Ten years and one move later, Alex Cardoso (the chef) and Hughes De Cuyper (the sommelier) are still around: on a discreet little street in the Ixelles neighborhood, they are keeping retro delicacies of the great French culinary tradition alive for anyone tired of neo-food trends. In their latest haunt – featuring the classy vaulted ceilings of the Mouchart wine importer’s aging cellars – the like-o-meter is off the charts: delicious bass and pork trotter carpaccio for the appetizer; a massive portion of crispy veal sweetbreads with salsify and creamy truffled sauce for the main; plus grandmotherly crêpes Suzette, flambéed tableside, for dessert. A truly winning trio. Does the bill hit where it hurts? Perhaps. But that’s due to the prices of the first-rate ingredients – and the huge portions. In the summer, a secret garden opens up. Apparently “garden” originally meant “paradise.” We’re willing to believe it. // Toni Negroni
FEELING THIRSTY? A superlative wine list, with strong chic and natural inclinations: Initial, a Champagne produced by Jacques Selosse (€350 a bottle), Blanc de Macération from the Domaine Prieuré Roch (€205), or a 2015 Saumur-Champigny from the legendary Clos Rougeard (€400). Too much? Opt instead for Les Alpes 2019 from the much-missed Dominique Belluard in Savoie (€80), Susucaru 2018 from Frank Cornelissen in Sicily (€50) or Au Chant De La Huppe 2022 from Henri Chauvet in Auvergne (€90).
PRICE: Lunch menu €33, appetizers €17-25, mains €29-70, cheese course €15, desserts €10-13.
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