Brussels | A Bistro that Works Four Days and Rests Three

iOda, a bistro located in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, was recommended by Michelin in 2023, so it’s not exactly a Michelin-starred restaurant. 🐡 This restaurant defines itself as a vegetarian-leaning eatery, inspired by the sea and the land, mainly serving seafood and vegetables. On the day I visited, I had North Sea scallops, seaweed, bottarga, eggplant, cucumber, and a vegetable cream mousse with foam (the kind Hulan dislikes, ha). 🥒 The most exquisite dish was the one where vegetables, including zucchini, and seaweed were stuffed into the zucchini flowers, which sounds a bit like the Chinese saying “using the original broth to cook the original food.” The side dish for the eggplant was a gua bao, and the dish with purple seaweed had a hint of perilla flavor, showing how popular Eastern cuisine is here. My favorite was the dessert, the combination of plum’s tartness and sorbet was very refreshing. 👩‍🍳 The bistro operates three days a week, closing from Sunday to Tuesday. I booked my spot two weeks in advance, and the Saturday dinner was fully booked. They even called me in advance to confirm my allergy details. (You can’t really walk into fine dining places, so it’s best to plan ahead and make a reservation). Since I was sitting at the bar, I took a few photos and really liked the little lady with the bun hairstyle. 🍷 The wine list is said to be mainly natural wines from France, but since neither me nor my friend drink, we didn’t order any. I saw many guests ordering the matcha Martini, which even had a ring of matcha powder around the rim, further confirming the popularity of Eastern flavors. 🏠 The 5-course meal was 58 euros, and the kombucha was only a euro more than what you’d find in a supermarket, which is quite reasonable. The decor inside is basically minimalist, with exposed pillars and walls, which is also in fashion lately. Saint-Gilles, where it’s located, is a bit like a “city village” concept in Brussels – not like the urban villages in Shenzhen, but a place with many historically protected buildings and a high population density, basically maintaining the original appearance and layout of a European city without too many chain supermarkets or trendy gentrified lifestyles. iOda, at a street corner, fits the vibe of the area quite well, being relaxed and quite hipster. (I didn’t know I’d be doing part of my fieldwork in this area when I came here to eat, which is quite a coincidence.) #finedining #Brussels #Belgium #Michelin #MichelinRestaurantExploration #Bistro #DiscoveringTreasureBistros #TreasureRestaurantShare