At first glance, nothing hints at what lies behind the façade of this mansion in Braine-l’Alleud. Yet Max & Moi is home to a gourmet restaurant that’s starting to make a name for itself. At the helm is Julien Hauspie, a 28-year-old chef who cut his teeth at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant and now champions an inventive cuisine rooted in Belgian terroir. All this with menus that remain surprisingly affordable for this level of culinary artistry.
Can a carrot be the star of a gourmet menu?
At Max & Moi, there’s no need to automatically reach for lobster, truffles, or caviar to impress! Julien Hauspie sometimes prefers to start with a much more familiar ingredient: the carrot. Grown about fifteen kilometers from the restaurant, it’s prepared in a variety of ways—from fermentation and oven-roasting to purée, tapioca crumble, tarragon oil, and even béarnaise sauce made with carrot juice… A rather spectacular way to rediscover a vegetable we think we know inside and out.
This philosophy sums up the chef’s cuisine perfectly: one ingredient, one side dish, one sauce. Behind this apparent simplicity, however, lies a great deal of technique and patience. Fermentation also plays a significant role in his dishes, as does using the entire ingredient. A duckling, for example, is utilized from the skin all the way to the carcass, which is used to prepare the jus. Nothing goes to waste, and every part finds its place.
A 12-course menu for €99
Julien Hauspie’s career path partly explains this commitment to excellence. After training in Belgium and gaining experience in New Zealand, he joined the kitchen at La Paix, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Brussels, where he spent four years and rose to the position of sous-chef. In 2022, he met Pina Maratta and Maxime Peters, the owners of Max & Moi. They hit it off, and he was given free rein to evolve the restaurant toward a more gourmet style of cooking.
Its rise hasn’t gone unnoticed: Max & Moi was named Discovery of the Year by Gault&Millau in 2024, then earned a spot in the Michelin Guide in 2025. Today, the restaurant offers, among other things, a 12-course menu for €99, available at all meal times, as well as a five-course menu for €59, served only at lunchtime. An intermediate nine-course menu is also available for €82 at lunchtime.
Housed in a former mansion, the restaurant also cultivates an intimate atmosphere, seating just 24 guests. In the kitchen, Julien works with his sous-chef Lucas and Momo, an apprentice chef. Three people bringing to life dishes that require a great deal of precision: here’s another good reason to take a closer look at what’s happening in Braine-l’Alleud!
📍Address: Grand-Place Baudouin Ier 4, 1420 Braine-l’Alleud.
