‘A city as green as Brussels’ 🇧🇪

The first time I saw continental Europe I was a kid in a window seat of an airplane descending over Brussels, and what burned into my memory was the red roofs against a green landscape.

Philip Cheang has lived his whole life in that city, and his Filter guide is a brilliant look at the green spaces of Brussels and its surrounding area. Philip is head barista at Belga & Co., which has two cafes in Belgium’s capital.

*Philip Cheang is head barista at Belga & Co. in Brussels, Belgium. Photos courtesy of Philip Cheang*

Filter: What do you like to do for fun around Brussels?

As someone who particularly likes nature, I feel very lucky to live in a city as green as Brussels. I really enjoy taking a walk in the forest. There, this huge forest in the south of Brussels called Forêt de Soigne. Sometimes I also like to take a ride there with some friends.

But when I want to enjoy the city, I like to go to the Flea Market on the Jeu de Balle Square, you can be sure to find something if you like antique shopping.

Filter: If a good friend came to visit, where would you be sure to take them?

I would start the day with of course a coffee and a lovely sandwich at Damn Good Cafe. For dinner I’ll take him to Nona to eat traditional and handmade pasta. Then we can go through downtown to have a beer and play some board games at Le Bassin and finally end the day to drink a cocktail on a rooftop at Le Perché.

In Brussels there are a lot of great places to go—I also really appreciate one of them which is Rambo, it’s a smash burger restaurant and their special burger is absolutely delicious.

Filter: What do you like to do to escape the city?

I really like to go to the Ardennes, it’s the green part of Belgium with a lot of forest, beautiful hiking trail and wonderful point of view. I like to go there when I have two days off to breathe some fresh air out of the city. Even if Belgium is a really small country, It’s better to take a car to get there. It will be way easier to start the hike from the parking lot.

Filter: Can you point us specifically to any good hikes you recommend in the Ardennes?

I've done a lot of hiking since the pandemic and one of my favorites is “La fondry des chiens.” It's located in Nisme, a small village in the province of Namur. This hike is a loop and it's very well signposted, so you won't get lost.

Filter: What touristy things in Brussels are worth the hype?

I think that the Grand Place is really worth the hype because it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s a crazy feeling to just stand there surrounded by so many stunning buildings with all their own legends.

Walking through the “small belt” of the city and discovering some of the most beautiful art nouveau houses and of course ending with a visit of the Horta Museum. It’s really one of the gems of the Brussels architecture.

Filter: What is the “small belt” of Brussels?

In Brussels you have the Old Town which is called the “small belt" and you have the “big belt” which is a highway surrounding the city.

Filter: Where are your favorite quiet corners there?

There’s one place that most of Brussels citizen don’t really know which is localized near to the famous Avenue Louise called Parc Tenbosch. It’s a kind of hidden park with a lot of small gardens and cute water point. I like to go there to make a picnic or just spend some quality time with my girlfriend.

Filter: What’s another coffee shop around there that you really admire, and why?

This place called Bouche makes amazing coffee using Wide Awake roastery coffee. It’s a really tiny place but with a good energy and skilled barista.

Buddy Buddy is also a great address to have a good coffee time. It’s a nuts butter coffee shop and they use them in their signature drinks and pastries. I highly recommend to try their Praline Mocha coffee.

Filter: What makes Brussels feels most like home to you?

Brussels feels like home because as in my own house, I know every corner, every street, and since I lived here all my life, I have so many memories of each part of it. When I used to go out late at night, sometimes I had to walk home and I never needed any map, whatever was happening, I always wake up in my bed. But you know, at the end of the day what really makes Brussels feels like home is having all the people I love here with me.

Filter: How did you end up in the Brussels coffee scene?

I’m Philip. A Chinese boy born in Antwerp who lived all his life in Brussels. I grew up studying art and graphic design at school and end up finding some kind of art as well in coffee. I started making latte art in coffee shops and learned by myself more about coffee speciality and everything around.

I started working at Belga & Co two years ago and step by step became the head barista.

Now I also work at the roastery as well to learn more about everything behind the bean. It’s really cool to work there cause bosses are very awake about everything happening in the coffee world and keep entertaining us with tournaments and cupping.

Filter: If you could move to any place in the world just for the coffee scene, where would you move?

I don’t really know where I actually want to go, but Seoul seems like a good choice. It’s a city that keeps renewed again and again and who is always at the cutting edge for a lot of things… and for sure, coffee shop are part of it. Wherever you go, you will always find a unique coffee shop around you.

Filter: Anything you’d like to add?

Besides being a barista, I’m also a travel addict.

I really like to discover countries through their natural landscapes and not really their city’s.

When I’m hiking, there is always a part of the day when I think about myself and do a retrospective about the past year. For example my last expedition was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It’s been 8 days of incredible landscapes 8 hours a day, probably 4 hours of thinking about my whole life and my future. Life is like a mountain when you’re walking, sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s very difficult, but when you reach the summit you will understand that it was worth it.

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Belga & Co. operates two cafes in Brussels, Belgium.

Belga & Co at Rue E. Solvay

Belga & Co at Rue du Bailli

Food & Beverage