The story
Hau brings contemporary Vietnamese cuisine to the upper floor of a bourgeois barrack on Avenue Salomé in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Guests ascend from a sleepy neighborhood street to enter a dining room that recalls the grandeur of the Titanic. The space features extensive woodwork, parquet floors, and heavy carpets throughout. Fireplaces and walls lined with paintings create an atmosphere of audacious luxury that stands apart from the surrounding area.
Chef Van Hau Nguyen has guided the kitchen for two decades, previously operating a restaurant named La Tour d'Argent. He designs the tasting menu around his personal inspirations rather than following a fixed traditional script. His style of Vietnamese cooking prioritizes contemporaneity, blending heritage ingredients with refined techniques. This philosophy results in a set menu that reflects his ongoing creative evolution.
The menu showcases modern Vietnamese preparations through dishes like scampi ravioli served in a rich mussel and shellfish broth. The ravioli is super soft, floating in liquid that evokes the freshness of the open sea. Lemongrass chicken feet accompany five-spice beef described as exceptionally tender. Crispy pork glazed with sesame sauce balances the final course, a snappy calamansi sorbet topped with ginger and coconut foam.
Recognition
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