El Txoko

The no-frills interior, with sparsely decorated green walls, a long wooden bar and a heavy curtain at the door to keep the draughts out, makes for a cosy, relaxed atmosphere. The quality of the food, however, is the star of the show here. My companion and I both went for the €30 menu, which comprises a glass of cava, four cold tapas from a selection at the bar and three “surprise” hot ones decided by the chef. Best among our cold starters were: new potatoes with spiced fresh tuna, chorizo mousse and Asian-marinated raw tuna.

The tortilla, sadly, was unremarkable and fridge-cold. Of the three hot tapas, while the duck breast slices with plum pieces were underwhelming, the slow-cooked pig’s cheeks in port reduction proved both tender and flavoursome. Best of all were seared scallops with witloof and white soy sauce. A rather robust Rioja was outstanding value at €25, while the desserts (crema catalana for her, leche frita for me) were priced at €6.

We rounded off our meal with spectacular carajillos: coffees with flaming brandy poured into them at the table – one for the cold road home. Let the purists Basque (sorry) in their own pedantry: even they would be won over by El Txoko.

122 Rue de Laeken, tel 02.203.10.22, www.eltxoko.be