"Restaurant" Review - Wingtips, Brussels Airport

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 21 Apr 2004, 23:09

Belgium is a country known for its excellent restaurants and appreciation of fine food. How come that it spawned the indescribably awful "restaurant" in Brussels Airport known as Wingtips

We first ate here after landing in BRU for the first time in July 2000. On this occasion we subjected ourselves to the nameless glop that Wingtips calls "waterzooi". This inedible, tasteless pool came with a huge pile of frozen chips. I had considered trying the "carbonnade flamande" but this had been taken away.

The following week we visited Wingtips again, thinking that we just didn't like waterzooi and their other food might be okay. This time I had the "carbonnade flamande". A brown pool of glop again with a pile of frozen chips, and this confirmed that maybe Wingtips staff hadn't a bloody clue with hot food, but surely they couldn't foul up a salad

On 31st March 2004 we ended up in Wingtips in the late afternoon. This time we decided to go for a "mozzarella, olive, tomato and pepper salad". Things I normally love, so I thought it would be okay. However, Wingtips wasn't going to shed its reputation for crap so easily. The salad was completely tasteless, and Wingtips was the only thing on the 31st which did not survive my critical eyes!

Does Belgium have a trades descriptions law? Because if so, for Wingtips to describe itself as a "restaurant" and the glop it serves up as "food" must be flouting all the trade description laws ever written!!

Sabena_690 · Post by **Sabena_690** » 21 Apr 2004, 23:17

Louise: I have eaten already several times hot and cold meals in the Wingtips, and I was always satisfied with what I got.

After several horror experiences I got in the UK (where beef was still cooked about 40 years ago

), the Wingtips is a 5-star restaurant in comparision!

Frederic

OO-SBZ · Post by **OO-SBZ** » 21 Apr 2004, 23:23

Are you some kind of masochist?

I would never let a restaurant the opportunity to disappoint me three times

BeN

TWA · Post by **TWA** » 22 Apr 2004, 00:12

The food is not only bad, prices are sky-high!!!!!

Not only in the Wingtips but even on airside, travellers and staff have to eat the same crap. We (as crew) sometimes have to kill a few hours at BRU airport in between flights, and in stead of buying a sandwich over here we prefer to by some nice food at Spanish airports( they are really good) and at far more reasonable prices.

Most European airports (French, Scandinavian,...even AMS) are doing a lot better than BRU concerning foodquality. So BRU does not represent at all what Belgium stands for in the first place.

TWA

PS: food and drinks at LHR/LGW/LCY are very nice, however even more expensive than BRU , but at least I got what I paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post by **sn26567** » 22 Apr 2004, 09:56

For once, I tend to agree with Comet.

Wingtips is expensive and quality is poor. I went there only a couple of times for breakfast, before early morning flights, and with croissants and Danish pastries I thought you could not be disappointed, but I was: they were not even fresh!

But Wingtips has a big advantage: the view on the apron!

For information, Wingtips belongs to Carestel, the Belgian company that also owns and runs many motorway restaurants. I had the same bad experiences with Carestel; AC Restaurants on motorways are much better.

Comet · Post by **Comet** » 22 Apr 2004, 10:05

I thought that maybe the "waterzooi" we had the first time was a one off and we just didn't like waterzooi, that's why we went in Wingtips again. The views are good from there, and I was pleased with photos I got of a Swiss A319 the other week, but the prices are extortionate. As TWA said, LCY is good, not cheap but good food. LGW I cannot comment on because I haven't been in years, and LHR has some reasonable places.

CDG is poor I think. When we were there in 2002, we ended up in a basement place which served pizzas and was like a staff canteen because there were so many airport workers in there. The pizza was nice enough, but there was no choice of where to eat.

As I always travel by train in Belgium, there is no way I will ever be subjecting myself to the motorway "cafes" run by that particular group.

I'm sorry but I fail to see how anyone can like the glop they serve up in Wingtips. Great view, shame about the glop.