The story
Le 203 is a bistro at Chaussée de Waterloo 203 in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, and Gault&Millau scored it 13.5 in 2026. The ground-floor room runs from the street through to a courtyard, so it has windows on two sides.
South African chef Richard Schaffer cooks from behind his kitchen counter. His French wife, Mathilde Hatte, runs the room, pouring wine in a brick-walled dining room with 60s-style furnishings. The cooking is creative without being showy. Meat comes from Carlos & Fils, fish from the North Sea and vegetables from Biotiful.
The lunch menu offers two starters, two mains and a dessert, with two extra choices added in the evening. One starter pairs roasted celery with red meat radish and caper pesto, finished with smoked paprika and toasted pumpkin seeds. The marinated veal hanger is tender enough that the knife is almost unnecessary, served with fennel, pickled mustard seeds and butternut squash purée. Dessert is a slightly bitter chocolate mousse with coulis and pistachios.
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At this ground floor, dual-aspect spot that stretches out from street to courtyard, there are two people running the show: South African chef Richard Schaffer, who performs culinary theatrics from behind his kitchen counter, and his French wife, Mathilde Hatte, popping open bottles in the brick-walled dining room with 60s-style furnishings. Everyone loves Le 203, including Angèle. But why? Well, because the cuisine is creative but not showy, carefully sourced (Carlos & Fils meats, fish from the North Sea, Biotiful vegetables) and modestly priced. The menu? Two starters, two mains and a dessert at lunch, plus two extra choices in the evening. That day at lunch, we had: a tonic, tangy, plant-based starter featuring roasted celery, red meat radish and caper pesto, smoked paprika and toasted pumpkin seeds; marinated veal hanger so tender that the knife with the 203 logo is almost rendered unnecessary, accessorized with fennel and red onion shavings, pickled mustard seeds and butternut squash purée; and a slightly bitter chocolate mousse and coulis under a shower of pistachios, to finish on a high note. // Ringo de Balmalon
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