Located off the beaten track at the bottom of the Paille Valley since the 1960s, a stone’s throw from Florenville and the French border, Le Chameleux has a roadside café look about it – and one from another time, at that! At this spot where chef Laurence Jacques reigns supreme, the dining room comes complete with mountain lodge-style (wood paneling, tiny windows, low ceilings), where all the country’s retirees, tourists and hikers seemed to be in attendance that lunchtime. While all were a-chatter in three different languages, huge dishes holding salads dressed in vinaigrette and oily potatoes with bacon (mainly to accompany the grilled trout) dance above our heads, served by Olivier Dailly. And said trout? It’s coated in flour, thrown in the pan and left to sizzle, served meunière-style or nothing, baby! More adventurous diners can always try the omelet, the local pâté gaumais, the Orval cheese quiche, or why not, the Dame Blanche sundae for something out of the 20th century. Meanwhile, everyone else will simply murmur to themselves, happily satiated: the trout is pretty darn good. // Toni Negroni
FEELING THIRSTY? Water? Otherwise, beer lovers aren’t hard done by with a large, rather conformist selection (€2.20 to €10 from 250 to 750 ml), Maitrank wine punch (€4.50 per glass) or well-known soft drinks (€2.40).
PRICE: Trout €20, dishes €5 to €13.50, snacks €1.70 to €5, desserts €3 to €7.50.
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