The sun is shining and you're looking for a restaurant with nice outdoor seating, not too noisy and dishing out some good food; or is it a rainy day and you'd like a unique indoor setting? - Les Foudres ticks all the boxes.
Inside the old premises of a long gone bulk wine supplier you'll find one of Brussels' more intriguing restaurants. A bit out of the way in Ixelles, they do nice French cooking and offer a good 35 euro menu.
Outdoors the large garden is a real treat during the summer, with roughly ten tables well spread out and allowing for joyful conversations without disturbing neighboring tables.
It may come as a surprise then that the restaurant is in fact just as famous for its indoor setting. Eating in a cellar will seem unique enough to most, especially so when surrounded by massive twenty thousand litre oak wine barrels. Brick walls, stone floors and low ceilings mean that things can feel a bit 'confined', but unless you suffer from any form of claustrophobia it is worth being seen.
I'd only been in winter (indoors) so it was a different experience this summer sitting outside with my partner and another couple. We were kindly greeted and had an aperitif with the mise-en-bouche while scouring the menu for our preferred picks.
We all enjoyed our starters, be it the foie gras or the ravioles from the menu, or the oven baked snails and the scallops 'à la carte'. For mains I had the baby lobster, my partner and friends the skate wing, Iberian pork and grilled shrimps. Again, very little to complain about, presentation was nice, portions fair and very tasty. You might question the sourcing and seasonality of some dishes, but hard to be too critical.
I can't even complain about desserts, they were not outstanding, but when one considers this often the downfall of many restaurants, these were original and pleasing.
The meal was accompanied by a good bottle of wine from a very nice wine list.
More expensive than the average restaurant, I'd recommend the 35 euro menu with a good bottle of wine. The standards are high but are let down somewhat by the service, which albeit friendly seemed a little disorganized (had to ask twice for a bottle of water) and quite slow (I think we were well into starters when wine finally arrived). Possibly the result of the youthfulness of the waiters? Or the distance between the kitchen and the garden? Either way, if you are in a hurry or don't intend to converse much with your fellow diners, you likely won't have a good experience. But if you're there to enjoy a chat with good friends and in no rush, then this is a very good choice.
The place deserves to be visited at least once, if not twice as indoors and outdoors are worthy of a meal. One of the best summer gardens for a relaxed meal with friends. read more