Victor

Behind the blackened facade and terrace on Sint-Paulusplaats, there’s a sophisticated, brutalist bistro (waxed concrete floors, raw concrete elsewhere, whitewashed brick walls, bistro chairs) with a decidedly rebellious vibe. That’s where the young, Antwerp-based chef Victor Avonds (ex-Dôme and Frenchie Covent Garden in London) doles out his inspired plates: vegetable tempura (broccoli and cauliflower) intensified by chimichurri; a lovely carrot salad with feta and sesame seeds; plump wild garlic gnocchi seasoned with hazelnuts, Mimolette and spinach; and a Spanish sirloin steak with black garlic and hard apple cider sauce, paired with potatoes sautéed in beef fat… It’s the holy trifecta of beautiful, delicious and cool! // Juno Madre

FEELING THIRSTY? At Victor, it’s all about hard cider: a wild Pomesk Eclipse from the Flemish Ardennes (€43 a bottle), Byhur, a Spanish Basque cider from Astarbe Sagardotegia (€38), a Belgian Optimbulles from Hop Cider (€27.50)… And the occasional bottle of wine: Aldeneyck, a Belgian riesling from the Vallée de la Meuse (€49), Blauer Spätburgunder, a German red from the Seeger winery (€80).
PRICE: Plates €5-45.