Food shopping at its best – Le Marché des Chefs

I have a huge thing for food shopping. I could spend hours and hours on markets, in supermarkets, wandering around, looking at different produce, smell fruit (I’m such a creep!) and fresh bread and making plans what to cook for dinner.

So when I found out about Le Marché des Chefs last week, I was kind of surprised by my bad food research skills and that I haven’t found out about this place earlier. As the name tells, this shop was initially only selling produce to chefs and just some years ago opened for the public, too. One very important thing to do, once you go here: ask the staff for a tour through the shop. I’ll tell you why; when Johan and I entered, it looked like a nice shop, but nothing overly special. Well, the cooling rooms with fresh meat looked nice and the deli part where they were slicing smoked salmon looked also good, but we were a bit disappointed, grabbed a Camembert from Normandy, walked to the cashier and were just about to leave, when the very nice lady (who later turned out to be the daughter of the owner) asked us whether we wanted to have a tour. It was a Saturday afternoon, no rush, and we had plans only later so we said yes.

I’m very happy about that, because about a quarter of an hour later, 91€ poorer and with a full bag of produce, Johan and I walked out very happy, telling each other that we would be back for sure.

What do they sell? You can easily put together a whole dinner at Le Marché des Chefs. They have amazing condiments, different peppers from around the world, freshly baked bio bread, veggies from Belgium and France, delicious French cheeses, caviar, smoked salmon, foie gras, fresh meat (all kinds of cuts), fresh fish (price changes weekly due to the catch and it’s all wild fish), delicious chocolate, a small selection of amazing wines and ice cream that tastes like a piece of heaven that’s produced in Deauville for the shop exclusively (bought the Madagascan vanilla one). There’s a story behind each of the products and if you’re lucky like us you’ll get to try a spoon of caviar or some ice cream.

This little family-run food shop is definitely worth a visit, either during the week or on a slow Saturday. It certainly became a “coup de coeur” for me and I’ll be back soon.

GOOD TO KNOW:

• Address: Rue Lens 38, 1050 Ixelles