For over ten years now, Simona El-Harar has been sprinkling za’atar about this bend of the Chaussée de Wavre, without boring devotees and regulars of her to-die-for labneh. And even after all these years, the Israeli chef, who was born in Morocco and moved to Belgium after following Tim, her gallery owner partner, continues to hit the bull’s eye with a melting pot of colorful cuisine reflecting her origins. Eaten that night in the quaint Ixelles canteen with its cute housewifey tableware: the aforementioned labneh, accompanied by a whole roasted cauliflower, all yummily caramelized thanks to a date syrup and tahini glaze; a kebab like you’d get in Jaffa, with juicy keftas inside well-grilled pitas, plus a drizzle of spicy coriander-parsley sauce; chubby chicken shawarma lavishly lying atop a bed of pearl barley; before a rich and creamy semolina pudding drizzled in rose water syrup and a sprinkling of pistachios. So, is it worth the racket? Definitely! // Luce Berdon
FEELING THIRSTY? Wines from all over the Mediterranean basin, but mainly from Israel, like the Riesling from Efrat (€7 a glass) or the red Galilée from the Dalton estate (€38 a bottle).
PRICE: À la carte €36-49, brunch €35 (Saturday).
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