The Hot Stone Grill in Brussels
The oldest way to cook meat, brought back to your table
Lava stone at 380°C, carefully sourced beef, and the sear in your own hands. On the edge of the Sonian Forest,
in a hunting lodge dating from 1683.
What is a Hot Stone Grill ?
The pace no longer belongs to the service. You sear a piece while listening to someone, you let the stone work while you refill a glass, you stop for five minutes because the conversation matters more. Nothing goes cold on a plate, nothing waits under a cloche in the kitchen: the beef is always at the right temperature, because it is only cooked at the precise moment you want it.
And then the stone cools slowly, like a wood fire at the end of an evening. It is the stone that signals the end of the meal, not the waiter. On the edge of the Sonian Forest, in a house that saw hunters long before it saw gourmets, this is probably the most natural way to dine: around a heat you share, and watch go out.
A cooking method older than the cooking pot
Before pottery — stone, the first cooking tool
Long before the first clay vessels, humans heated stones in the fire to cook meat and fish on them. Stone stores the heat of the hearth and releases it slowly: the first cooking method our species ever mastered.
A tradition the whole world shares
From Japanese ishiyaki to Korean dolsot, from Nordic stone ovens to mountain grills, every culture rediscovered the same truth: a searing stone cooks without burning.
The Alps, mid-1980s — the modern Stone Grill
The format we know today was born in an Alpine restaurant, in the same convivial family as fondue and raclette: the guest takes the cooking back into their own hands.
Watermael-Boitsfort, today — the Espace Carnot
In a hunting lodge founded in 1683, on the edge of the Sonian Forest, we have fitted out an entire room for this ritual. Fire, game and a shared table: three things this house has known for more than three centuries.
Why lava stone changes the taste
A dense, porous volcanic rock. Basalt stores a considerable amount of heat and releases it evenly: no temperature drop when the meat goes down, no hot spots, no flame, no smoke.
380°C, the temperature of the crust. At that heat the Maillard reaction starts instantly on the surface of the meat, creating the golden crust and hundreds of roasted aromas. The sear is so fast that the juices stay inside.
No added fat. No butter, no oil: the mineral heat does all the work. It is probably the most honest way to cook there is — it forgives nothing in a mediocre cut, and elevates an exceptional one.
Your doneness, not ours. Blue, rare or medium: you decide piece by piece, and you can change your mind halfway through.
The ritual, in four moves
1
The stone arrives searing hot
It is heated in the kitchen, then set on its insulating base in the middle of your table.
2
You choose your cut
Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, Argentinian sirloin or tenderloin: the beef comes raw and sliced.
3
You sear, you count
A few dozen seconds per side. The sizzle tells you when to turn it over.
4
You build each bite
Four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries. No two mouthfuls need be the same.
Our cuts for the stone
Irish steak, Premium Hereford ± 250 g € 40,85
Four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries (supplement 150 gr - €22,50)
Aberdeen Angus entrecôte (rib-eye) ± 300 g € 40,85 €
Four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries (supplement 150 gr - €22,50)
Urien-Loza sirloin, Argentina ± 300 g € 46,85
Four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries (supplement 150 gr - €25,50)
Uruguayan tenderloin, Black Angus Certified ± 250 g € 44,85
Four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries (supplement 125 gr - €25,50)
The Butcher’s Board, for two ± 800 g € 99,85
Sirloin 300 g, steak 250 g, tenderloin 250 g, four homemade cold sauces, green salad, fresh-cut fries
Service for Hot Stone Grill
Tuesday to Friday - evening service & Sunday noon and evening
A room built around the stone
The Espace Carnot is equipped specifically for the hot stone grill and the beef fondue: adapted tables, dedicated ventilation, and service paced by your cooking rather than by the kitchen. Those who prefer a classic plate still have the full bistronomic brasserie menu.
From a table of four to a large group, it is the perfect format for a birthday, a team dinner or a family meal where nobody looks at their phone.
Your questions about the Hot Stone grill
The stone grill cooks by contact on a searing lava stone, with no fat at all. The fondue bourguignonne cooks by immersion in hot vegetable oil. Same convivial spirit, two very different textures and flavours. We serve both.
Yes, it is highly recommended. The pierrade is served from Tuesday (evening) to Friday (evening), and on Sunday for lunch and dinner.
For the pierrade, starting from one person. For the bourguignonne fondue, starting from two people.
Plan for 1 hour and 30 minutes to be comfortable and enjoy the experience. The same goes for the bourguignonne fondue.
Yes, the lava stone is placed in front of adults only. We also have a "child" formula for the bourguignonne fondue (up to 12 years old).
Yes, for the pierrade, we also offer fish and seafood (by reservation only!). For the bourguignonne fondue, we also offer free-range chicken or a mix of red meat and free-range chicken. The entire menu of the Brasserie remains available in our Espace Carnot.
Avenue Charle-Albert 13, 1170 Watermael-Boitsfort, at the edge of the Soignes Forest. You can park your vehicle along the avenue, in front of the establishment.