All efforts to review The Messenger without alluding to the band that made Johnny Marr one of the most revered guitarists of all time have proved futile. And in a way he only has himself to blame: while Morrissey has a dozen post-break-up albums to his name, and is therefore justified in feeling aghast at only ever hearing about the Smiths, this actually is Marr’s first solo album proper (2003’s Boomslang was credited to Johnny Marr + The Healers).

When one feels strongly attached to a cafe, there is always the temptation – admittedly antithetical to the journalist’s code of conduct – to keep it entirely to oneself. Especially when said cafe is the very definition of cosy, accommodating only some two dozen patrons comfortably.This is how I feel about Lord Byron Art Cafe, which is tucked away in the once-quiet Rue des Chartreux in downtown Brussels.

Name-wise, the Sofitel Europe’s restaurant, BE Café Marché Jourdan, hasn’t exactly chosen the easy way. I fear it may remain known as ‘le restaurant du Sofitel’. What chef Marc Pâquet has achieved, however, is nothing less than phenomenal: prise the Eurocrats away from their comfort zone, and feed them Belgian cuisine, using Belgian produce.