Located since 1979 on the Sablon, famous place in Brussels - Belgium, our épicerie fine offers proudly Belgian products and many spices and condiments from all over the world for gourmets or adventurous palates in a unique and quirky decor.
We constantly select the best for you, from the great Belgian gastronomic tradition to the latest trends. “Eat well” and “drink well” for everyone, for some it is homemade, for others it is to eat organic, eat locally or without gluten…. L’Ami de Claire Fontaine responds to those requests, and we focus on the taste, origin and quality of each product and its manufacture.
Our reputation on the Sablon is well established, above all for our small home-prepared dishes, our sandwiches and our soups prepared in old casseroles, but also our incredible range of sardines.
We often work directly with artisan producers and we remain a local business with a warm welcome, but thanks to our web shop we invite ourselves to your home, gourmets, by delivering our delicious products to your doorstep. Making you happy is our goal. A table!
Some History:
Claire Bourguignon
This nest of flavors dating from 1979 was run since 1986 by a purebred Brussels woman, a mix of Annie Cordy and a lovely aunt, Madame Claire Bourguignon. She was the one who chose to name the épicerie fine "Claire Fontaine" and this was inspired by the traditional French song "À la Claire Fontaine" which comes from an anonymous poem written between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Claire, what enthusiasm, a real local personality, an epicurean brusselere always ready to chat, to tell a story or an anecdote with famous "it's incredible" or "it's great". She adores eating well, drinking well and has worked tirelessly to make tasting and discovering tasty products for gourmets. She created the famous "Kentucky" Wednesday sandwich, as well as some nicely prepared soups in old pots that you can see in the kot at the back of the store.
Sebastien Histace
This lover of the table has always worked with a fork, a spoon or a knife in his hand with the aim of making you happy whether it is at the level of the taste buds or by a warm and generous service. He was a baker & pastry chef, a noble and hard profession but which taught him so much, he worked for Pierre Marcolini during ten wonderful years on the Sablon, a place he cherishes so much and which continues to amaze him, where he successfully launched a new concept "La Manufacture" for chocolate lovers under the wing of Pierre Marcolini.
Sebastien lived in Asia for seven years, notably in Thailand, where he discovered spices and Asian notes that were just delicious. He even has a diploma of Balinese cuisine and can talk to you passionately about it. Speaking of passion, travels are part of it, and he has toured the world of flavors, whether by discovering pastillas in Marrakech, salt from Guadeloupe, mangoes from Mauritius, cheesecakes in the USA or again the flavors of street foods in Bangkok, Thailand. Even at home he likes to please his friends and family by preparing dishes, buffets and receptions that his guests remember.
He worked in a team with Claire Bourguinon where he brought his personal touch, for example with this incredible range of Sardines which connoisseurs, collectors or even novices have the pleasure of tasting. He has been cooking soups and homemade dishes there for years, which customers who are regulars or passing through have savored every last crumb. He knows all the stories of Claire Bourguignon with whom he has woven a thread of friendship throughout these years, and that is why during the takeover he renamed the épicerie fine "L'Ami de Claire Fontaine" because he is the friend of our dear Claire. He wanted to keep the shop in "its own juice" because that has made the success of this business which gourmets from all over Belgium and outside its borders know. He brought some new products from the Belgian soil but also from elsewhere. He works with many artisans and small producers whom he loves to meet and whose products he offers, which must meet certain standards including taste, origin, quality of the products and their manufacture. A real Ali Baba cave for gourmets and this in an atypical setting, with the charm of yesteryear as we no longer do. Sebastien’s goal is and will continue to be… to make you happy.