102 Old Brompton Road
SW7 3RD
Tel: 020 7373 2403
Date of Last Visit: Saturday, April 9
The Victim: Connie
The Damage: 25 GBP each
You will remember that not so long ago, I enjoyed some fabulous cocktails and not-so-fabulous snacks at Eclipse on Old Brompton Road. On the way to Eclipse, and on the way home, I walked by this Belgian place and thought, "Beer." I love Belgian Beer. So here I am a few weeks later and we have a party to go to by Earl’s Court, so The Abbaye for dinner it is.
They have Connie’s name down incorrectly, so they’re not really sure we have a booking. But they let me sit anyhow, and I wait and wait because Connie is late and no one offers me a drink. I arrived at 8:23 pm. It was about 8:50 before someone actually brought me my Delirium. I was delirious with joy when the beverage, in a glass with pink elephants, arrived. Things picked up from here. Sort of.
We ordered mussels and I though, "Gee, a kilo sounds like a lot." But our waiter assured me that it would not be too much for little ‘ole me. Well, it was WAY too much. There were A LOT of mussels. I could have pulled mussels from the shell (cue Squeeze) all night. I went for the ones in beer, bacon, and shallots. They were good, but not great. Connie really liked hers–more of a marinara thing going on. My frites were fantastic, if a bit on the salty side. Connie’s frites were undercooked. Ah wait, I’ve neglected to tell you about our appetizers–bitterballen (yummy deep fried dough balls) and a salad. Good choices. Solid bets.
We soon switched to strawberry beer–Kriek for me, I believe. (Maybe it was cherry.) Very yummy. A good substitute for dessert.
Through it all, service was kind and professional. Good work.
The Verdict: If I lived around the corner, I’d probably stop in here once or twice a month because it’s a good place with predictable food and I love Belgian beers. Also, the decor was quite nice–dark and candlelit and you know I look good in the dark. 🙂
