Maison Rubens Eindhoven: Belgian brasserie mains under €20
The new Belgian brasserie on the Markt fills the renovated former Carrousel building, seats 200 indoors and plans to grow from Eindhoven into other cities in Brabant.
Maison Rubens Eindhoven has been open since Saturday 7 November at Markt 35. The Belgian brasserie seats around 200 guests indoors and keeps every main course under €20.
The restaurant occupies the building of the former grand café Carrousel, on the site that once housed Hotel-Café De Bijenkorf and was long tied to the Crown Inn Hotel. The premises were fully renovated over the past months. A large skylight, colourful frescoes, chandeliers and a monumental Art Nouveau bar now set the tone, while the walls carry paintings and caricatures inspired by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens.
The concept comes from Rudolf van Gompel and Arjan Bouter. Van Gompel has a background in international retail and has developed commercial concepts before. Bouter has been active in Eindhoven hospitality for years through Good Vibes Hospitality, which is involved in Café 't Lempke, Grand Café de Lichttoren and The Roast Club.
White linen and table service, with a bill that belongs in a neighbourhood café.
What you pay at Maison Rubens Eindhoven
The menu leans on Belgian classics. Vol-au-vent with Flemish fries costs €12.80, beef stew made to a grandmother's recipe €16.85 and steak-frites €19.80, the most expensive main course. A small draught beer is €1.95 and a carafe of wine €13. Liège meatballs, an avocado burger and crispy cauliflower with ratatouille complete the list. Desserts include Brussels waffles and chocolate mousse; if you want to make the latter at home, here is a Belgian chocolate mousse without cream.
Misset Horeca took a look inside and headlined a 'wow effect' both on arrival and at the bill. That is exactly the tension the concept relies on: white linen and table service, but prices closer to a neighbourhood café than to a classic brasserie. The gap with fine dining is wide; we previously worked out what a tasting menu actually costs to put on a table.
From the Markt to other Brabant cities
Every day the brasserie keeps 15 per cent of its seats free for walk-in guests, as long as they are not taken. Reservations can be made through its own website. The restaurant is about a five-minute walk from Eindhoven Central Station and is wheelchair accessible.
Eindhoven is meant as the first location of a larger plan. According to Tasty Trails, the kitchen works with fixed recipes and standardised processes, while finance, marketing and HR are run centrally so that new sites can follow the same concept. Den Bosch and Tilburg are mentioned as possible next cities, and a second Eindhoven address is not ruled out. No dates have been set.
The terrace comes first. The heated outdoor terrace with around 100 seats is due to open at the end of November, taking Maison Rubens to roughly 300 seats in total: enough to show whether low prices and white linen add up to a sum that works.
