No Jules needed – Verne sails along just fine! This former cocktail bar turned bohemian “restobar” – all arty bric-a-brac, cozy corners and jungle-like terrace – sees Tom Desmet and Kim Verhaeghe (ex-Puur Genieten in Torhout) orchestrating a merry parade of small plates made for sharing. After a few bites to limber up (Tajín-dusted watermelon, melt-in-the-mouth Mangalitza pork paleta, crispy homemade bitterballen and Dierendonck white sausage dunked in piccalilli), the €55 set menu more than delivered: slivers of raw tuna jolted awake with horseradish and green oil, alongside crunchy asparagus and chicory leaves; vitello tonnato-style roast pork jazzed up with anchovy-caper mayo and salsify chips; plump Danish mussels glossed with garlic butter; then a sole skewer doused in a rich salmon-roe sauce, served with pan-fried chicory, gloriously old-school triple-cooked fries, sambal mayo and fried onions; and an effortless finish of vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries and bubbly strawberry foam. · Mezca Lita

Feeling thirsty? Here comes the flat note… Plenty to sip, little to get excited about. On the wine front, a rather predictable world tour (Terramonte verdicchio from Le Marche at €7.50 a glass, a Californian Renwood zinfandel at €51 a bottle), while the beer selections plays it equally safe (Cristal, Duvel, Rodenbach, €3.50 to €4.50 for a half-pint).

Prices: Set menus €55-€75, sharing plates €15-€36.