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A genuine Greek, despite its [name], tucked away from the city’s hustle and bustle on Place de Bethléem in Saint-Gilles. It comes with the best recommendation that can be bestowed on any restaurant – the locals eat there. It’s a simple menu, but the fresh Greek salads are superb, the frites are fabulous and very tasty and tender spare ribs feature as the house speciality. The service, as you usually find in Greek restaurants, is ultra-friendly too.
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A favourite of former European Commission Vice-President Neil Kinnock. The French and Mediterranean menu, with the emphasis firmly on fish, plus an excellent wine list, make this a pricey evening but one to enjoy. The grilled swordfish is sensational, while the ambience and service are sophisticated and warm. They make great Bloody Marys too, so it’s definitely worth the trip.
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Chef and designer Antoine Pinto has turned a former Belle Epoque bank into the epitome of glamour. Everyone from diplomats to musicians loves to be seen perched on a stool at its splendid oyster bar, seated beneath the stained glass cupola enjoying dishes like cuckoo or piglet or – for the lucky few – savouring a cognac over live music in the members-only bar in the former vault. Pinto is also a crusader for Belgian winegrowers around the world and for Belgian beer, which is lavishly used in Belga’s dishes.
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The brainchild of restaurateur Frederic Nicolay, this uber cool restaurant has zinc tables and dramatic lighting to set off its fabulous wall of stained glass squares. Some diners have found the food bland, portions lean and the waiters amateurish, but a cosmopolitan set pack it out most nights, enjoying an international menu of French, Italian and Spanish dishes.
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The city’s best new [address] is probably a former theatre in the art deco arcade Galerie de la Reine. Serge and Pascal Van Hamme – the masterminds behind Le Mess – opted for a flexible hot and cold buffet with world dishes. Diners can choose any size, from a tapas portion to a larger helping. They can eat it the marble gallery itself or pick one of three rooms funkily decorated by Philippe Guillemin, using art by Emile Vercruysse to evoke surrealism and the personalities of Victor Hugo, Karl Marx and Engels, who all used to come to the gallery.
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