Saar Zafrir Design showcases Belgian restaurant Le Conteur

This month, Amsterdam based studio Saar Zafrir Design unveiled its latest restaurant project in Brussels within the lobby of the city’s forthcoming Le Commérage Hotel, also designed by them. Featuring a Levantine kitchen helmed by Israeli chef Alon Jeffet, Le Conteur is designed as a lively bistro with a stylish, yet laid back atmosphere that stays true to its Eastern Mediterranean roots. Saar Zafrir Design created the European eclectic interiors by blending Brussels’ cosmopolitan scene with elements of the Levantine cuisine.Upon entering Le Conteur, the grand floor-to-ceiling mahogany bar stands out, with its impressive spirits selection and bespoke orange velvet bar stools that complement the lobby’s emerald toned seating. Next to the bar lies the fireplace, complete with a modernist mantle portrait.

The restaurant opens up to a large bistro environment defined by classic, white subway tiled walls and a checkered and Herringbone flooring. Furnished with upholstered booths, circular seating, Mediterranean flora, bronze statuettes and marble cafe tables, Le Conteur is a strikingly elegant space with a light and airy aesthetic. The food and beverage menus at Le Conteur are ideated by Israeli Chef Alon Jeffet, who sought to introduce the decidedly Mediterranean social dining style of shared plates to Brussels. The communal dining experience is designed to make diners feel as if they were invited to a private dinner party in the chef’s kitchen. The menu boasts a mouth watering spread of signature Levantine dishes such as salmon bourik, chou grillé confit and jaffa lamb chops, along with delectable and exotic fusion offerings like scallop roe topped with Za’atar, black sesame and crunchy kombu seaweed and tender seared octopus atop silky aubergine cream and harissa oil.