Restaurant review: Old Boy

Rue de Tenbosch 110, 1050 Ixelles

What’s good? Quite literally everything, but especially the bao. Buns are structurally sound while still light and delicate, and make the best vessel for all the other things you’ll want the recipe for before you leave. 

Special shout-out also goes to the raviole filled with smoked mackerel and bathing in a tom kha emulsion. Old Boy is a great example of a restaurant that successfully marries the technical skills of European fine dining with that alchemistic balance of spices and flavors much further afield. 

What’s not? I hate to be that guy … but their take on a spicy marg — mezcal, lime and wasabi — was not spicy and I couldn’t taste the wasabi. Not bad, but not exceptional either. 

Vibe: What is exceptional is the friendly atmosphere and the breezy confidence of the staff. This is where all the trendy people who inexplicably live in Brussels come to get their orange wine and bao fix of an evening. Chill hip-hop (Kaytranada-adjacent) is the soundtrack. Countertop is the move: it gives a great view of prawns and char sui tofu being grilled to order by tattooed chefs.

Who’s picking up the check? The set menus are about €50 a pop. Cocktails sit around the €13 mark and a glass of wine will set you back roughly €8 which isn’t bad considering the producers on the list. 

Spotted: Lobbyists earning a fair whack come here and the folks who seem to know who owns the boutique galleries in Chatelain are commonplace.

Insider tip: There are two set menus (one veggie and seafood-focused, one with more meat options), so make sure your party gets both. The sake menu is also really good and the staff seem to know a thing or two about pairing so lean into their expertise. 

Fun fact: Old Boy’s name pays homage to the 2003 Korean thriller which picked up a Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival.

How to get there: The number 60 bus drops you right on Chausée de Waterloo a block away.

Review published on  June 13, 2024. Illustration by Dato Parulava/POLITICO