Low lights and nostalgic trinkets, old posters hanging on the walls alongside black and white photographs. The space is inviting, intimate yet relaxed. Where there used to be a Thai restaurant on Rue du Mur in Bonnevoie, Jérémmy Parjouet opened his new eatery Le Q dans le Beurre in May.
Parjouet is no stranger to Luxembourg. He worked at the haut cuisine kitchens of Les Jardins de Anaïs in Clausen and Lyon d’Or in Strassen. He trained at Les Crayères, a three Michelin-starred restaurant in Reims.
Now he’s decided to re-shuffle the deck. Forget immaculate, Instagram-ready plating. This is a traditional French brasserie, hearty but with refinement and quality.
The atmosphere in the room © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues
Detail of the restaurant © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues
On the menu, pork is king. Especially the less noble cuts – from the snout to the tail, including guts and offal. The best surprise of the evening, quite frankly, came at the beginning: a board of pâtés, rillettes and terrines made from what would be considered the leftovers of slaughter. The pressed meats, the intensity of the seasoning, the puffy crust of the pâté, were perfection.
Served on a wooden board came ”Fierkelsjelly”, a jelly of suckling pig, aniseed and parsley, common in Luxembourgish lands, and a “pâté en croute”, a type of pork pie, with the pastry surrounding the meat perfectly dense. There was also a mousse of poultry liver with port wine, which was very tasty, and what the table unanimously considered the star of the evening: a pressed foie gras with suckling pig’s knuckle.
The suckling pig rillettes with Thai basil was a disappointment. The consistency was just what you’d expect, but after the rich flavours of the previous dishes, the seasoning lacked some punch. The jar of home-made pickles with beetroot, carrot, garlic and cucumber that came with it on the other hand balanced the meat with perfect acidity.
Each of the pâtés cost €18, and a dinner at Le Q dans le Beurre deserves a large table of friends, so you can try more of the dishes on the menu. Before the main courses arrived, the chef served a “mouclade”, a mussel soup with saffron. It was well-balanced, spicy and smooth at the same time.
Pâté en croute © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues
The mouclade © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues
The cassoulet © Photo credit: Ricardo J. Rodrigues
For the main course came the “moules” with cream and white wine, as mussels season is upon us. The molluscs were tender and plump, without being overcooked, and the price wasn’t exorbitant at €25.
There was also a cassoulet, a white bean and meat stew. The sausages had been transformed into meatballs and it also came with a duck leg. The dish is €30 – and it wouldn’t have hurt for the kitchen to give it a little more oven time.
Le Q dans le Beurre is located just a few hundred metres away from one of the safest value-for-money bets in town for French gastronomy: the Beaulieu brasserie.
Still, it is good news for the city. Especially when it presents something that we haven’t seen done so well here before: pâtés and homemade terrines. Parjouet understands pork and its less noble cuts.
Information
Le Q dans le Beurre, 5 Rue du Mur, L-2174 Luxembourg/Bonnevoie
The restaurants reviewed in the “Table Talk” column are not informed that a reporter is visiting. Mediahuis Luxembourg pays a contribution towards the cost of the meal. The rest is paid by the reviewer.
This article was first published in Contacto. Translated using AI, edited by Cordula Schnuer
Dining and Cooking