Les Petits Bouchons, Uccle

It's a bistro like we all dream of having around the corner from our place. The kind that's pretty rare, that ticks all the boxes: you eat well there, you drink well there, you feel good there. Think about it, there aren't that many.

Cockles with young leeks, langoustines from Guilvinec, pork cheeks braised in beer and a magnificent pot of pork knuckle & lentils. Bistro cooking barely modernized, generous, expertly executed and made with carefully sourced products. Among the regulars you bump into here regularly: wine merchants, winemakers, brewers... that sets the tone for what you'll find in the glasses. Clean beers and natural wines, no fuss or nonsense. Stuff with style that quenches your thirst with elegance and makes you want to party a bit. I mean, the picture's already pretty tempting, right? But we were talking about three boxes. The place and its owners are a reflection of all that: genuine and generous, simple and festive. The place has a soul and you feel right at home there immediately. Thomas and Sylvie, with their joker personalities and contagious good humor, know their stuff perfectly. The welcome, the setting, the cuisine, the wine, the team, the beer, the music, the bread... everything is cohesive, expertly done and seems to flow naturally.

A bistro like I dream of having around the corner from my place...