and of course the many cozy terraces and cafés in town. Chez Léon is definitely also in holiday mood: why travel to the seaside when you can get the best mussels in town right here on your doorstep at chez Léon! The mussels are of outstanding quality this season, all the more reason to enjoy a day out and an excellent casserole of moules and a cool Léon beer at Chez Léon, and…who knows…maybe you will be the lucky winner of one of the three sets of duo-tickets to any Brussels Airlines destination in Europe…you get one chance per casserole ordered…how easy and fun can it get?...By the way, on July 2nd, arrival date of the first mussels from Zeeland, RTL-tvi came filming the first day of the season for the 7 o’clock news, where else but at…chez Léon! The season started with a real bang!   Hergé Museum Tintin has finally gotten his own museum. You will have to be a little bit adventurous and drive out to Louvain-la-Neuve but once there it is a pleasure to re-discover all of the Tintin adventures and the many other creations of the fascinating artist that was Hergé. And what better place to end such an excursion than at Chez Léon for a refreshing Léon Beer and some excellent moules or any of the other mouth watering dishes prepared with attention to detail. www.tintin.com

Suggestions Chez Léon is the ideal place to visit when looking for a restaurant that has good food and a good location in the centre of town on offer when travelling with a larger party of people. Chef Alexandre recommends the special group menu on offer during weekday lunchtimes – a bargain at 13.65 Euros with one drink included. More group menus on offer on www.chezleon.be. He also comes up with his own specials, according to what’s available in the market. There’s bound to be some new summery specials. Just click here to go straight to the online menu in English.

What's on near Chez Léon ! Yes, it’s Summer and the city is hot!... If you’re bringing a group to Brussels, you’ll find that Chez Léon is never very far away. It’s a great place for a group lunch, either before or after a museum or exhibiton visit. And there’s a coach park close by in Rue Cardinal Mercier, right next to the Central Station Here are just 3 highlights for the Summer. SALE ! SALE ! SALE ! SALE ! July is bargain month in Brussels! For a whole month all shops will have exceptional discounts and promotions on offer on the summer collections. Let yourself be seduced by a good bargain in one of the many shopping districts of the capital! This is not a realist walk !... This Summer Surrealism is definitely King in Brussels and of course there is more, much more than the magnificent Magritte Museum which is only minutes away from Chez Léon! Go to www.brusselsinternational.beand discover some of the most intriguing guided walks through Brussels: a must for Magritte and Surrealism lovers!   A Recipe for Success! The Brussels Summer Festival (14 – 23 August) has in a few years turned into the most important cultural event in August in Brussels. For a full diary of this exciting happening, go to www.brusselsummerfestival.com And there’s plenty more…… To see everything that’s on near Léon ….and for information on all Brussels events www.brusselsinternational.be And don’t forget to drop by at Chez Léon for a bite before or after your favourite exhibition, concert, film… The parking is easy - there are over 5.000 parking spaces nearby. Just forward this eNews to family & friends, and arrange to meet up @ Chez Léon. Reserve your table on 02 511 14 15

The smiling faces of Chez Léon In this edition we talk to another chef with an important job. This one works behind the scenes and is involved in all the preparation. Meet Ahmed Skali How long @ Léon? I came to Belgium 19 years ago and Chez Léon was my first job. I started in the kitchen in 1991 and took the job of ‘preparation chef’ in 2000. Yes, I’ve been here a long time, but I like it. Your job? My job’s just that – all the preparation from ordering all the food, dealing with suppliers and making all the dishes which require advance preparation like the stews, eel in a herb sauce, vol-au-vent…. I make as much a 40 kilos of carbonnade stew in a week, and 20k of eels in herb sauce. Chocolate mousse is also popular and there are times I make more than 200 in one day, especially as I do a lot of special menus for our many groups. I work entirely on my own from 7 o’clock in the morning to three in the afternoon, five days a week so I have the evenings and the weekends free which is pretty unique at Chez Léon. Yourself? I was born in Morocco, in Nador in the northwest. I did a year at university there but then in 1990 decided to come to Belgium where I had family. It was easier than going to Germany because of the language. In 1995 I went to evening classes at Ceria in Anderlecht to improve my knowledge of cooking and all the basics like sauces. I’m married to a Moroccan, Hafida and we have five children between the ages of 4 and 15 which means I’m very busy as a father and don’t have a lot of time for hobbies. I pick up the children from school; supervise their homework, but no, I don’t do a lot of cooking at home…apart from crepes for breakfast! Your favourite Léon dish? Mussels Provençale-style, but that’s of course something I haven’t prepared myself. Of course, I taste everything I cook. I have to. I don’t use written recipes. I have everything in my head. I know it all by heart. Léon beer? I use can use up to 15 litres for my carbonnade stew. I don’t drink beer myself, but I certainly taste the sauce!

