Forget about your local bakery’s greasy, microwaved quiche: La Tarte’s delightfully crumbly puff pastry is prepared on site, withnot a drop of grease to speak of. We weren’t sure we’d be able to finish our generous serving of quiche aux champignons (mushroom quiche) – quickly popped in the oven beforehand to retain its crustiness – but we did it. And we have zero regrets.
This hybrid address – somewhere in between fast-food joint and tearoom (think ‘Alice in Wonderland meets hipster) is Sebastian Dumotier’s baby. And, just like its tattooed, bearded owner, the welcome here is warm and jovial: we recommend sticking around for dessert, also included in the €16 set lunch menu. The apple tart was so beautiful that other cakes and muffins didn’t’t even get a look-in. With its perfectly caramelised pastry and melt-in-the-mouth apple – interestingly cut into just two slices, then placed inside the pastry for an original take on the classic tarte tatin – we find ourselves leaving with Dumontier’s book for this recipe alone ('La Tarte', by Sébastien Dumotier and David Oliveira).
TRANSLATION: LEONIE CATER