Now this is what we call grand genre dining! In a magnificent 1910s brasserie dripping with vaulted ceilings, stained-glass windows and velvet furnishings, sommelier Serge Verboven practices the high art of hospitality – impeccable, expressive and never missing a beat. Day after day, Antwerp’s see-and-be-seen crowd glides through the doors, while a team of liveried wait staff reenacts a scene from Belle Époque Paris, right in the heart of the Eilandje neighborhood, in the shadow of the iconic Museum aan de Stroom. In the kitchen, chef Zoro Hussayn stays on theme with a flawless seasonal score of bistro classics: asparagus with hollandaise sauce; salmon gravlax; steak tartare prepared tableside; or fillet of beef flambéed right before you. For us, the day we went: foie gras terrine on sultana bread with caramelized onions; succulent tarragon chicken with a crisp green salad and golden fries; before an excellent crème brûlée crowned with the most satisfying crack. · Saffron Edge

FEELING THIRSTY? It’d be foolish not to dabble in the wine list, ranging from affordable, globe-trotting gems to French classics: Chapeau Melon, a Burgundy melon from Jérémie Huchet (€10 a glass), Kayagatake Koshu 2021, a Japanese white from Grace Wine (€60 a bottle) or a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé from the Château Cheval Blanc estate (€2,500).

PRICE: Appetizers €18-45, mains €39-65, desserts €15-25.