Nonbe Daigaku
Traditional Japanese cuisine is hard to come by outside Japan. The fine art of washoku can take up to a decade to master and is taught in a hierarchic teacher/student method. Brussels has been blessed with the knowledge of Chef Suetsugu Yosuke, now in his 70’s, who has been teaching his son Kunihiro Suetsugu for 10 years now.
Nonbe Daigaku opened in 2007 by Suetsugu Yosuke, after 28 years as chef at the prestigious Tagawa (which unfortunately closed after being bought and badly managed by new owners). It goes without saying that coming to Nonbe Daigaku is an unforgettable experience and when you put all this experience in perspective, it can be quite humbling.
A smile from Kunihiro, standing behind his counter, greeted us in a friendly way and immediately made us feel welcome. We were lucky enough to be seated at the small counter, where we could observe the skills and creation of sashimi and sushi dishes. I am in no way a Japanese cuisine expert. But having worked in high quality fish restaurants, I can appreciate the freshness and texture of beautiful fish. Of course, it comes with a higher price tag, but anyone who knows the cost of these noble ingredients will understand the prices. Especially when there’s so much respect in making every dish, you can sit back and enjoy every bite.
We couldn’t resist the classic mixed sashimi’s, their suggestion of sushi’s and seasonal maatjes with ponzu sauce. But we dared to get out of our comfort zone and ordered an eel and king crab flan, called Chawanmushi, which had a creamy crème brulée texture, but had a sea saltiness, and big pieces of eel and crab at the bottom. I’ve never been a big fan of tofu, but we thought if their was a place to try it, this was the one. So Agedashi-tofu was added to our selection. A dish of fried tofu, cut in thick pieces, with a mixed shiitake sauce. It was gorgeous! And i’d happily do this dish again. Slightly crunchy on the outside and a creamy-soft texture on the inside. On the safer side, we also ordered Nasu no dengaku, grilled eggplant with a home made miso. It was served to us near the end of the meal and I understood why at the first bite. The eggplant was very soft and the miso paste offered a sweet nutty taste. Kunihiro told us afterwards that some clients order this as a desert. And next time, that’s what I’ll be doing.
We were very well recommended for a bottle of Sake. Dry, light and a flowery perfume which was very pleasing with every dish.
The meal ended with vanilla ice cream moshi’s and red apricot pancakes and of course, a sweet plum sake, a drink I can’t resist!
Nonbe Daigaku was awarded the prestigious Asian restaurant prize of 2022 by Gault & Millau and have been all over the media for years. This restaurant is simply a delight in traditional Japanese cuisine and should be on the top your list when looking for a fine dinning experience.
Nonbe Daigaku
Avenue Adolph Buyl 31
1050 Ixelles
Call 02 649 21 49
Open for lunch Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday
Closed Monday, Sunday and holidays
