Our travel itinerary often feels incomplete without a special line item for Craft Beer, but Hong Kong was not a place we ever expected to find it. Jim had to work at his firm’s Hong Kong office for 18 days, while I was using the opportunity to explore the city and concentrate on my travel writing.
One night as we strolled through Soho in the central neighborhood searching for some dinner and drinks, we spotted a corner bar illuminated with the words “de België” and an alluring red brick exterior that reminded me of something I’d see in a narrow alleyway in old town Europe.
A sign that read “unlimited free frites” sealed the deal and we grabbed a seat at the table outside.
An Incredible Selection of Beer
Welcoming staff showed us a large laminated beer menu with a visual display of the beer bottles available.
De Belgie Beer Menu
The beers were served along with their proper signature glasses and our first order of free frites (out of five or more that we’d have over the course of the night). We were happy!
I was astonished at the overall selection of Belgian beers on offer. I haven’t seen that many Belgian beers all in one place together since we visited the Netherlands last February, a country much nearer in geography to the actual country of Belgium…
Shipping Beer Across A Distance of 8,000 Miles –
As Jim and I contemplated the possible transportation complexities for a specialty bar like this, we began asking one of the employees more questions, who turned out to be the owner, Marcus Tsui. Earlier in the week, we had scoped out one other Belgian beer bar in Hong Kong (Frites), and though we enjoyed it and liked the interior look of the place, they were out of what seemed to be at least 50% of their beer selection. Their shipments didn’t come often enough and when they ran out of supply, they were out for a period of months at a time until their next shipment came by boat.
Marcus has a separate warehouse in Kowloon, across the harbor from Hong Kong island, that is stocked with more than enough supplies where he can easily transfer beer from if he runs out before the next shipment comes. From speaking to him firsthand, it seems he’s prepared to invest upfront to make sure the stock is on hand – an approach that is sure to keep his loyal customers satisfied!
Little Details Make All The Difference…
At the entrance there is an almost exact replication of the Mannekin-Pis, the famous peeing boy statue in Belgium.
As you sit at the bar, you can admire all the unique Belgian beer glasses hanging above the bar.
Me with the owner of de Belgie (Marcus) and an awesome La Chouffe statue
For a more intimate, cosy experience there’s additionally a small room in the back of the bar with soft elegant lighting, red and white tablecloths, brick walls, and a built-in shelf lined with a great display of Belgian beers!
How do you distinguish the stand-out from the mediocre places? Easy – look around and observe all the little touches that add to the whole experience! Marcus obviously thought about all these minor details that make the world of difference in a successful bar operation and ten minutes after I arrived, I knew it was in the stand-out category.
How did I not know about this place?
This bar is brand new – it only opened six weeks before our visit! If you’re a Hong Kong resident, what are you waiting for?
This bar is a place where you can settle in for a wonderful evening out with surroundings that make you feel like you’re back in Europe.
November 13, 2013
Beer and Breweries, Beer By Country, China