Vorace

After racking up a string of pop-up projects (countryside barbecues in an orchard, table d’hôtes communal dining perched up in an old dovecote, culinary cruises on a barge moored along the Meuse) like others enjoy collecting gems, gluttonous Ciney natives Noé Pellet and Elisa Roland (aka Lili) have finally put down roots in a family house overlooking the Gesves valley. If it feels like you’re seeing double, don’t worry, you’re eyes aren’t deceiving you: on one side of the property, you’ll find Atelier Beauregard, Lili’s stylish optical store. And on the other, a cozy micro-bistro with a tasteful second-hand look. To each their own domain? Yes, but no. Once her glasses are safely back in their cases, Lili pops over the wall just like that, to join Noé in his den, greeting guests with the same warmth and ease that infuses everything from the lovingly sourced ingredients (meats raised by Samuel Fouilliard in the Aisne, cheeses aged by Antoine Stoffel – aka the cheesemonger Maître Corbeau ), the pitch-perfect wine selection and the ever-charming Pinot, the resident dachshund who tootles about the dining room with the dignity of a senator. The evening we went, we enjoyed: dazzling amberjack seared on the plancha, cozying up in a cloud of white rice foam and laced with shiso chiffonade; perfectly tender rib-eye steak served with a tarragon sabayon so intense it bordered on hysteria; and for dessert, an irresistible fusion of Manjari chocolate, olive oil and salt. Altogether, it makes for a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously – which is rather rare (and welcome) on this side of the Low Countries. No wonder reservations are booked solid weeks in advance! · Frans Simoens