Ultimatum – Marilyn Ambach

Turn up the music, fill your cup and drink it down! Part 3 is all about Antwerp nightlife. Antwerp has a lot to offer when it comes to clubbing. Here are a few of my favorite dance floors:

PETROL – Deep down an abandoned road on the South part of Antwerp lies an old industrial warehouse which is rebuild to a club with an underground vibe. Its minimal and dark interior make it a perfect location for techno parties as well as rock concerts. When i dance i “just can’t get enough”, so Petrol offers two dance floors. Usually the club is used for concerts. I once saw an excellent YACHT concert here, somewhere in 2010 – shame we don’t hear anything from these guys anymore. (Petrol – d’Herbouvillekaai 25 – 2020 Antwerp)

MAGIC – One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal: it’s a kind of magic. Freddy Mercury himself would twist and turn on this magical dance floor. Entering this club, literally under ground, feels like being warped back to the decadence of the 70ies. Electro Pop music and Eighties Kitsch in the mix with modern dance tunes, the music in Magic is as divers as its crowd: from underground artist to fashion diva. The only thing that happens in this place is dancing. On my agenda: the Filles a Papa party this Thursday! Important note: you can only get in when you’re on the guest list. Check the website for more information. (Magic – Desguinlei 94- 2018 Antwerp)

Click the video to see a recap of some magnificent parties going on at Magic Antwerp:

SCHELD’APEN – On the same road as Club Petrol lies an even more abandoned house, also rebuild to a (smaller) club called Scheld’apen. This place has played an important role to a lot of experimental and underground artists. The primary goal of this club is to create a platform for Antwerp artists. From time to time however, you can party hard here. I’m personally looking forward to the Mykki Blanco concert this Wednesday! (Scheld’Apen – d’Herbouvillekaai 36 – 2020 Antwerp)

ULTIMATUM – Another personal favorite are the monthly parties held in bar Ultimatum. Located in the heart of the city Ultimatum is in fact a restaurant/bar, but once a month owner Olivier turns the place upside down (and round and round) to host some of the best parties in Antwerp (and the one’s with the biggest crowd on a Sunday night – don’t these people have work on Monday?!). With names as Thirsty Thurdays and Sunday Funday – let’s be honest – you get what you came for: great music, great drinks (damn those 6 EUR gin&tonics) and great vibes. Definitely on my calendar: another Thirsty Thursday on February 28th. (Ultimatum – Grote Markt 8 – 2000 Antwerp)

After all this dancing our feet hurt and our legs are all tired. So why not indulge yourself for a moment and sleep in one of the comfortable beds of Hotel The Black. This hotel, located in a mansion on the Antwerp Leien, feels like an old Hollywood film, not only ’cause of the colors (black and white) but also because of the glamorous yet mysterious atmosphere. Kim Soeffers, interior architect and personal friend, decorated each room as if she would live in it herself. Every room is provided with a a classic bathtub in which I for one can soak for hours. Another glass of champagne to close the night and then I lay myself to rest in a heavenly set of pillows. Aah.. this is the good life indeed. (Hotel The Black – Amerikalei 113 – 2000 Antwerp)

GIVE AWAY TIME:

Because you all have been so good and sweet to us it’s time we do something back.

We offer you a one night stay in the Hotel The Black (according to availability).

Want to dream away just like I did? This is what you have to do:

Like the Marilyn & Josephine Facebook page
Like the Hotel The Black Facebook page
Send us an e-mail with your name and address

The lucky winner will be contacted by the end of March!

Well, this concludes the treasure map (for now). I hope you enjoy your stay in Antwerp as much as I enjoy living here!

xoxo

Josephine

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” It was Luciano Pavarotti who once said these words, and he is a wise man. For most of you it might not come as a big surprise, but I love food. I love it so much, I’ve dedicated more than one blog post to it. That’s why the second part of my Antwerp Treasure map is all about: food.

FROM BRUNCH TO DINNER AND BACK AGAIN – Lately I enjoy waking up early on a Saturday morning (i still have to get used to saying that, as my former hobby was sleeping in) and assembling friends and family to go for breakfast in one of the many coffee bars Antwerp has to offer. I remember when I moved to Antwerp about 10 years ago, there weren’t many nice and cosy (and free WiFi-ed) coffee bars as there are now. Or maybe I didn’t know they existed, since I was mostly busy with my other hobby back then (sleeping in, followed by my anti-hobby: running to class). Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but it seems to me that going for breakfast (or brunch) is becoming a bigger thing than going out all night.

