Brussels Day Three Con't- Dinner at Le Rabassier
Our third evening in Brussels we reserved for our fine dining portion of the trip with a reservation at Le Rabassier, a small 18 seat spot by Chef and Owner Christophe Durieux. Chef Durieux cooks and preps all of the food for the restaurant while his wife Eve Renaud acts as front of the house, waitress and sommelier. Rabassier loosely translates in French to 'a man with a passion for truffles' which is quite fitting as a meal at this restaurant felt like an homage to the great fungi.
Le Rabassier offers three different tasting menus; three course, four course, or five course with extra black truffles and an a la carte. We decided upon the four course menu and a lovely bottle of Sancerre, then settled in for three and a half hours of an absolutely exquisite evening of food.
Amuse Bouche- Parmesan Foam with shaved black truffle
Amuse Bouche- Black Olive & Foie Gras
1st Course- Roasted Scallop with daikon, lemon, caviar and avocado
2nd Course- Quinoa Crusted Rouget with pasta fagioli and buerre blanc
3rd Course- Royal Cod with black truffle and Parmesan risotto
I must interject here and say this was one of the loveliest fish dishes I've ever eaten. The bottom was layered with emulsified butter and Parmesan cheese creating a rich, decadent risotto that melted into an ambrosia of flavors.
4th Course- Veal Filet with Jerusalem artichoke, beet, black truffle, crusted potato and hazelnut
Palate Cleanser- Coconut Sorbet with coconut curls, tapioca pearls, lemon and fresh pineapple
Dessert- Chocolate Mousse with raspberry sorbet, raspberry coulis, cocoa crumbles and chocolate ganache
Post Dessert- White Chocolate Grapes & Pistachio Macarons
Post Dessert- Raspberry Jelly & Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles
This meal was exceptional. I try to take notes during a dinner such as this but I was closing my eyes in delight so much all thoughts of notes vanished. From the glorious execution of each seafood dish to the amazing coconut and tapioca pearl dessert this was heaven. Our service was also exceptional- Eve was fabulous and tried her best to translate the components of each dish along with the wine list. I also loved the intimate space. I felt like we and the other 16 guests were part of some delicious little secret.
Reservations are a must. Diners stopping by for walk-ins were turned away and the front door was locked by 8:30 PM as all tables were full. Kudos to Chef Durieux and Eve for an exceptional evening of fine dining that we won't soon forget.
23 Rue de Rollebeek
Brussels 1000
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