Things are starting to feel quite Japanese in the Dailly neighborhood! After their bar Copain, buddies Jérémy Rommelaere and Arnaud Marchal teamed up with Japanese chef Tomo Ohara (ex-Yamato and Saké Bar) to create an authentic and delightful izakaya in this corner of Brussels. The look? A long wooden bar squeezed between a handful of Hay barstools and a tiny kitchen, well-lit white walls and a low tatami table hidden behind a noren (a traditional curtain) at the back of the room – much like you’d find on the island nation. Savored on the four-course yokaromon menu the night we went: a typical assortment of amuse-bouche, including a moussey potato salad; crispy yet silky agedashi dofu – fried tofu served in dashi broth; salmon and avocado tartare seasoned with wasabi and served with black sesame cabbage salad, with pieces of tonkatsu-style celery and zucchini; before an impeccable kare raisu (Japanese curry) served with rice and miso soup, worth a trip there just for a bite. // Léa Pelloti

FEELING THIRSTY? There are only a few bottles to choose from, but they’re all natural: La Bulle du Facteur, a Chenin pet’ nat’ from Mathieu Cosme (€7 a glass, €39 a bottle), La Louvetrie, a Muscadet from Jo Landron (€33 a bottle), a Burgundy Pinot noir from Fanny Sabre (€66)… Unless you’d rather opt for one of the two sakes (€6-7 for 80 ml, €55-60 a bottle) or a surprising Canadian Dunham beer (€5.50), a rare find in these parts.
PRICE: Menus €33-42, zensai (tapas) €3-25.