Pépite

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… Randomly take your pick and you’re always sure to get your hands on some lovely loot at this cavernous, 24-carat wine shop on the banks of the Meuse River. Owner Catherine Mathieu has managed to transform this somewhat quirky pad (enter into a narrow bar which leads to a patio and a brick-walled hideout, with the kitchen overlooking everything upstairs) into a goldmine of wines and other treasures. The labels? Melle Bulle, a Savoyard pet’ nat’ from Jean-Charles Girard-Madoux; Du Beur dans les Pinards, a Beaujolais-Villages by Karim Vionnet; or even the extremely rare Cantillon Piacere lambic made using Tuscan grapes by Fuori Mondo. Pass a bottle about in house (while doubling the price) with an Italian Simmental beef tartare or, and why not, the five-course menu (burrata and beetroot; roasted carrots with sage; asparagus and œuf parfait; chicken curry – with poultry from Roland; strawberries, lemon-mint sorbet and meringue…) at €50. // Heloise Bartsoen

THE HIDDEN GEM: Nobis, a 100% Syrah wine from Le Temps des Copains (€13.50).