La Villa Lorraine — Restaurant in Brussels

Cooking was nothing but impeccable—creative but not over the top, which is hard to pull off even for any Michelin-starred restaurant. Probably one of the best foods I’ve ever had. Which is why it’s so maddening how subpar the service was. It took over an hour for us to get some ideas about what’s going on with the main course, and took twenty minutes more even after our server said it’d be out shortly. We had to ask to speak to the manager because we had an early flight to catch the day after and it was past nine in the evening by that point. And we were literally the first diners to arrive that day. This kind of delay never happens in a restaurant of this quality and if it ever does, the management should know how to handle it. But when we talked to the manager, all we got was that it usually flowed this way, which made no sense. They poured a 2022 red fifty minutes before the main course it was supposed to be paired with—which is absolutely ridiculous. What really infuriated me was that I overheard a couple of other diners—who arrived later than we did—also complain about the delays between the meals but they were given a very polite explanation and yet we were treated like complete fools. They could simply say the kitchen was backed up and offered a simple word of apology, which any person would have accepted. We were very happy with the cooking after all and willing to wait. But after such poor handling of the situation, we of course lost our appetite and asked for a check, by which point the other diners who also complained had finished their dessert and left. What’s more insulting is they said we didn’t need to pay, as if we complained to not pay for the meal. We ended up paying for just what we’ve had and leaving disappointed and upset, and since it was our last meal in Brussels, our mood was completely ruined. I don’t know what it was—our age or race—but this is definitely not Michelin-level service. Such a shame because the chef does deserve three stars all by themself and I was really looking forward to the rest of the meal. Hopefully they’ll realize fining dining is not just about the food, but also about how you make your diners feel in your restaurant. You’re providing a culinary experience—and the experience part was nightmarish. I would have given one star but I think the quality of cooking was undeniable, so I’m giving two out of respect for...

Beautiful room, fantastic atmosphere, appalling service, fairly good (but not spectacular food). If you are "upper class" Belgian they will make a real fuss of you, especially for a special occasion. If you are not, they will not even wish you a Happy Birthday!

It took almost three hours between arrival and serving of the main courses. The seafood main courses in particular, were a real disapppointment; average at best. Certainly not Michelin star-worthy main courses.

We waited an hour after ordering for our starters to arrive and then a further hour for the main courses. When we complained the manager (Cedric) shrugged his shoulders and said we should have requested "speedy" service on arrival! The two tables next to us were served and ate the seven course discovery menu in the time we were served three a la carte courses!

We have eaten in Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world (including in Paris, London and New York). Never have we experienced such slow service, nor the suggestion that in fact that is "normal"!

Our waiter eventually offered us complimentary dessert and coffee/digestif. However, when we asked for the bill these items were included on it, together with other items we had not ordered!

The "manager", Cedric, was rude and unhelpful when we questioned this. He insisted on charging us for all the extra items, including the supposedly complimentary desserts etc. When we complained and asked to speak to his boss, we were told he was not available. Cedric even threatened to call the police when we refused to pay for the extra items!

The final straw was (after having spent five hours unnecessarily at the restaurant) when we were told our taxi had arrived, wwe ere ushered out into the cold, by a wood and the door locked behind us. Our taxi had not, however, arrived and we had to wait outside for it. Michelin star...

"Mediocrity at its best"

The overall experience was extremely mediocre; to begin with, when we arrived and got seated, we waited for 15 minutes before someone could notice that we weren’t attended or offered an aperitif. After we had our aperitif, the man who brought our 1st appetizer should have informed the main waiter, that my friend wasn’t a meat eater (which we had clearly stated) The main waiter then came along with a meat suggestion. However, this wasn’t the main concern.

Few things that I would like to point out are: • Food was very mediocre (especially the dessert, it seemed like a brownie from Starbucks and nothing of a star restaurant) • We were at the restaurant until midnight and most of the customers had gone, but a few were left, to my surprise I notice the waiters went to bar and were cheering to the left-over champagne. I believe they could have just waited a bit. • The wine which was presented with the fish dish overthrew the fish taste, therefore I believe it was a poor choice. • It spoilt my evening because it was the birthday of my friend and in my reservation email and confirmation phone call I had specifically mentioned to do something during the dessert and they had promised that they would. (They totally forgot about it and I couldn’t remind them while I was being seated there) • After we paid the bill, there was not one to thank us for the visit or to check if we were fine or ready to leave, no one offered to get our jacket either) • Cherry on the cake was when I arrived at the Vallet Parking no one was available and I had to run around the restaurant parking in rain looking for someone.

All of the above is not a big deal but it’s something I would expect out of a Brasserie not a “STAR” restaurant. If I were to be from Michelin, I would drop the *. Epitome of...