Le Pilori
Écaussinnes-Lalaing, Belgium
⭐1 Star
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
Le Pilori is just the ticket for a meal with the mates. Founded in 1917, it started out as a cafe-restaurant, before morphing into a jazz club. Marc Leveau and Michel Van Cauwelaert bought it in 1993 and set about bringing it up to date, adding modern art and brightening up the interior. The chef intelligently adds a zest of modernity to produce whose quality is beyond compare. Noble ingredients like Challans duck and zander are served with the simplest of side dishes in a bid to keep the flavours strong and authentic. Ultra-fresh seabass is cooked in its skin and flanked by a light whipped sauce and slightly acidic green veggies, together with rich velvety mashed potato and a few extra veggies on the side. This is wholesome Belgian fare at its best - packed in authenticity, flavour and generosity. The sommelier, who can be relied upon to find just the right wine to pair with your meal from a cellar of predominantly French vintages, adds the final touch. With friends or family, this is the place for feel-good food!
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
Transformation from Jazz Club to Michelin Star Restaurant: Le Pilori originally started as a café-restaurant and then became a jazz club before being transformed into a Michelin-starred modern French restaurant by Marc Leveau and Michel Van Cauwelaert in 1993. This unique evolution adds a cultural and historical depth to the dining experience.
Focus on Noble Ingredients with Simple Side Dishes: The chef at Le Pilori emphasizes the quality of main ingredients like scallops, cod, and guinea fowl by pairing them with very simple, traditional side dishes such as morels, salsify, buttered mash, and fermented red cabbage. This approach keeps the flavors strong and authentic, showcasing wholesome Belgian fare without unnecessary embellishments.
Sommelier’s Role in Offering a Fresh Wine Experience: The restaurant features a cellar predominantly with French vintages, but the sommelier François Vandecasteele introduces discoveries that bring a fresh wind to the classical wine selection, enhancing the overall dining experience with thoughtful wine pairings.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored or signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Pilori in Écaussinnes-Lalaing are:
Challans duck: A noble ingredient featured prominently, known for its rich flavor and quality. It is served with simple side dishes to highlight its authentic taste.
Zander (pike-perch): Another key noble ingredient, prepared in a way that preserves its delicate flavor, again paired with minimal accompaniments to keep the focus on the fish itself.
These ingredients are significant because Le Pilori emphasizes strong, authentic flavors by using high-quality, noble products and serving them with the simplest side dishes to let the main ingredient shine. There is also mention of a creamy risotto enriched with yellow elements, which suggests the use of fine risotto rice and possibly saffron or yellow vegetables, but the primary signature ingredients remain Challans duck and zander.
Menu & Pricing
Current Offerings & Prices
Tasting Menus
- Le Pilori Menu (6 courses): €120
- Le Pilori Menu (8 courses): €150
Signature Dishes
- Challans Duck: €45
- Zander: €40
- Seabass: €50