Les Gourmands

When you enter this lovely restaurant, a bit lost in rural sub-Mons, it's a little like walking into the Gingerbread House. Indeed, four small steps take us below ground level and once inside there is an instant feeling of cosiness. One feels safe and looked after, well, once you are in the hands of Carlo Zecchin. He has a Saint-Nicolas head on him, and behind a smile that hides with difficulty his natural timidity, there is the profound knowledge of Belgium's Best Sommelier. And, meanwhile, in the kitchen there is a handsome, benevolent giant, Didier Bernard, who creates his meals with a classic gastronomic approach that wind back the years as he soars to reach the summit of his art. I'm thinking about that lobster tartare, served with mashed potatoes and caviar. Every element was perfect on its own, but the combinations were greater than the individual parts: magic! Oh, and what a Turbot: beautiful fish, perfectly cooked, with crispy fried onion rings and serrated ravioli filled with a confit of onions. Yum!