PISTOLET ORIGINAL

In Best Restaurants Brussels

A great deli has arrived in the neighbourhood of Sablon in Brussels! It’s friendly, cozy, modern and focuses on all things Belgian. The Pistolet Original is located a few steps away from the Place du Grand Sablon and serves what my Belgian friends called “gourmet belgitude”, i.e. traditional pistolets (small round bread buns) filled with Belgian quality ingredients.

The menu is full of mouthwatering options: hand-peeled grey shrimp from Zeebrugge, américain (steak tartare) raw or spiced with pickles, crab salad, bloempanch (white sausage or boudin blanc as the locals call it) from Liège and caramelised onions, Ardenne ham, roast beef, breaded cod with tartar sauce, rollmpos (pickled herring fillets), and the list goes on! As expected, the quality of the products is reflected in the price, but hey, this is the Sablon after all! The concept is straightforward: order, pay at the counter and stay for a quick bite or opt for take away and combine your lunch break with a visit at the nearby Place du Petit Sablon.

Since this is a gourmet eatery, all products are locally sourced: pistolets from baker Yves Guns, chocolate éclairs from chocolatier Stephen Vandeparre and meat from butcher Hendrik Dierendock. There’s also a small epicerie selling Belgian goodies like artisan jam from De Mayeur, candy (including my favourite babeluttes and cuberdons, raspberry-flavoured cone-shaped candy) and Generous gluten-free cookies (also available at AM Sweet, ICI, Farm, Rob’s, Peck 47 and Mmmmh!). Note to early birds and brunch lovers like me: apart from the breakfast menu served between 8.00-11.00 am, there’s also a brunch option, including among others a French toast version of the pistolet (“pistolet perdu”), chocolate spread from Pierre Marcolini or speculoos cookie spread from Maison Dandoy – told you it was la crème de la crème of Belgian products!