The dining area of Het
Pomphuis is set above
cast-iron pumps that
could drain a dock
in two hours. inset Fillet
of rabbit with tomato,
radish and lemon gelAbove De Vagant
has Belgium’s largest
range of jenevers.
Below Filliers jenever is
twice distilled and aged
in American oak barrelsInside De Vagant, friends chat at
rough-hewn tables, sipping from
shot-glasses as resident cat Berry purrs
his way between their legs. An old,
timber-beamed house updated with
vintage liqueur posters and low-strung
lights, De Vagant is Belgium’s leading
purveyor of jenever – a historic drink
with a new-found following. A
juniper-based spirit and forerunner of
gin, it was invented here (or by the
Dutch, depending on who’s talking),
but banned from 1919 as a national
vice. After its re-emergence in 1985,
Antwerpian Ronald Ferket opened De
Vagant with just a few varieties behind
the bar. Today, the pub and adjacent
shop offer more than 200, spanning
jenever’s spectrum of flavours from
vodka-like neutrals to sharp, herby
Oude Antwerpse and oaky, barrel-
aged Filliers. In summer, cocktails and
‘jeton’ (jenever G&T) are popular, as
are sweet, bright fruit jenevers like
lemon and blood orange. However
lightly it may go down, jenever packs a
punch. Take your cue from the locals:
sip, sit back and relax.
l Jenever from US$2; devagant.beThe bar
The restaurant
Head up one of Antwerp’s taller buildings at night
and you’ll see lights glittering for miles – the
tell-tale signs of Europe’s second-largest port,
sprawling beside the River Scheldt as it curves out
to the North Sea. The city’s maritime heritage is
everywhere in Het Eilandje, the once-decrepit
docklands whose buildings now house cool clubs,
bars and restaurants like Het Pomphuis. Set in
a grand ’20s pumping house with its original
machinery intact, the towering space is packed
with diners ensconced in plush armchairs, their
conversations and clinking cutlery echoing up
to the glass roof above. They tuck into artfully
presented, seasonal dishes: the likes of goose liver
with strawberry and shallot compote, or rabbit
fillet with mozzarella, tomatoes and lemon gel,
plus marine bounty from the North Sea, including
sole, plaice and mussels. To finish, there are dainty
dessert plates laden with mini mousses, biscuits
and sorbets – perhaps with a last drink on the
restaurant’s terrace, as container ships inch by.
l Mains from US$20; hetpomphuis.beThe local’s tip
Wim Bruynooghe is a fashion designer and graduate of Antwerp’s fashion
school. He recently opened his flagship shop in the city (wimbruynooghe.com;
storewimbruynooghe.com; momu.be).I often go to the ModeNatie (Fashion Nation), a
historic building that houses MoMu fashion museum,
the Renaissance brasserie, a bookshop and Antwerp’s
fashion school. The exhibitions at MoMu are great, the
kind you’d expect in big cities like London or New
York, and I love the cosmopolitan brasserie. Having
lunch there is a treat.ANTWERP AT A GLANCE