Brasserie Lamborelle

In Bostogne, for lunch we ended up in La Brasseries Lamborelle, a very small pub boasting over 100 beers. They have a special beer contract brewed for them called Airborne that is served in a ceramic mug shaped like an upside down combat helmet. One brave soul in our group ordered this specialty--the beer wasn't great but the presentation was excellent. We had a very nice lunch of Italian specialties and a few great beers. I had the always pleasant Chimay Blue since I had tried all the other Trappist beers by this time in our trip. I was again blown away by the fact that so many of these tiny pubs had unexpectedly good kitchens putting out fancy restaurant quality meals. The treacherous stairs down to the bathrooms in this place were so narrow and twisting that it was almost a spiral ladder rather than a stairway. I figured this was just the bar's way of weeding out the drunk or overly large patrons.

The date was 27SEP11, and after a long, arduous and most-satisfying day of biking around the Bastogne countryside visiting WWII battlegrounds, I was much in need of some refreshments. I found Lamborelle after a short search, one block off of the main street of central Bastogne.

It is set on the ground floor of a stone-work building on the corner of a side-street one block from the center. A half-dozen tables were scattered outside, where I parked on this lovely September eve. Inside, there was a bar on the right stretching back about 10 feet, and at the rear wall a small arched nook with a couple of tables. To the left sat 4 small tables of 2-3 seats and 2 larges ones of 6-8 seats each. Tables and surrounding furniture were worn, dark wood, and old bier placards adorned the walls. There was a harrowing spiral staircase leading to the basement toilets; traverse at your own risk, before drinking a few biers! It was warm and comfy inside, though I preferred the sun and fresh-air of their patio.

Service was solid, the waittress being prompt, helpful and friendly. Their bier menu was a large binder of 80-100 biers from the Belgian area, interspersed with well-known brands, Trappists and Abbeys, and also harder to find local varieties. I had their "house" brand Airborne bier, and a Floreffe Tripel. Prices were decent, not cheap, but in line with most places I visited in Belgium. Didn't have any food, per se, but I was supplied with a small bowl of spiced cheese to nibble on; a nice touch. A very relaxing spot to hit after a wonderful day in Bastogne. Currahee!!

Zum Wohl!!!

4.28 rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

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Many thanks to msubulldog25 for taking copious notes during our Belgian beer tour in September '07...it helps refresh the memories of less diligent tourists like myself, whose recollection of some of these places is a bit hazy...I even forgot the name of this place until Brian reminded me. But I remember the evening well enough...

The place was dark, which was great, and with our 25+ person group, its smallness became rather intimate. The fare for the night was meat over a hot rectangle shaped stone, which looked like tons of fun for meat eaters, and not something most of us had seen before. Not being a meat eater, I expected a meal which would also utilize the stone. So a salad arrives with anchovies all over it. I had to send it back and request a proper vegetarian meal, but not before Gordon Strong sequestered those little critters for himself. The wait staff were visibly overloaded, and I was there for the beer anyway, so I didn't get too angry. The salad I eventually got was your typical ho-hum boring-ass salad. Belgians believe vegetarians not only refuse to eat rabbits, but that we actually eat like rabbits.

Other than that, it was a fantastic time. The theme of the evening was the Trappist breweries, and we were to be treated to all 7 of the Trappist beers. But first we received a local beer (curses, I can't remember the name)...had a U.S. soldier on the label and was served in an upside-down ceramic helmet. Once the Rocheforts 6, 8 and 10 showed up, it was obviously going to be a long night. Unsurprisingly, we didn't see the promised Westvleterens, but by the end of the evening, after much quality time with Messrs. Rochefort, Achel and Westmalle, and good new human friends, no one was complaining.

Special mention must go to the bathrooms and the stairs that hurl you toward them. You have to navigate a ridiculously steep and narrow staircase to the basement. Tough when sober, and I imagine more than a couple people have experienced some bad-ass vertigo on the way down.

All in all, a recommended visit if you find yourself in Bastogne.