Pomme Cannelle

Just like at Granny’s, La Pomme Cannelle’s strength lies in the friendly familiarity and cosiness of its atmosphere rather than in the food itself. My partner and I each took the three-course menu for €45 which included a half-bottle of respectable but unremarkable wine. The food puts a modern spin on classic Belgian and French fare. Offerings included a toast aux champignons entrée that was prettily arranged on its plate and well complemented by a slice of cured Ardennes ham. It was comforting, but its cream sauce lacked depth.

For my main, the feuilleté de volaille turned out to be a dressed-up vol-au-vent sprinkled with grey shrimp. The presentation was creative, but taste-wise it offered no surprises nor took any risks. My partner’s catfish was more inventive: cooked clean with a few spices, it was accompanied by a tangy passion-fruit purée.

La Pomme isn’t about trend-setting – most of the patrons looked like members of Granny’s bridge club. But opened by a Belgian-Moroccan family two years ago, it manages to be at once classy and filled with warmth, with solid food and amiable service proving the perfect fill for a cold winter’s night.

61 Rue Saint-Henri, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, tel 02.742.12.00; www.lapommecannelle.be