MOK
It’s our fourth week in Brussels now. A few days ago, my colleague asked me “Did you already find your favorite local coffee bar?”. Well, no! It’s something we have not even looked for yet. Between unboxing our clothes, dealing with the call center of our provider to get our internet connection fixed, and staying late at work, we haven’t had the state of mind yet for a relaxed morning or afternoon in a coffee bar.
However, after constructing our bed frame until 3AM (it arrived yesterday), we thought this morning: why not go splurge on a nice brunch somewhere nearby?
And so, Tarunika consulted her map of recommendations, from which we picked a spot where vegan food options seemed to be available: MOK.
Stepping out of our building, a mid-March sun hit us with the smell of early spring - we’ll need to start thinking about sunglasses going forward.
We happen to have moved to a bustling area of Brussels (St. Catherine) with loads of restaurants, cafés and bars only a short walk away, and we’re starting to realize its delights. Just before arriving at MOK, we crossed the larger café Walvis with extensive outdoor seating. It also looked worth a visit, maybe for a drink on another sunny day.
MOK had just three small outdoor tables, and all were occupied. Inside, we were greeted by fairly typical decor: concrete flooring, simple wood-and-metal bar stools. Most tables were also occupied, except one.
On the menu, we could find back one of the vegan options from our prior research on Google Maps (Avocado Toast), but it wasn’t labeled as vegan any longer.
Regardless, when our turn to order came (fairly quickly!), we were informed that every dish except the Pissaladere could be ordered vegan! We ordered the dumplings and “cheese toastie”, as well as a cinnamon bun and coffee and afterwards.
The coffee menu surpassed our basic vocabulary: we had no idea what “sasaba” and “nitro” meant, and the barista patiently explained. In the end, we got a hand brew with fruity beans from Ethiopia, and cappuccino with beans from Brasil.
We waited about 20 minutes for the food. The ambience meanwhile was fun. Crowded, chatty, with rap music playing at an audible volume. It was not a place for calm relaxation.
Both dishes tasted great and looked nice too, with a decent portion size. If we’d have to pick a favorite, it would be the dumplings. It packed some spicy punch with a mellow core, and suitable garnishing.
After the “brunch mains”, the bun and coffee came. The bun tasted a little alcoholic (probably intentional, with some liquor for flavor), but we’re more fond of Finland’s basic korvapuusti’s.
We both tried and were happily surprised by the handbrew coffee. It was light and flavorful. As an espresso lover (me), and cappuccino art aficionado (Tarunika), this order was out of the ordinary for us.
Would we recommend MOK? Wholeheartedly! For us, it was a 5/5.
