Da Long Yi

A far-reaching international franchise with hundreds of locations around the world, Da Long Yi has finally arrived in Brussels! For lovers of traditional Chinese hot pot, this unexpected Sichuanese joint is a godsend: now there’s no need to travel to Düsseldorf to commune around a smoking hot bowl of broth. To whom do we owe the pleasure? To Madame Chen, who reigns over this space. Despite the picture-perfect Disneyland Chengdu-esque decor– fake lanterns and flashy wooden furniture – and the fact that you place your order via tablets, it’s absolutely worth visiting. Why, you ask? Because the experience is both fun and friendly? Or because the staff are as kind as they are efficient? Yes, but most of all because the cuisine is never watered down, as evidenced by the highly flammable version with spicy butter (spoiler: even the “novice level” of spice really sets things ablaze), and the possibility of ordering offal – goose intestines, beef throat, pork kidneys… The night we went, the five of us seated around a round table really knocked it out of the park with our divine selection: tender Japanese smoked sausages, fresh noodles, bok choy, yams and barely seared baby calamari. // Salty Litchi

FEELING THIRSTY? Ignore the fairly boiler-plate wine list in favor of a Silly pils on tap (€3.90 for 250 ml), plum juice (€5.80 for 330 ml) with an ice cube shaped like a teddy bear, or a bottle of baijiu (€15 for 100 ml).

PRICE: À la carte €25-50.