World Kitchen — Restaurant in Leuven

This is not just a restaurant, this is an exceptional dining experience.

I am from the UK visiting a friend in Aarschot and have previously travelled many months across South East Asia. My friend told me she had a secret restaurant to take me that would remind me of Asia, but wouldn’t let me look at any photos or the website online as she said it was special and wanted it to be a surprise.

As soon as I walked through the restaurant doors, my jaw dropped. A surprise it certainly was as I instantly felt like I was teleported back to Asia. The decor, scent and atmosphere of this restaurant allowed me to relive those first time travel feelings again, wow.

Inside the restaurant is full of beautiful colours of stained glass, hand made wooden tables and chairs with detailed carvings, statues, lamps and decor from many different Asian cultures. Outside you will find the iconic individual Asian huts made from natural materials, such as bamboo with straw thatched roofs!!

As a vegetarian, it is usually a struggle to find food that is veggie friendly and not packed with added sugar, unhealthy oil or additives/preservatives. However, that wasn’t a problem here at World Kitchen. The owner told us that his food is cooked without sugar and he uses fresh whole ingredients to prepare the insanely tasty dishes. I chose the vegetable korma with mixed naan and was in awe of the flavourings and the clean palette of the dish itself.

I got to know the owner some more and he advised me that he has had this restaurant for 25 years, making his own renovations and transporting the genuine handmade furniture from Indonesia and importing decor gradually from Asia over the years. You can truly tell this restaurant is full of love and dedication to his home and culture.

Thank you to the owner for such amazing hospitality and an insane experience. I cannot wait to come back here already and show more of my friends...

When you enter the resto, you get the vibes that you are not in Belgium. The interior is made from rammed earth in a cave like style & wooden furniture. In summer time, dining in the garden feels like a tropical resort. Very nice hideaway and relaxing atmosphere, for me the appetizers were nicely seasoned: papadum with mango yoghurt sauce & grilled scampi/ fish with salad & chutney assortment. Our fish thali is a nice way to get to taste different dishes from India and Bangladesh cuisine. Curries are fine but personally, can be spiced up. Probably is adjusted to be softened for Western palette.

Tips: Finish your food before it gets dark, otherwise the mosquitoes will eat you...

They have tried to create a nice ambiance like machaans and sofa seating and also sitting on porches hence 4 stars to that effort.

However, the meals are not even close to what Indian cuisine actually is. Chicken in tomato sauce is not chicken tikka :).

Also, they need to upgrade their cutlery and also their dishes as they were clearly old and rusty. We were served wine in a broken glass which was not cool frankly.

They have tried their best to provide a different feeling but a lot of effort still needs to be done on cleaning and cooking areas.

I hope and wish they take these points seriously and then maybe they can really deliver a proper...