On a Saturday morning it’s always nice to visit the open air market. Since shopping for food on an empty stomach might hurt your wallet (as my mom says), get some breakfast first at Perruche (1). This small restaurant offers a very good breakfast and an even better service. Sweet Laura, that girl knows the drill of running a place! Adding up to the feeling of being at home: her mom occasionally pops in (actually she popped in once and never left) to provide happy customers with toast, special sandwiches, provincial spreads, spaghetti, soup and cake. Fun fact: Perruche, which is the French word for parakeet, used to be a small store which sold – you guessed it – parakeets (and other tiny, noisy birds). If you are a bagel lover I recommend Barnini (2),which is also in the same area (maybe you can try both, who cares about the market, right?!). No parakeets here, only owls. By the way, they have great coffee (in every size and color, with m&m’s on top or a good splash of chocolate sauce). I know because owner Annick used to train me in how to make the perfect coffee.

(1) Perruche – Oude Vaartplaats 60 – 2000 Antwerp (pope-approved)(2) Barnini – Oude Vaartplaats 10 – 2000 Antwerp

Time for lunch! Probably the most well-known place in Antwerp to go for lunch is Lombardia (3). Everybody knows this place, including Sting, Moby and Steve-O! Yes, big artists have fallen in love with Alain Indria’s gluten-free veggie health food love-temple. The interior looks like a huge container filled with pictures, colors, a giant golden bull, more color, graffiti and plants. You always feel sunny California in here and you would almost expect some half naked surfer dude walking in, straight from the beach, board still under his arm (if he ever does, ladies: I saw him first!). I love this place. Alain’s mom, Odette, opened Lombardia in 1972. Back then it was only a health-food shop. The most famous product Alain is serving is without doubt the Ginger Love tea (supposedly Alain came up with Ginger Love at table nr 18 in the back – so for any creative inspiration i suggest you take your lunch at table 18). It’s so good even Starbucks wanted to buy the recipe and the Wall Street Journal tipped Alain’s Ginger Love tea as a must when visiting Antwerp. Other good stuff I think you should try: Beasty Boy sandwich, Hot Mexican Tuna, the Magic Mushroom and Moby’s own Moby Juice.

(3) Lombardia – Lombardenvest 78 – 2000 Antwerp

Check out what Sting has to say about Lombardia:

For the real treasure hunters there is RA Kitchen (4). Located right in between antique shops, you will find this very cool restaurant (which in fact is part of a whole concept fashion store). The dining area alone is worth a visit: a mix between vintage tables, an informal living room lounge area, a mezzanine daybed and (on sunny days) a summer terrace. Ra Kitchen is all about fresh ingredients, a seasonal and eclectic menu, traditional flavours, unconventional methods and a touch of the past. As the Word magazine describes it, it’s a “quiet culinary universe of coolness”. Fun fact: every month, Ra Kitchen invites a special friend or talented individual for an event open to all! Take a look at their Facebook page to stay updated on upcoming events.

(4) RA Kitchen – Kloosterstraat 13 – 2000 Antwerp

Other great places to get your food-groove on:

ULTIMATUM, Grote Markt 8: food, drinks and an occasional GREAT party
CHEZ FRED, Kloosterstraat 83: the best “stoofvlees met frietjes” in town
POTTEKIJKER, Kaasrui 5: for the romantic and nostalgic hearted people
FISKEBAR, Marnixplaats 12: it’s all Fish and all Scandinavian

Special thanks to

Alain Indria (just for being you), Steven Neuman (for countless breakfasts), Romain Brau (for inspiration) and Laura (for two eggs instead of one).

Next episode:

Dance the night away in Antwerp’s nightlife + SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR OUR READERS!

All pictures are under copyright protection

(c) Sien Josephine 2013

Marilyn Ambach

Tag: Ultimatum

Josephine’s Treasure Map to Antwerp (3)

Josephine’s Treasure Map to Antwerp (2)