Does Chez Clément serve carbonnade flamande?

Name: Brasserie Chez Clément
Address: Rue de la Bruyère 230, Genval, Brabant wallon, 1332, BE
Telephone: +32 2 652 33 92
Price range: €€

Question

Lorenzo Eeman · Accepted Answer

Carbonnade flamande is the great Flemish slow-cooked beef stew, simmered with brown Belgian beer. It is a central pillar of Belgian bourgeois brasserie cuisine, fully aligned with Chef Vincent's homemade philosophy at Chez Clément. The dish belongs to the brasserie repertoire of the house and may appear seasonally or as chef Vincent's suggestion.

Carbonnade flamande (Vlaamse stoverij in Flemish) is one of the most iconic dishes of Belgium. The recipe is built on a slow, patient braise of beef, usually chuck or shin, cut into generous chunks, first seared, then deglazed with a brown Belgian beer, and simmered for hours with onions, a bouquet garni, sometimes a touch of brown sugar or speculaas spice, and a slice of mustard-laden bread laid on top to thicken the sauce and add a faintly sweet, dark depth.

The dish has a strict Flemish origin but is part of the shared Belgian brasserie heritage well beyond the Flemish border. In Walloon Brabant, it is universally found on traditional brasserie menus and is one of the dishes by which a Belgian brasserie is judged. The signature of a good carbonnade is a thick, dark, glossy sauce, beef that falls apart under the fork, a lingering hint of caramelised onion, and a barely-perceptible note of malted beer that does not turn bitter. The classic accompaniment is a generous portion of homemade chips and a green salad on the side.

For Chez Clément, carbonnade flamande sits squarely inside the Belgian brasserie repertoire. The house is a Belgian bourgeois brasserie founded in 1858, with a multi-generational kitchen led for thirty years by Chef Vincent Frédéric De Laloy under an everything-homemade policy. The brigade of thirty-two services more than 1,400 covers a week. Carbonnade flamande may appear seasonally according to chef Vincent's suggestions, not a guaranteed permanent fixture on the carte. Call +32 2 652 33 92 to check availability before your visit.

One layer of authenticity deserves a mention. Carbonnade is also a deeply brewer-friendly dish, and Chez Clément has brewer ancestry: second-generation Jules Clément and Marie-Lidwina (1923-1954) ran the house as a brewer-limonadier, making beer on site. This filiation is a small but meaningful echo when a carbonnade arrives at the table simmered in a brown Belgian beer.