eat&drink
café
or espresso bar
Info place Jourdanplein 13A, Etterbeek, 02-230.92.99, www.orcoffee.be ma/lu/Mo > vr/ve/Fr 8 > 18.00, zo/di/Su 9 > 18.00
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EN ❙ The OR Espresso Bar opposite the Beursschouwburg has been a fixture for coffee lovers for about two years already. A second establishment recently opened on place Jourdanplein, in the heart of the European Quarter. The history of OR started in 2001, when Katrien and Tom opened a coffee shop in Aalst with their own roasting house. They did everything themselves and still had a lot to learn about coffee, but nevertheless, the shop was soon immensely successful. Due to the fact that they had no test audience to try out their coffees, they opened a coffee bar in Ghent five years later. Colleagues and friends called them mad, but Katrien and Tom felt that the time was ripe for a new way to drink coffee. The way they do in New York, for example, in a nice setting with good music and magazines. A few years ago, they moved from Ghent to the centre of Brussels. By now, they were
buying their beans directly from farmers in Brazil or Rwanda, and they go there every season to try out the coffees, so that they can serve their wholesale clients and coffee bar customers the very best flavour. You can’t just walk in and order “a coffee”. But don’t worry, the baristas are happy to help you choose. If you prefer a mild coffee, pick a filtered cup. Strong coffee? Order an espresso. Incidentally, the latter is far more popular in Brussels than in Ghent. Katrien and Tom chose the European Quarter for their second bar in Brussels deliberately. Eurocrats are well acquainted with the coffee bar concept from their home countries, and are adept at ordering from an extensive coffee menu. Just like at the other OR bars, this one offers breakfast, bagels for lunch, and cake and brownies for in between. Soon you’ll be able to get it all outside in the sun: the terrasse application has been submitted! katrien lindemans
© Ivan Put
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