Januari Brussels Travel Massive

Last week, the 3rd Brussels Travel Massive took me to a part of Brussels that I rarely visit: Elsene (in Dutch or Ixelles in French)
Most travellers that visit Brussels, visit the center of town and never get to see all the beautiful suburbs around it, like Elsene.

For the people that don’t know what Travel massive is, Travel Massive connects thousands of travel insiders to meet, learn and collaborate at free events all around the world. They are a world-wide community of locally organised meet ups for travel & tourism companies, travel bloggers, startups, and travel media to connect and share globally.

The Januari Brussels Massive event started off in the Brussels version of an American diner, L’Amour Fou.

L’Amour Fou

I was welcomed by Yvonne from Under the Yew Tree and offered a free spicy rum cocktail with some finger food, Nice!

Nachos & Guacamole @ L’Amour Fou

After some speed dating between all the different Travel Massive Members, we headed off to the bar next door: De Haus

The first thing I noticed, was the special interior:

De Haus, Brussels

De Haus: Bar & Interior

De Haus (that’s not a spelling mistake by the way, it’s derived from a Dutch word) opened only a year ago, but it’s the place to be in Elsene these days.

We were there on a weekday and the place was pretty full and in the weekends, they told me, it’s always packed! De Haus is famous for it’s offering of Gin & Tonic, but you can also drink wine or beer and enjoy some finger food.

Fingerfood @ De Haus

The idea is that you can enjoy great local food and drinks, in a homely environment where most things you see, are also for sale! Check their amazing site for more info: dehaus.be

Gins @ De Haus

Spicy Gin & tonic

After a warm welcome by the owner, we were given a quick introduction into the fascinating world of Gins & Tonics.

It seems there are more Gins then you would expect, each with their own typical flavours. De Haus also serves some authentic Belgian Gins that have a more spicy character. Definitely something to try!

After the quick introduction, it was time to start the tasting! We finished with the speciality of De Haus, and my favourite of the evening, a flambéed Gin & Tonic!

Learning all there is to know about Gin & Tonic

Specialty of De Haus: flambéed Gin & Tonic

If you ever visit Brussels, I can certainly recommend a visit to De Haus!
While some Gin & Tonic’s aren’t cheap, the food and drinks are all high quality and you can enjoy them at your own tempo and in a great atmosphere.

As you probably noticed, I had a great time and I would like to thank all the interesting people that were there @ #BXLTravelMassive

Till the next Brussels Travel Massive event!