The Stoofvlees Pilgrimage

Stoofvlees (or carbonnade flamande, if you're speaking French) is Belgium's comfort-food king: chunks of beef browned hard, then braised slowly with sliced onions, dark Belgian ale, a slick of mustard and sometimes a slice of couque (spiced bread) to thicken and sweeten the sauce. Hours later, the meat is falling-apart tender and the sauce is dark, glossy and deeply savoury-sweet. Served with frites - always frites, always with mayo - it's the Flemish boeuf bourguignon, except the cooking liquid is Belgian beer and the result, arguably, is richer.

Antwerp is the right city for it: Belgium's fashion and diamond capital, a buzzy port city on the Scheldt with a stunning cathedral, Rubens' house, and a food and beer scene that runs deeper than Brussels'. Stoofvlees with frites in a lively Antwerp brasserie, with a dark Trappist beer, is the meat-eater's version of the Belgian experience.