What other says Philippe Close, Alderman for Tourism of the city of Brussels and President of BITC ( Brussels Tourism Office) chose the perfect day to join us for lunch at Chez Léon: the first day the mussels of Zeeland arrived in Brussels and of course also at Chez Léon! Chez Léon for you? Chez Léon is more than just a restaurant, it is an institution. It is part of the Brussels scene: when you say Mussels from Brussels and Ilot Sacré you automatically think of Chez Léon…there is no doubt about that! It is a perfect illustration of the Belgo-Brussels spirit: a simple concept that has always been kept simple and therein lays its strength! Chez Léon has always maintained its accessible and affordable image and the name is that strong that it has become a regular brand name. It fits perfectly in the city marketing image that Brussels wants to promote. How long have you known Chez Léon? As a real ‘Brusseleir’ I can remember coming here with my parents whenever we went out to eat mussels, it was some sort of ritual in our family. Your favorite dish? Well, I’m actually sitting in front of a good casserole of mussels with frites and a good Léon Beer… and that is exactly what always come here for! The casserole has become another of these typical Belgian institutions: we are known as gourmets but we also like the simple things in life. Mussels are ‘Soul Food’ and they definitely bring back a lot of memories for many people! You could say that over time, next to Belgian chocolates, ‘Moules Frites’ has become the typical Belgian dish known all over the world. And we are right to be very proud of it! Tourism in Brussels? When after the election I choose to take on the role of Alderman for Tourism, my colleagues laughed a bit and could not understand that I did not go for another position. I still happily point out to everybody who wants to hear it that Tourism is still the n°1 employer in the Brussels region providing 33.000 jobs. In 2004 we put tourism for the first time in the local government declaration, today it is the first subject on the agenda as we are facing quite a crisis in the hotel & restaurant industry. The request for a 6% VAT instead of today’s 21% is an urgent matter that needs to be resolved as soon as possible to guarantee the necessary growth in this sector that is so important in a city such as Brussels. The good news is that our efforts over the last couple of years are paying off and Brussels is growing strongly as a city trip destination. It is an accessible & affordable city with a great offer for all tastes…just like Chez Léon!... Spoken as a true Ambassador for Tourism in Brussels!!

Chez Léon - The simple facts Don’t forget the free children’s menu for children under 12 accompanied by their parents. Take a look. Just forward this eNewletter to family & friends, and arrange to meet them too. Reserve your table on 02 511 14 15   Chez Leon is open 365 days a year non-stop Sunday to Thursday, 11h30-23h00 Friday & Saturday, 11h30-23h30 Individual bookings by telephone only: 32 2 511 14 15 Chez Leon has special menus for groups of 20 to 230 guests. Contact: Mrs France Vander Schueren by phone (as above), fax: 32 2 514 02 31 or email: welcome@leon1893.com Chez Leon is right next to the Grand’ Place in the historic centre of Brussels. It’s easily accessible by bus, tram & Metro. There are 5.000 parking spaces within walking distance. And if you are feeling ‘green’, why not come by bike? The nearest Cyclocity pick up & drop-off point is either Place d’Espagne or Place de la Monnaie.