Very few are the Catherinettes who still pilgrimage to Saint Catherine just to pay their religious respects. The boatmen have long deserted the area leaving behind them some traces in the toponymy of the neighbouring streets. The area of Brussels also serves up some of the finest fares as far as seafood is concerned.
If the port of Brussels finds itself today in the confines of an outer region, the city owes its rapid expansion to water. It was around the Senne that everyhting happened before any development had rendered Brussels a port within walls (intra-muros).The ancient port of Brussels
It was in the 16th Centrury that the first basins were crossed having been reopened under the authority of Charles Buls and Joseph Poelaert (yes him again..). Today several street names remind us of the previous eras, for example : quai du Commerce, quai aux Briques, quai du Bois à brûler, quai aux Pierres de Taille...The last vestiges of a period that brought Brussels to life, the Black Tower, today being taken over by a hotel, is still standing tall, at number 29 Saint Catherine square...The Fish Market (and restaurants)
The port of Brussels has basically disapeared, but the Saint Catherine Church still retains its style maintaining history in its own way, and the square never forgot its past welcoming the covered fish market. Still today, fish is king and the most used on the restaurants menus in the area.
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The area and the neighbouring streets (Flandre street, Marche aux Porcs Street...) have become a sort of 'place to be' for amateurs of seafood, at any time. A glass of white and oysters can be found just nearby as a meal outside on the sidewalk or even a moonlit dinner.
For insatiable carnivores a great number of restaurants reside in the area for them as well. If you're looking to be seated at a reasonable time though don't forget to leave some extra time to find a parking space in the sometimes congested area. For those amateurs of the genre take note that the metro can have you within the heart of Sainte Catherine quite speedily and that several Villo stations (bike hire) are around the place as well. Finally, you could always reserve a table at a restaurant with a valet service: le Jaloa, for example.
Tradition and modernity
Just nearby this pillar of cullinary greatness, the area maintains its proper identity as a historical centre especially where it meets Dansaert Street just near its end. In practice, this gives an art center set up in the first electrical power station (The Central Electric), a herbalist's shop (Desmecht) where naturalists can buy 100% natural products and it's also popular with restaurants owners looking for new owners, a seductive show house (La Bellone) seductive with its glassed back yard and its baroque façade.And following this further strain of bourgois ambiance its here that the students come (Madame de la Casquette) to find the cap and the coat of arms and other pieces that make up Belgian folklore.
And finally, in winter, the square area always puts on its best lights for "Les Plaisirs d'Hiver". Lights, merry-go-rounds, chalets and warm wine take over the the area surrounding the ice skating rink, becoming the heart of the city.
