Resto: Le Bout de Gras

Amerikastraat/rue Américaine is not an Eldorado for food- ies. This is changing: a few establishments are turning things around. From now on, they will have to contend with a new kid on the block: Le Bout de Gras.

Behind this place is the colossus Laurent Balancy, a chef from La Réunion, who learned his trade at Inada, a seriously good place to have on your CV. Balancy also worked at Le Tournant. The approach that he’s developing is one of unpretentious “cuisine de copains” (food for friends). To appreciate it, you can’t be in a rush since, for the flavours to be as they should be, everything is made to order. The dishes are straightforward and are largely made up of offal and the likes of pig’s trotters and beef cheeks, along with other modest but brilliant fare. The concept has a welcome simplicity and is presented amid a superb decor of blue tiling, decorated with a border whose motif is reminiscent of an old butcher’s shop. The two adjoining rooms end in an open kitchen. Simple black tables and chairs, a comfortable bench, and soft lighting give the place a very convivial atmosphere. On the wall, a black- board with three starters, three main courses, and two desserts. Nothing more. To start with, we chose a marinated mackerel marked at...€9. It had been a long time since we had seen a course of such quality for so cheap. In this dish, the marinated fish proved delicious, enhanced with unexpected touches, including some cherries and pieces of apple that melted in the mouth. The main course, for €18, was fantastic: pork spare ribs, not the slightest bit dry, served with a very flavoursome whis- key and coffee sauce. The meal was beautiful and original. As an accompaniment, we had a Pinot d’Aunis de Loire by Olivier Lemasson (€32), which made this lunch a moment of pure joy...among friends.

LE BOUT DE GRAS
Amerikastraat 89 rue Américaine, Elsene/Ixelles, 0488-16.00.12,
ma/lu/Mo & za/sa/Sa 19 > 22.00, di/ma/Tu > vr/ve/Fr 12 > 14.00 & 19 > 22.00