Belgian Beer Café

Nestled at the foot of Eureka Tower, the weekday crowd (and thus prices) are a little tourist driven, with a healthy mix of Southbank based businessmen and women also. Still, the beer menu is something to be admired and enjoyed.

This is quite likely the only time in my life I have ever left beef on my plate. I tried, but it wasn’t enough, I left three spat out morsels and half my steak. Truly wrong. Sandpaper dogmorsels. Microwaved? Likely. Oh I need a doggy bag to retch into. I am truly stained.
I also tried the chicken. We were debating whether it was flavoured. I thought possibly some vague spice had touched it in its flightless life although the recipients begged to differ.
Thank heavens for the entrée, or I would need reparations on my soul. The soft shell crab was interesting, like 8 week old cod, but interesting nonetheless.
Thank god for the plonk.
Supplementary:
The dessert was also inedible. I’m no fattie but I’ll eat anything… except this. According to my partner, this joint should feel special, because I wouldn’t/couldn’t eat the food. I’ll admit, that is incredible — and bizarre — and appalling.
Worst food I’ve ever eaten? Nigh on, but it wasn’t poison so inconclusive.

Food was okay. Seems to be a bit expensive. Unfortunately the restaurant was pretty empty when we entered for breakfast at 10am

Huge selection of beers in the bottle, as well as a few of the usual suspsects on-​tap. Food was actually better than I was expecting from a bar. Monday nights they have a great «locals» special, all mains are $ 20.

An odd looking place, hidden in an odd space at the bottom of the Eureka Skydeck. Which is how we fell upon this bar for a Sunday post-​deck session. The staff were friendly and very efficient. We rarely waited more than a minute to be served.
As a non-​beer drinker there is minimal offerings but certainly enough to keep everyone happy. A glass of sparkling and a cider was plenty for me. There’s a good variety on tap and a section of rotating taps.
My happy moment came (belatedly) when I realised that they had cherry kierk on tap. Such a pity that I hadn’t noticed it before ordering cider.
Price wise it is a bit hefty however considering that wide range of beers on tap and bottles it’s mildly understandable. You certainly aren’t coming here for a pot of VB for $ 3.20.
A great spot to do a meet and greet with pre-​drinks.

We celebrated Zwanze Day at the Belgian Beer Café. Brasserie Cantillon launched their first Zwanze Day keg of 2014 here before 55 other locations soon after.
We started with Cantillon’s Kriek and Iris Grand Cru sour lambics. Under the outdoor heaters they lit up like traffic lights.
The Zwanze keg of Cuvée Florian was tapped and we waited to collect our 150 mL pours with numbers in our hands like at a deli. It was the first beer I’d bought days in advance.
My favourite beer of the night was Rodenbach Grand Cru.

I wandered into here on what turned out to be Belgian National Day. Apparently a celebration of Belgium of some sort. I wasn’t aware that Belgium is a nation in anything other than the de jure sense, but there you have it, they have their own day so it is official.
Internal politics aside, the beer was predictably huge looking and Belgian but also ungodly expensive. $ 18 a beer??? Did a monk swim from Belgium with a barrel of beer on his back to get it here? Is it made with magic? The effects seemed similar to other beers I have had so either I am immune to the magic or didn’t preform the appropriate incantation before drinking. I know Australia (and I assume Victoria’s) beer taxes are insane and abusive (can we work on changing those? Isn’t reasonably priced beer on the UN charter of human rights?) but the prices here were ludicrous. Still, I guess i am the fool because I paid them nevertheless. It was like being at a football game inside an airport and just deciding to fork over money for no good reason.
My other complaint was with the chips. Come on people, Belgium is the spiritual home of excellent french fries and you serve me up a soggy mess of half cooked potato wedges? I would happily be gouged for beer if the fires were up to Belgian standards. Didn’t try the rest of the food (was running out of money quickly).
The day I was there, an excellently weird trio was playing weird Belgian influenced covers of many classic jazz tunes. That was worth seeing. Overall, not a bad spot but probably won’t be going back until I win the lotto and maybe not even then.

I’ve only ever been to this place on a Sunday… It has a great atmosphere, live music, good food, craft beer & friendly staff.
Craft beer is both on tap and in bottles, there is usually some great wines on the go.
Live music is usually jazz (when I’ve been) :-)
Perfect on a warm summers day… head there with a big bunch of people and you can’t go wrong!

I like this place as it is close to home and serves cold pale ale from California.
The crowds are sizeable on the weekends and the staff are very courteous. The menu serves fine pub food along with an extended menu.
Give it a shot — you will not be sorry!

Expensive, but excellent beer and good food. (I wouldn’t mind the prices so much if most of the beer didn’t come in a bottle.) The atmosphere is a bit fancier or less casual than the Bluestone location, but everything else is pretty much the same.