Mamma Mia, that's some outstanding pizza!

Liège has no shortage of pizza on offer, it must be said.  There are some bad pizzas, a lot of passable pizzas, some pretty good pizzas, and then there's this place.  Il Pomodoro Romano.

It must also be said that Tchantches and I are well travelled, and are fans of pizza.  We have eaten so very many pizzas, in so very many places around the world (including several places in Italy.)  We are rarely as impressed as we were the other day when we stumbled across Il Pomodoro Romano, on the pedestrian-only street of Rue St. Paul, not far from the Place des Carmes.

We were walking toward our planned dinner destination when I stopped abruptly outside this place, looking inside.  At first sight, Tchantches was skeptical, looking at the brightly lit red and white interior of the lower level.  It looked kind of like what the Liègois call a "snack" (a place where low grade overcooked pastas, pizzas, kebabs, or sandwiches are eaten, generally by students.)

But it wasn't the decor that had caught my eye as we'd walked by...  it was the sight of the pizzas that had stopped me dead in my tracks.  They looked very much more traditionally Italian than any others I have seen in the Liège region (this is saying a lot given that Liège has a large number of Italian restaurant owners.)

Not the least bit shy I walked right in and stuck my face close to the glass shielding the pizzas from the public, eyeing them closely.  Tchantches followed me in and looked around awkwardly, asking the woman behind the counter if the shop had been open long.  The woman explained they had opened in August, but added that the 2nd floor had opened in Mid-October.  She explained briefly the concept of the shop, which is that you can buy pizza by the slice (the pizzas on the counter are traditionally prepared oblong pizzas, much like I had seen already in Rome,) or they'll make you a round one to-order either for takeaway or to eat there.  She offered us a free taste of any pizza that caught our eye, and I decided to see if these rather Roman looking pizzas actually tasted like Roman pizzas, choosing the "Margherita."

While heating up a square, the woman explained that she and her husband had decided to take their idea of opening an authentic Italian pizza and pasta place as far as they could, and so they went to a pizzaiolo school in Rome to learn the finer points of pizza.  She explained that the flour used in the doughs are imported from Italy, and all the ingredients used are of European provenance.  I probed further and was happy to hear that the place takes a very hands on approach, making not only their pizza doughs but also their pastas and sauces fresh from scratch onsite.  At this moment in our conversation, the square came out of the oven and was cut into pieces.  Tchantches, still looking skeptical took a piece of it along with me.

It was good.  The crust, the sauce, the fresh basil, and the taste of excellent quality olive oil.  It was so good in fact that I decided to take a chance and spontaneously changed our dinner plans.  I asked if it might be possible to eat on the second level and the woman obliged happily, showing us the way up a small metal staircase, and coming up after us to turn on the lights in the space.

Tchantches admitted once we were alone on the 2nd floor sipping our beers that the sample he'd eaten was good, but he still wondered what exactly I had gotten us into, hijacking our dinner plans.

The 2nd floor decor is sparse, though there are the smallest beginnings of some charming references to the culinary traditions of Italy, with two small olive trees growing near the windows along with a few other touches.  Tchantches, being a guy who likes his "ambiance", looked worried.   I pointed out to him that both of us have had some amazing food in other similarly unassuming places, and even in places that to the eye look like holes in the wall, and he grudgingly agreed.  I suggested that perhaps they were adding to the place as they went along and as the business got going.  We came to the conclusion that either dinner would be a huge bellyflop or that this humble little place might actually live up to the explanation the woman behind the counter had given us.  We decided to put both the pizza and pasta to the test.  Tchantches decided on the canneloni maison, and I on the round pizza with sweet squash and bacon chunks.  Sadly when we passed our orders we discovered that they were not available.  The woman explained that they'd sold out of a few things the day or two before and hadn't yet replenished everything.  Fair enough... it was the 2nd of January, and I imagine a pizza and pasta place located where this one is might get hit pretty hard on New Year's Eve.

In the end Tchantches took the round pizza "Melanzane", asking for the addition of peppers, and I went for the round "Quatro Formaggi".

