The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid taller than a man said to inhabit the Himalayas… So my first question when I discovered , the cantine in Ixelles was: wtf?
I had to ask Maxime, the man behind the project.
After battling with curiosity for a long time (Maxime is not an easy man to sit down with) he told me that the name involved a comical family story featuring a dancing great-grandma in the Paris of the Belle Epoque. Splendid little story involving the burlesque and wonderful Josephine Baker, the banana- and the yeti dance!
Yeti2 is located on 133 rue du Viaduc in the Maison de Quartier, inside the Parc du Viaduc. The House was totally renovated by the architecture studio B612, using steel panels with maps laser-cut in them. Gorgeous result. Yeti2 is therefore part of a bigger project, encompassing green areas, training rooms for professional insertion, a kindergarden…
It is a lovely daytime neighbourhood cantine too, offering home made products, using local seasonal ingredients. They propose a plat du jour, soups, veggie burgers and sandwiches. They also bake a new dessert everyday. I tried their carrot cake and it’s delicious. And I hope to come back soon when they make the rhubarb-pie (you know I’m a sucker for rhubarb).
On weekends, you can go for brunch. And Friday evenings are when Apéro-totos take place. I happened to go to an Apéro-Toto a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed some nice tapas and a local juice. A flutist gave a disconcerting concert in the garden… -You know that utterly experimental unstructured music which, to be enjoyed requires some sort of masters degree in music science?
It made me think of that post-modernist art which leaves you totally blank wondering wtf is it about… Confronted with such elitist forms of art, I always feel rather stupid, uncultivated or just a bit scammed. But as long as some people enjoy it… awesome.
Anita
Yeti2 – 133 rue du Viaduc – T: +32 2 646 00 49 – Open: Check their for daily updates…
