"A chalet at the edge of the Sonian Forest where Pascal Devalkeneer cooks with the quiet certainty of a chef who has nothing left to prove. The most romantic two-star in Belgium, and one of the most beautiful dining rooms in Europe."
The Forest Sanctuary
There is a moment, somewhere on the drive through Uccle toward the Sonian Forest, when Brussels stops feeling like a European capital and starts feeling like a country house. Le Chalet de la Forêt exists in that transition — a building that is neither restaurant nor private residence but something between the two, positioned on the edge of 11,000 hectares of beech forest that has been protected since the 12th century. The setting alone justifies the journey from anywhere in the city.
Pascal Devalkeneer took over the kitchen in December 1999 and has remained here ever since, which is itself a statement of intent. In an era when chefs move between cities and concepts as readily as any other professional, the decision to stay at the edge of a forest and deepen a single vision over more than two decades is a form of culinary integrity that is rare and increasingly recognisable. The two Michelin stars arrived and stayed. The Relais & Châteaux membership followed. The Grandes Tables du Monde designation confirmed what guests already knew.
The dining room is lit with the kind of care that suggests the chef understands light as an ingredient. Garden views in summer, candlelit intimacy in winter. The service team operates with the warmth of a family house rather than the formality of a grand hotel — attentive without being theatrical, knowledgeable without being performative. Budget €250–380 per person with a paired wine selection from a cellar that gives serious attention to Burgundy and the Loire.
Best Occasion: Proposal
Brussels has no shortage of fine dining rooms. It does not have another Le Chalet de la Forêt. The combination of the forest setting, the intimate scale of the dining room, the terrace in warm months, and the register of Devalkeneer's cooking — elegant but never cold, precise but never clinical — makes it the unambiguous first choice for a marriage proposal in this city.
The kitchen can be informed of the occasion in advance and will adjust the meal's pacing accordingly, ensuring the right moment arrives with the right course. The terrace table with a view across the garden is the correct request for this purpose. For a first date where the intention is to impress decisively, the same setting serves its purpose. For impressing clients who have seen every Michelin table in Brussels, the uniqueness of the location provides the point of difference that city-centre restaurants cannot offer.
What to Order
Devalkeneer sources with the obsession of a chef who grew up close to the land: Aveyron lamb, abalone from the Brittany coast, honey from his own beehives in the garden. His philosophy of simplicity as a guarantee of true flavours produces dishes that appear calm on the plate and then reveal their complexity in the eating. The technical achievement is invisible — a sign of mastery that less confident cooking would never risk.
The seasonal tasting menu is the correct choice; attempting to navigate à la carte on a first visit would be like reading a book from the middle. The Burgundy section of the wine list is managed with genuine expertise. The sommelier's recommendations at the mid-range price point are consistently excellent. Leave time after dinner for a walk along the forest path — the kitchen closes late, the forest is quiet, and the combination belongs to a different category of evening than anything a city-centre restaurant can offer.