Klow Restaurant
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Many of the places Tintin has visited on his adventures really exist. You can go there and see them much as Tintin would have seen them. Some places may be imaginary. One of these is the little country of Syldavia. Syldavia may be inspired by some real places (although I doubt any of these had any chance of launching the first moon rocket). If a Syldavian nation exists, so do Syldavian restaurants. One of these, in Brussels, is named after the Syldavian capital, Klow. Tintin visits this in King Ottokar's Sceptre. He enters the restaurant shadowing a suspect who he believes was spying on him. Inside the restaurant there is no trace of the man. Tintin finally discovers he has entered an upper room and tries to listen at the door, but is caught by the waiter before he can learn anything of value. When the bill arrives, it has a warning against meddling in the affairs of others, and the waiter scares Tintin from ever wanting to return by claiming the meal he just ate is made of the hindleg of a young dog. Caught, unmasked yet none the wiser, a downcast Tintin leaves the restaurant.

The last laugh, however, is on his dog Snowy who has raided the kitchen.

Maybe an insignificant incident in the career of the reporter? But tribute to a great author can be payed through little things.

King Ottokar's Sceptre was first published in Le Petit Vingtième in 1938 and 1939. The colour album was published in 1947. One of Herge's assistants, E. P. Jacobs, later created the series Blake and Mortimer, which other authors perpetuated after his death. Didier Convard, André Juillard, Yves Sente wrote La Machination Voronov which was published in 2000, but is set back in 1957.

The story is about espionnage, and a James Bond style evil doctor (Voronov) in the KGB who hopes to sieze power with a secret weapon. Of course, the British secret service gets wind of Voronov's lethal bacterium and Blake and Mortimer set out to investigate. But Voronov also has his informers in the British embassy, and Miss Sneek sets out to let him know. And from where does she go to make her phone call?

In restaurant Klow of course! The restaurant has moved from Brussels to Moscow, but otherwise little has changed. The name, the entrance, yes even the waiter have remained the same!

Does Klow Restaurant still exist today? I don't know, but hope to find out, and will inform you on this webiste when I do. Maybe, one day, we will meet in Restaurant Klow. And don't worry, that szlaszcek is not really made of dog. Enjoy your meal!


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