Milan La Roche is a wizard! In the morning, you’ll find him at Tuck Shop café in Saint-Gilles, and in the evening he’s cheffing over at this restaurant with its 24 tightly-packed covers. Designed by Sylvain Willenz, featuring a huge painting by the chef’s mother, this spot is driven by his alter ego Antoine Jaumaux, in a corner of Uccle where you wouldn’t expect to find anything of the kind. Opening the show, a few plates of well-bred delicacies: Emiliano prosciutto aged for 12 months, Aixandri olives, anchovies from L’Escala, pickles and beautifully baked bread from Hopla Geiss. As for the cuisine, it’s free, inventive and joyful. That evening: sweet steamed leeks in a puddle of buttermilk and parsley oil, preserved citron and grated bottarga; a surprising chawanmushi with shitake, peanuts and carrot ribbons; a fried noodle nest in a bottomless pork broth with gray shrimp and kimchi; cheeses from Julien Hazard, for finishing your drink; and a black sesame cream sprinkled with a kind of gomasio, plus a white chocolate tuile with puffed flax seeds, for a sweet touch. It’s a smash hit! // Ringo de Balmalon
FEELING THIRSTY? Something natural is a-bubbling: Saison Dupont (€4 for 330 ml), German cider from Jan-Philipp Bleeke (€35 a bottle), and Petite Nature, a Rhône pet’ nat’ from Martin Texier (€37). Or for something calmer: Barycentre, a Languedoc white from Vincent Augé (€45) or Le Jeau, a Loire red from Julien Delrieu (€38).
PRICE: Menu €60, plates €8-18.
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