A new Brussels food hall, the first of its kind, opens today in the building that formerly housed the CGER/ASLK bank on Rue Fossé aux Loups in the centre of the city, opposite the Radisson Blu hotel.
Taking its name from the street, the Wolf complex provides space for 17 different restaurateurs to dispense their gastronomic wares to the public in a magnificent hall that used to be the public banking hall.
Wolf is the brainchild of Thierry Goor, a marketing consultant for several well-known brands in the sector, who saw a space for a food hall in Brussels, along the lines of existing examples in Amsterdam and, at that time, in Antwerp, where the Mercado hall appeared as a pop-up project in a former post office on the Groenplaats.
Goor’s idea was supported by the Haelterman family of drinks distributors, and by Pascal Van Hamme of the Choux de Bruxelles restaurant chain.
The Haelterman family bought the bank site in 2017, most notable for its frontage featuring a huge bas-relief frieze featuring farmers, growers and hunters, and coincidentally perfect for a gastronomic site. It has taken until now to obtain the proper permits and carry out the major task of converting the bank into a food hall offering a wide variety of food including pizza, waffles, juices, poké bowls and of course chocolate.
The hall itself covers 2,000 square metres and offers seating for 800 people, and includes its own microbrewery run by Belgoo from Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, which will brew small-batch beers specifically for Wolf customers. Still to come: a market selling organic produce, due to open in January.
Wolf is open seven days a week from 07.30 to 23.00.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
