Belgium - you have stolen my heart in this way and many other ways.
I came to the above conclusion after eating such an amazing meal here.
First - it is so freaking awesome that they accept solo diners. I was traveling alone so that was much appreciated. Not a ton of Michelin places do this in US, at least.
They are tucked away in a corner of an area called the Botanic Sanctuary. I arrived a bit early so I just sat on the bench outside to kill a bit of time until my 1PM lunch reservation. Biggest pro tip: the meals offered are both the same for lunch and dinner and will take approx. 3-3.5 hrs! I am glad I picked to go during lunch instead of at night - personally I can get a bit sleepy after huge meals so better for me to go earlier in the day.
No need to dress up, casual is allowed. I had my backpack with me and a bag of cookies I bought which they put in their closet for me.
The dining room is very small, not too many tables crammed in and still quite spacious actually. Very homey.
I picked the Deluxe Omakase because I'm rich and I wanted to brag about it - KIDDING, I picked it because I traveled so far already, so why not?
The dishes are artfully presented and many of them were finished table side with succinct explanation. Loved the freshness of all the ingredients and the complex flavors and textures of each dish presented. Particular standout courses for me (ALL were delicious but I wanted to highlight these):
Toro no Toro - their take on mimicking real Toro was pretty damn close for me.
Beef no beef - their take on a classic local dish, but with dry aged beer root. Flavors were intense.
Ragout from Oosterschelde lobster - served in the kitchen and was so delightful to eat.
Brioche Feuillete with plankton butter - one of the best breads I've ever eaten at any Michelin restaurant or known bakery. So crispy and buttery.
They are doing such innovative and tasty things here that I won't be surprised if they earn that third star pretty soon.
Definitely on my MUST come back list!!
PS - if you pay with CC and want to tip with CC, tell them before they run the card so they can add a tip amount to the total! read more