Gazzetta

Extra, extra, read all about it! “The only true break around,” headlines this Gazzetta from Nicolas Van Malbert (who got his start in the Italian restaurant world via Michela Rosa). A hop, a skip and a spaghetti string away from Avenue Louise, this café-deli plays the part of a tiny trattoria in the daytime and an enoteca at night. Under a big glass and metal chandelier, you’ll find twenty-some high wooden tables and an Italian marble bar, behind which chefs Emanuele Sireci and Angelo Bonifacio serve ristretto to bleary-eyed customers, paninis at lunch and spritzes at aperitivo hour. Still want more? There are a few antipasti, two or three primi and two secondi. A sneak peak of the night we went: a delicious Italian mortadella charcuterie platter; a beautiful pasta of the day, served al dente in a sunny tomato sauce with salsiccia, tender eggplant and ricotta salata; before the dessert, a tiramisù… e basta! // Ambre Oisy

FEELING THIRSTY? Caffè al bar (just like in Rome): espresso or ristretto (€3.50), cappuccino (€5)… Or a spritz (€11), grappa, along with natural and conventional Italian wines: Giandon Rosso d’Il Farneto (€26 a bottle) and Note di Rosso d’Alessandro Viola (€42).

PRICE: Panini €10.40 to €10.90, antipasti €13.50 to €18.90, pasta €15.50 to €23.