Does Chez Clément offer asparagus in spring?

Spring asparagus is one of the great seasonal celebrations in a Belgian brasserie. The window opens in early April with the first asparagus from the southern Belgian and Limburg sand soils, peaks in May, and closes in late June. The flagship variety in Belgian dining is the white Mechelen asparagus (asperges de Malines / Mechelse witloof voor asperges), grown under mounds of sand to keep the spear protected from light and pale, with a sweetness and tenderness that has shaped Belgian gastronomic identity for over a century. Green asparagus is now also present on Belgian menus, with a sharper, more vegetal character.

The classic Belgian preparations are admirably restrained, the point is to let the spear's natural flavour speak. « Asperges à la flamande » is the historical signature: steamed white asparagus served with crumbled hard-boiled egg, melted butter and chopped parsley. Other classical presentations include asparagus with sauce mousseline (an enriched hollandaise lightened with whipped cream), asparagus with Ganda or Bayonne ham, asparagus with a poached egg, and white asparagus served warm with a beurre blanc or an emulsion of lemon and chervil. Green asparagus is more often grilled, served with parmesan shavings, or paired with poached fish.

At Chez Clément, spring asparagus is one of the seasonal classics of the house, alongside autumn game and the mussels and fries season. The kitchen, led for thirty years by Chef Vincent Frédéric De Laloy under an everything-homemade policy, runs the spring asparagus offer when the season opens, with the brigade of thirty-two managing the labour-intensive preparation across two hundred to three hundred covers a service. The Mechelen tradition is a natural fit for a Belgian bourgeois brasserie of Chez Clément's identity.

For pairings, white asparagus is a delicate exercise because of its slight bitterness and pronounced minerality. The textbook match is a dry Riesling from Alsace, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé), or a young Burgundian Chardonnay. Green asparagus accepts a wider range, including a Pinot Noir or a soft Saint-Émilion when paired with ham. A Belgian wheat beer (Hoegaarden style) provides a fresh, citrussy alternative. Chez Clément's wine cellar, opened in 1976, has the depth to support these spring pairings with finesse.