Bistro Chadō — Restaurant in Antwerp

We went for desserts and tea and got masterpieces. The food were absolutely amazingly looking explosions of flavor. I mean, if you can make a simple lemon meringue pie so complex in taste and texture, you're a true artisan. I loved how the chef complemented the lemon pie with a sour raspberry sorbet that was smooth. Another lovely thing was the playful character of the plating where he played with different textures: crispy, crunchy, smooth, creamy and soft.

The tea was, as was mentioned in the menu, premium quality. I also loved how you full on went for organic tea. Being a tea sommelier myself I know how difficult it is to find good quality organic tea, so well done in that department.

However, I did kind of miss some excitement in both the choice of teas and the service (hence the 4*). Most teas were, for a sommelier, quite the safe bet and I had hoped for something more exciting, as well. I get that you are in a country where tea is upcoming and you need blends and names that people somewhat know, but an aged tea and a unique type that you can't find anywhere else would've complemented the exciting food really well.

As for the service, I was hoping for some more advice on the tea and or the food or some tea & food pairing suggestions after chosing the dessert. We got a menu and the suggestion board and that was it. And the asterisk behind the teas that were "recommended" (does that mean the others aren't?) wasn't explained in the menu, that was weird. The music wasn't really exciting either. I missed the passion for tea with our server, though I am pretty sure she has it. Let it come out some more. Passion doesn't mean big words, it can mean simple words but carefully chosen, too. Luckily the quality of the tea was very exciting, so we let that speak for itself and enjoyed our stay at Chadō with...

If you are looking for something unique to surprise your taste buds, I suggest you go to this place. They can turn a very normal dish into a five-star quality one ( believe me I have tried going to fancy restaurants but nothing really surprised my palette up until this one) I think that they were able to combine the goodness of both asian and european cuisine. I am a fan of this concept aswell teashop/restaurant/skincare. I’m so glad I’ve tried this place together with my husband.

Pro’s: •Umami discovery • Very nice presentation Friendly service Healthy choices Great portions Nice terrace Reasonable prices

Con’s: Surprisingly none based on my experience

Ps: can’t wait to try their other dishes. Especially...

Pu er tea was just the right strength — not too pungent, but just right so it’s slightly fragrant. I also ordered the veggie bao (greens, mushroom, tofu) and was surprised by how homely it tasted even though it was clearly a fusion invention between the owners (one from Hong Kong and another from Belgium). Missed Asian food in Antwerp and I’m so glad I...