Dancing to Dalida while eating pig’s ears? It’s possible at Al’ Baraque, the roadside inn with checkered curtains and copper pans owned by Sylvie, an ex-ad exec who now provides the food, service and atmosphere here. You’ll find locals gobbling down mushroom and chorizo croquettes (really cheesy, to help soothe the spiciness) alongside regulars who come to enjoy a few pilsners at the old bar. While a baked camembert stinks up the room, we savored: the aforementioned roasted garlic pig’s ears with parsley and piment d’Espelette – don’t deny yourselves the pleasure of gnawing on some; local Petits-Gris snails seasoned with wild garlic; extremely tender pork cheeks in a reduced La Houppe beer jus; or a vol-au-vent that was duly dumpy; before a salted caramel fondant served with a scoop of Le Glacetronome ice cream… Fiercely good stuff! The added bonus? The evenings regularly end on the tables, bellowing out Celine Dion. Every now and again, it’s just as good as pig’s ears. // Heloise Bartsoen
FEELING THIRSTY? No contracts with any outside breweries, the beers come from here and nowhere else: Abbaye des Rocs (€3.80), Philomène Florale (€5.50), Silly Blanche (€2.80) or Colostrum, a beer brewed by the Fédération des Jeunes Agriculteurs young farmers union (€5).
PRICE: Starters €13-16, mains €21-29, desserts €7-8.
Save this spot in the Fooding app, available on iOS! Download it now in the app store.
