Frondes

Taking over the well-loved (and rather meat-heavy) restaurant Chabrol with an outrageously plant-forward pop-up shop was a bold move by Aurélia D’Hollander and Davide Feniello, both of whom used to work at Ivresse. Before the duo jumps ship to the center of town, this Art Nouveau bistro will be rivaling the space’s incredible arabesque details with a four-course (or five-course) menu until December 1st: theatrical hazelnut cream with a cucumber and agastache granita, pickled rhubarb and capers; stunning seaweed brioche, prepared like a lobster roll and stuffed with both fresh and roasted fennel, Hakurei turnips, pickled mustard seeds and pil-pil sauce; a well-made caponata paired with polenta fries and elephant garlic relish – a little less impressive than all the rest; before a very Italian finale, taking the form of a sfogliatella (a flaky pastry from Campania) concealing large cherries marinated in chamomile syrup, plus crème madame (a mix of crème pâtissière and chantilly) infused with hay and fermented sunflower seeds… Schaerbeek better hold on to its boots! // Cléo Popina

FEELING THIRSTY? Naturopathic wines (including No Es Pituko, a Chilean skin-contact wine from Echeverría at €36 a bottle) and, eyeballed jealously on the next table over, La Bomba, a rice cream liqueur (€10 a glass).

PRICE: Tasting menus €45-58 (4-5 courses).