And they were sooo goooood.  My pizza didn't skimp on the cheese, but didn't have too much as to overwhelm the dough.  Little pops of rosemary perfectly complimented the balance between the 4 cheeses.  Most importantly, I could taste all 4 of the cheeses, the crust and the herbs.  That's not an easy balance to acheive (which was exactly why I'd ordered it.)  Tchantches, who never eats his crusts, was eating them all, and *loved* his pizza.  We exchanged a slice between us and while he was very impressed with mine, his was the revelation for me.

WOW.  It was perfect.  For a moment I was transported back to Italy.  The eggplant slices on his pizza were the thinnest and most flavourful eggplant-anything I've ever had in Liège.  The only other place I've had eggplant (aubergine to some of you,) that tasted that good was on an eggplant parmigiana sandwich from a place far, far from here, that has (with good reason) been in business for more than 50 years.  And the peppers Tchantches had asked for?  The owner had made the clever choice of thinly shaved strips of yellow pepper all over the pizza, and they complimented the pizza so well, like little pops of sunshine both visually and flavour-wise.  This place is most certainly not using the quasi-tasteless produce found in most grocery stores this time of year.  Clearly they are going to the effort (as they lady said,) of sourcing the best they can find at every step.

In fact, there is nothing about this place other than the pizzas in on the counter themselves that offers the immediate indication of how good the food is.  The decor doesn't, and the prices don't either since they're completely in line with what one might expect to pay for a middle-of-the-road pizza in Liège.  A square slice for those in a hurry costs around €2, depending on which variety of pizza you take.  I paid €8.90 for my pizza, and Tchantches paid €10.40 for his.  He went home feeling like he'd eaten too much (he'd eaten his entire pizza, crusts and all,) and I was full after half of mine!  Fortunately there is no trouble here in asking them to box up the rest of your meal, I was happily obliged, and I'm happy to report that even day-old, this pizza still has a delicious crust that hasn't dried out or become ridiculously tough overnight, and is delicious either cold or hot.

 Needless to say we are giddy about our new discovery, and will be going back to try the pasta, the wine, and to sneak a few photos.

While we both heaped praise on the woman (who is actually the co-owner with her husband who wasn't there,) Tchantches did offer the critique that he had made of the mistake of "judging the book by the cover", trying to express to her in his own awkward fashion that he felt maybe with the store-front they have that they wouldn't attract the part of the market that might most appreciate their food and become a loyal customer base (people who will willingly stray from their local pizza place for this level of quality.)  Indeed, it's my concern too.  While it's true that it takes awhile for a new business to find it's footing, develop a loyal base of clientele and so on, it's also true that it's very difficult to be an independent business in Belgium right now.  I'm not sure that the students of Liège will ultimately be what keeps these guys afloat, and I'm not sure that the plain appearance of Il Pomodoro Romano will be what convinces those in search of quality that quickly enough that this is where they can score some authentic Italian flavour.  For now, it is a diamond in the rough.

This said, Il Pomodoro Romano definitely deserves to stick around, and I'm guessing that if they do, it'll be word-of-mouth that does the trick.  Get it while it's hot!

Columbus Café

(Note: Columbus Café has closed down at this location, and we are presently unaware if there is/will be another in Liège.  We will leave this article in the archives however.)

Columbus Café, we have been told, is Starbucks' biggest competitor in France and other parts of Europe.  As Liège does not yet have a Starbucks, (a fact the anglophone half of our duo routinely laments,) we decided to go and see what we've been told is "the next best thing."

Located just across the way from the Palace Cinema in Lièges centre, the café certainly does have location working for it.  Though the interior isn't quite as luxe as some Starbucks, there are comfortable seats to be had, and the deco is somewhere in between Subway Sandwiches, and Starbucks (if that makes sense to you.)  We'll take more pictures to cover this next time.

Our visit was full of surprises.  The first of which was a cappuccino that came topped with steamed milk!  This is a rarity in Liège where sweetened whipped cream is more often the foam atop a 'cappuccino'.  Was the coffee good?  Yes.  We both agree that it was good, though not spectacularly good.  The coffee itself could be a little more full-bodied, and the layer of foam should ideally have been a little thicker.  A decent cappuccino is hard to find here in Liège though, so we don't consider this evaluation a complaint.  We only know of one other place that routinely serves steamed milk atop their cappuccino, and here at Columbus Café, the cappuccinos are better.

