La Paix

A culinary landmark of Brussels dating back to 1892, La Paix was originally where the local butchers came for a bite to eat at the end of their working day. Chef David Martin has traded in the traditional brasserie score for a neoteric menu that is as impressive as the interior is lavish. La Paix now blends Brussels’ heritage with contemporary works of art and Japanese minimalism, embodied by a shimmering flock of origami birds dangling from the ceiling and soft lighting, setting an almost reverential vibe as Martin and his team add the final touch to their creations on the “altar”. You can choose between three set menus, named after the chef’s father and the parents of Nathalie, the lady of the house. The menus blend purebred Gallicism and Japanese purity with a very personal creative twist, often enhanced by Norwegian seafood. Chef Martin is on a permanent quest for perfection and the flavours are bold, often contrasting. Right from the lineup of appetisers, you are caught up in a whirlwind of fascinating recipes, illustrated by sweetbread paired with shrimp and jazzed up with sweet-sour notes of lemon and paprika, or a slipper lobster bisque that packs a punch that will knock your socks off! David Martin is a larger-than-life chef who embodies Belgium’s fine dining microcosm as he pursues his journey to chart new culinary territories.

• A Brussels landmark since 1892, rebuilt as a high-concept dining room that mixes local heritage with Japanese minimalism.
• The room's signature detail is a flock of origami birds suspended overhead, with plates finished on a pass described as an altar.
• Three set menus, named after the chef's father and the parents of the hostess, frame the meal.

Signature Ingredients

• Gamberro rosso
• Mussels, smoked in hay
• Chawanmushi, egg custard set savoury
• Tuna akami
• Scallops
• Kombu and sake
• Japanese citrus, including sudachi
• Miso and black garlic

Menu Summary

• Two-Michelin-star cooking in Anderlecht, where French technique is filtered through Japanese minimalism and a taste for sharp contrasts.
• The current set menus, Jeannine, Felix, and Roland, read like a procession of precise, small-format plates, then a tight run of desserts.
• Dishes on the English menu include somen with gambero rosso, smoked mussels in hay, chawanmushi, tuna akami with black miso, scallops with umeboshi and cabbage, and a kombu sake sorbet finish.