Yoka Tomo

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.