Second surprise: very good customer service.  Our barista was chipper as he answered our questions while taking pastries out of boxes and setting the store up for the day (we arrived right at opening time.)  He told us to make ourselves comfortable and fetched our coffees, muffins and Orange Juice without delay, and even offered us a piece of fruit-tart at no charge as he explained to us it was aesthetically damaged, and would otherwise have to be thrown out since he couldn't place it in the display.  We decided to be kind and help the poor guy out.  (The tart, by the way, was very tasty.)

just a few of the tasty treats on offer

The muffins were correct, which is to say they weren't too fluffy, had a denser quality, enough so to be dipped in coffee without falling apart.  As for taste, they were pretty good (probably some of the better muffins we've had in Liège.)  In fact, all the pastry we tried lived up to its looks or tasted even better than it looked.  (For comparison - we often find Starbucks pastries look much better than they taste.)  We'll pass by for lunch next time, as the sandwiches and salads looked appetizing.

Tchantches' orange juice was labelled on the menu as "freshly pressed", but when it arrived at our table, it didn't seem to be in appearance or taste.  It wasn't bad juice, but buyer beware here if you're the sort to pay a premium price for "freshly pressed" juice.  Other beverages on offer in addition to coffee-based beverages and juices included teas, smoothies, hot chocolate and an array of cold bottled beverages.  Given that Columbus Café caters to the same sort of clients as Starbucks, prices run in a similar range between the two.

Third Surpise: Free wifi!  This isn't widespread in Liège, but we are certainly happy to see the idea gaining ground here.

Our only true concerns about Columbus Café, at this point, are that it seems to have less seating than it needs.  It's hard to feel like you can "take time for yourself" (the company slogan,) when people who come in keep eyeing your seating area like they wish you'd gulp your coffee down and move on.  It's a tricky thing in the space they have though, as it's a long room with the stairwell leading down to the restrooms, meaning the entire space gets traffic flow moving through.  There are only one or two seating spaces a little more sheltered from this, and they are obviously the preferred places.

This brings us to our other concern, and 4th surprise: While our experience with the service was otherwise positive we must ask... who maintains the restrooms?

There are things we do expect in any public restroom, certainly.  Not everyone wipes up after the mess they make... but we came at the very start of the day, which left us wondering not only who maintains the restroom, but how often are they maintained?  Like it or not, restauranteurs of Liège, restrooms are part of the customer experience too!  Who is responsible for placing the roll of toilet-paper on the dirty floor, rather than in the toilet-roll-dispenser?  Even if the dispenser was broken (it didn't seem to be,) we'd expect a solution that keeps the toilet roll off the floor.  We were a little taken aback by this.

While we definitely advise you to pay them a visit if you find yourself in Liège craving a decent cappuccino or specialty coffee... we'll also warn you that using the facilities might not be as comfortable as the rest of the experience!

Located at: 20 Rue pont d'Avroy.

Open: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm

Cucinella

Fine Italian fare with a modern influence.  Situated on rue de la Casquette, on the edge of "the Carré", this restaurant is one we love.  Judging by the full room the past few times we've visited, we're guessing the word has spread on Cucinella, and how could it not with food like theirs?

Salads, scallops, tartars, and carpaccios are handled with great skill - we feel it's one of the best places in Liège for these.  The "salade folle" is a delicious showcase for the chefs talent with these items.

Cooked fish and meats are well handled, though occasionally left 20 seconds too long on the grill or in the pan.

We've yet to meet a pasta we don't like here.

Deserts are house-made, and finely executed.  (We try to save a little extra-room for them!)

We've always found the service to be warm and professional - They leave you time to talk and enjoy the meal without needless interruptions, but they never leave you for very long with an empty glass or waiting for your next course.  We know that at least some of the servers are comfortable working in English; we've never seen an anglophone table experience difficulty making their order known nor have we observed a different standard of service for English speakers.

The restaurant's web-site includes a map, contact information, listing of the (prix fixe) menu for the day as well as the full carte for food.  Sadly the wine list and cocktail menus are not presented, and French is the sole language of the site at the moment.  The site is relatively new however, so hopefully these small oversights will be corrected.

The restaurant is a stone's throw from the Hotel Mercure as well as the Crowne Plaza and the Ibis Opera Hotel for those out of towners craving a good meal close to their 'base of operations'.  In any case, if you find yourself on the Boulevard de la Sauveniere craving an excellent meal, this is a safe bet.

Cucinella, Liège.