Resto: L'Aubette

A small and unpretentious place on Blaesstraat/rue Blaes, L’Aubette offers a selection of salads based on one timeless ingredient: the baked potato.

Some places seem like they have always been there. You feel at home the moment you walk in. L’Aubette, a modest restaurant on Blaesstraat/rue Blaes, is one of those places. It may be modest, but it’s still worth a visit. With its urban terrasse, a vast space dotted with little round tables and an attractive wooden bench, the place has plenty of charm.

The tiled counter, pretty colonnade, and sausages hanging from the ceiling create a mixed effect: a bit like a Spanish bodega combined with a French bistro. You could call L’Aubette a “bistrodega”, with an added soupçon of “marollitude” (given its location in the Marollen/Marolles district).

Seasoned to perfection
Inspired by the appetising decor, we tried two dishes from the menu, which doesn’t follow the usual “starter, main course, dessert” formula. Feeling particularly hungry, we ordered a plate of avocado and shrimps for €12.50. The price was more than reasonable given the size of the portion, which is undoubtedly why bread and butter are ordered separately (€1).

The dish was prepared to order and consisted of a bright and beautiful salad, seasoned to perfection. The shrimps were fresh and combined with a delightfully light vinegar mayonnaise. Our one small complaint is that the avocado was not perfectly ripe, even a little rubbery, and hard to cut. The rest was just right, but that little detail was unfortunate, as it would have been easy to choose a ripe avocado, or not to offer it at all.

No-frills
The place’s speciality is the “aubettes”, enormous salads served in a big bowl with a handle. The “Végane” (€8) is tasty as well as reasonably priced. We were treated to salad, cherry tomatoes, peppers, beetroot, carrot, olives, cucumber, and basil, all arranged around a baked potato. Though not an entirely coherent dish, we loved its home-made, no-frills approach.

The drinks are worth a mention, with great beers (like the excellent “Bons Vœux”, €4.50 for 37.5 cl), squeezed fruit juices, and an invigorating shot of ginger for €5.

ma/lu/Mo > do/je/Th: 08.00 > 17.00
vr/ve/Fr: 08.00 > 18.00
week-end: 08.30 > 18.00