Dining in the city

The city centre of Luxembourg may be smaller than even our CBD, but is a place rich in history, with plenty of great eats and watering holes. Other than the Christmas market, we were there a couple of times, once for me to just visit the area, and another to catch up with another group of AB's friends.

One of the things that I love most about visiting a place in the company of locals is that you are assured of great meal/drink choices, since they would already know which are the best places to go (and the crummy ones to avoid). As a result, I enjoyed both places that I visited:

Franz
I was quite tickled to learn that we are dining at this place, suggested by AB's friend who actually had the same first name. No, he doesn't own the place. 

The moment we stepped into the brasserie, I was taken by the decor in various shades of black and grey. The ambience is best described as "borderline boudoir", thanks to the use of tufted leather and gold accents in their furniture, coupled with walls that were stonewashed and overlayed with the prints of chandeliers, it exudes a charm that somehow managed to be both cosy and classy. Me likey.

Our party of 4 shared a bottle of red (I didn't note what it was, I only knew it was delicious, haha). For lunch, the rest had originally contemplated the set menu but ended up ordering the signature burger when their choice of main was sold out. I had skimmed through the set but nothing jumped out at me. Poring through the ala carte selections, it wasn't too tough to select the Tartare de Boeuf (Aller-retour Aberdeen Angus). I had long wanted to try a beef tartare, and what better place to try it than a recommended French restaurant? AB, after a quick deliberation, decided to select the same as mine.

The food arrived gorgeously plated, and with a crunchy fresh salad and fries on the side. My beef tartare was nicely seasoned and the lightly pan-fried exterior provided a nice crisp contrast to the succulent mix within. While I have not had this dish before and therefore no frame of reference to know if it's good or not, according to AB who is well acquainted with it, this was a more than decent attempt. The friends' burgers were nicely done too, and the conclusion was that this worked out much better than a set lunch, as everyone was just at the perfect point of satiation at the end, whereas the sets might have been way heavier.

This is a place I will definitely remember eating at.

My stunning meal

Chocolate House of Luxembourg by Natalie Bonn

Christmas cake

This place. While it had a nondescript exterior, as one in a row of shops located next to the palace in Luxembourg city, the moment you step through the door, it's like you've entered into a magical realm. With the white tiles, wooden floor and the rich mahogany tables and chairs adorned with cosy cushions, it would have been right at home in an Enid Blyton book, mixed with some magic of Willy Wonka.

The specialty of this three-storey establishment was their chocospoon, which comprises a wooden "handle" that holds a huge block of chocolate that comes in a mindblowing variety of flavours. You choose your preferred flavour, and the type of "base" you would like - again provided in an expansive list that caters to practically all dietary preference/restriction. I picked an oat milk base with a 85% cocoa, the highest possible percentage I could find.

It was so. GOOD. The oat milk was probably the best decision I made, since it meant that the base was kept quite light, with a tinge of oat fragrance, while that block of chocolate melted the concoction into a most divinely rich and comforting drink that was spot on for the cold weather outside.

A must try I would probably recommend anyone visiting the city. Just take note that it's always busy so it may be a bit of a wait to get a seat, but it's worth it. If you have the stomach space (or a much bigger sweet tooth than I do), you can also order a pastry or dessert of your fancy on the ground floor to go with your chocolate. That's way out of my league so I was just supremely happy with my chocolat chaud. :)

A chocoholic's dream