Café des Minimes

An austere church vs a hard-partying terrace, men in suits and ties vs Saint James sweaters, midnight blue walls vs a shiny gold bar… The Café des Minimes, located below the Palais de Justice, plays up high contrast optics. It should come as no surprise then that jokers Léopold van der Gracht, Jean Vancampenhout and Charles Levie (who are also involved in Le Café Circus), recruited Régis Biellmann (ex-Tero and Kitchen 151) to whip up locally-sourced fare. Take the day we went for lunch as an example: a perfect poached egg and roasted portobello mushroom with parsley cream, a buckwheat galette and roasted mushrooms; crispy breaded cauliflower; and a sensational chocolate tart for the comforting dessert. At apéro hour, they get out the cheeses, charcuterie and shared plates – slow-roasted pork belly, stuffed cabbage, etc. Plenty to keep partiers fueled for the regularly held DJ sets and concerts. // Sam Oups

FEELING THIRSTY? Beers from local breweries – La Mule, Ermitage, Surréaliste, La Senne – and natural wine gems – Lluerna, a Catalan white from Els Vinyerons (€6.50 a glass), Weißer Mulatschak, an Austrian skin-contact wine produced by Meinklang (€35 a bottle), Jamais Navigué, a Gaillac Gamay from the Domaine Le Chapitre (€38).
PRICE: Lunch €18-21, plates €7-23 (dinner), brunch served à la carte (11:30am to 3:30pm).