Nuovo Rosso

It’s already been a decade since Milanese chef Mario Gentile first began delighting customers at his Saint-Gilles trattoria, which has since become a go-to spot for Italian cuisine in the Belgian capital. Don’t pay any mind to the colorful decor, from the intense reds to the ochre yellows that sting the eyes: here, it’s all about the pasta, prepared 15 different ways and served in big stainless steels pans to share family-style – or devour on your own. The night we went, after a respectable burrata buried under shaved truffles that practically stole the show, we opted for flamboyant pappardella all’astice with extremely fresh lobster, which was still pinching its claws in the kitchen before winding up in the pan along with garlic and fresh tomatoes from Pachino, along with springtime tagliatelle carbonara featuring the first asparagus of the season. All that was washed down by a pitcher of the house red, a montepulciano that got the job done. Still hungry? Try one of the classic panna cottas, tiramisus, cannoli or tartufo al cioccolato. The good, the bad and the abundant. // Léa Cruz

FEELING THIRSTY? A beautiful selection of organic transalpine wines: a montepulciano from Abruzzo made by Casal Bordino (€7 a glass), Roero Arneis, a Piedmont white produced by Nizza Silvano (€34 a bottle), or a Tuscan red from La Ciarliana (€45).

PRICE: Appetizers €16-29, mains €19-42, desserts €7-11.