Can I have a discreet conversation at Chez Clément at lunchtime?

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

Yes. The layout at Brasserie Chez Clément naturally suits discreet conversation at lunchtime: a separate bar area, the conservatory and quieter corners of the main dining room let you pick a table where confidential exchanges flow easily. The brasserie does not market dedicated “private rooms”, but a partial privatisation is available for fully confidential settings.

Discretion at lunchtime is rarely a matter of total silence, it is mostly a question of acoustic distance, sightlines and pace. Brasserie Chez Clément, opened in 1858 and now run by Marie and Gilles Verleyen (the fifth generation), has a building that delivers all three. The interior is organised around three distinct spaces, the main dining room, the separate bar area, and the conservatory, which means a host can choose a table that suits the conversation without booking a closed-off room.

The main dining room offers traditional brasserie ambience, with quieter table options at the sides; the bar area, kept distinct from the dining service, is open continuously from 12:00 to 01:00 and works well for an informal pre-meeting drink; the conservatory, an emblematic room where Marie and Gilles were married, has a slightly more contained acoustic feel and is often picked for one-on-one professional lunches.

For a guest who comes in regularly to host clients, the easiest practice is to mention the discreet-conversation requirement when booking. The team is used to placing such tables thoughtfully, the brasserie serves more than 1,400 covers a week, so the floor staff has long experience reading a guest's intent. The thirty-two-person kitchen brigade under chef Vincent Frédéric De Laloy, in the house for thirty years, supports a service rhythm that does not force tables to rush.

For genuinely confidential conversations, sensitive negotiations, internal strategy sessions, exit conversations, a partial privatisation is the cleaner option. The conservatory and a portion of the main dining room can both be privatised; the exact configuration is discussed case by case through <info@brasseriechezclement.be>.