The new restaurant in Brussels: Bistro Madame
When two very nice, French food enthusiasts and one well-known sommelier in Brussels match up, the outcome has to be somewhat nice.
Morgann came straight from Petit Canon, a very nice wine bar close Place Flagey. Fatogoma previously worked as a sous chef at Kitchen 151 in Ixelles. Morgann is sommelier at Bistro Madam and working for Titulus and Le Tournant.
When you see this place from outside on the corner of a small street in Chatelain, you can immediately spot that the two owners are French; when you take a glimpse inside there is forest green walls, dark wooden tables, some fresh flowers on every of those, a few old family photos hanging on the walls, as well as a light grey marble bar behind which a number of nice natural wines are hiding. Dimmed candle-lit and a cosy but buzzing atmosphere. The place is the embodiment of understatement and ‘less is more’. It reminded me a lot of some places that I used to go to in Paris, so I had to give it a try.
The food here is French, with some Mediterranean influences, as Morgann is from Marseille; it’s quite simple, with some twists here and there and you can see that there’s a food passion behind it. I tried their pumpkin soup with slightly melted Burrata, and sprinkled with roasted nuts; a very nice idea and a nice addition to the soup, especially because I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin soup in restaurants. I don’t know why, but you can easily make it at home and no matter what you do to that soup, it won’t sweep me off my feet (and I’ve tried quite a number of variations already). Please let me know, in case you had the luck to find an extraordinary one! But as I said, this one surprised me at least partly. The next dish was a filet de boeuf, a tender though a bit thick piece of beef, rather on the rare than on the medium-rare side and mostly tender. It was accompanied by lemon-potato puree and fresh mushrooms, sautéed in a light cream sauce – very nice altogether. The Chenin that accompanied my dinner, a natural wine of course, was perfect with the soup and a nice and light option for a weekday’s dinner.
It’s a buzzing atmosphere, where people laugh, talk and enjoy their food. The waiters are nice and the food is bistro food that is honest and nicely prepared. Nothing crazy or super-innovative, but made with heart, something that this area needed.
Good to know:
Address: 41 rue veydt, 1050 Ixelles
Prices: 9-12 Euro for a starter, 16-20 Euro for a main dish
