Restaurant review: #L'Amusoir

The impact of the recent attacks on Brussels have, sadly, been keenly felt by some of the city’s restaurants, some of which have reported a big drop in trade, writes Martin Banks.

So, if you are among those who are looking at venturing out of the city for something to eat, it is worth pointing out that L’Amusoir has been a mainstay of Waterloo for some four decades now. The fact that it is still as popular as ever is testament to the particularly high standards demanded by its owners.

One other good reason to take the short car or train trip from Brussels to Waterloo is that the town has recently opened a fantastic new museum dedicated to the Battle of Waterloo. The underground museum, on the site of the famous Lion Mound, is situated quite close to this restaurant which, with its rustic-type façade, could be easily mistaken for something you would find in the middle of the countryside, not a bustling town centre like Waterloo.

The 150-seat eatery boasts a great brasserie-style range of options, including a terrific selection of excellent meat and fish dishes.  There’s a good choice of burgers and children are well catered for too. When you consider the high quality of the cuisine, everything is incredibly well priced – one of the reasons is can still attract hordes of diners on a midweek evening.

If you’re perhaps visiting the Lion mound and Battle of Waterloo museum and after a good place for lunch this is hard to beat, with a 2-courser an absolute snip at €9.50. Most things are cooked “in-house”, an illustration of the emphasis on freshness and quality

A further illustration of its enduring success is the fact that it’s had the same head chef for no less than 21 years, an astonishing length of time in the horeca sector.

The wine list, featuring a lot of French wine, is every bit as impressive as the a la carte with many bottles for less than €20, which makes a pleasant change from many restaurants.

As superb as it is,there’s actually more to L’Amusoir than a restaurant: there’s a lounge bar and disco and, next door, a space for BBQ’s in summer (and fondue in winter). The bar, with its welcoming open fire, is a lovely spot to wait for your table. There’s a good vibe about the whole place, helped not least by the very friendly staff.

This fine eatery opened way back in 1976 when there were few restaurants locally. There are lots of them no,w but L’Amusoir is still setting the standard for the rest.

L’Amusoir
121 Chaussse de Bruxelles, Waterloo
www.lamusoir.be

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