Cheese and Wine Café

“Can you please lower your voices?” said the gruff voice of an elderly man leaning across to our table. The few tables at Cheese & Wine Cafe were packed tighter than usual that night to make space for a jazz trio crammed into the window display. I had picked the cafe after walking by it several times and hearing the siren call that sounds in my ears whenever I see exposed red brick, weather-worn wooden tables and crates stacked high with bottle after bottle of wine.

Our group of three had managed to pack ourselves into the last corner table and were enjoying the music over some conversation and a fantastic 2002 Loire Valley red. But something was a bit off. It seemed that Gran had caught wind of her grandson’s performance that evening and had invited a band of her friends to come out and see the show. So Cheese & Wine’s already limited space was filled nearly entirely with geriatrics – not exactly the crowd one expects on Brussels’ bourgeois-bohemian Rue Lebroussart running between Flagey and Châtelain.

While few of them ordered anything, we had been studiously exploring the eclectic list of wines by the glass, from French staples to Belgian sparkling wines to Tanzania’s only wine. We were warm, chatty and completely in the groove. Until we were shushed, of course. Nevertheless, the experience was so enjoyable, I have returned several times since, each of which has been blissfully pensioner-free.

Besides its general cosiness, Cheese & Wine’s main attraction is the care with which they bring interesting choices to the table, with special attention given to local products, from wine to cheeses to foie gras. Every night a board sports shortlisted wines by the glass (€4-€7). This is backed up by a menu of over 100 wines from every corner of the earth where a grape will grow. As its name suggests, you can order plentiful plates of cheese, charcuterie and salad to accompany your wine (though bread is distributed parsimoniously, and refills come slowly). You can also have the same, buffet-style, at their Sunday brunch. Booking advised. 

52 Rue Lesbroussart,  www.cheeseandwinecafe.be

This review first appeared in Flanders Today.