Bowl and spoon: welcome to new Brussels restaurant San

The concept may be simple - a selection of bowls and the only utensil a spoon - but there’s no lack of sophistication in the delicious brew of seasonal food contained within. Before the public opening of San in the Sainte-Catherine quarter this week, chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre served a trio of bowls to a gathering of food critics in one of the most eagerly awaited openings of the season.

The dishes have been honed at the chef’s two Michelin temple of gastronomy, L’Air du Temps at Liernu in the province of Namur. Degeimbre’s fondness for lacto-fermentation, part of the Belgian chef’s exploration of his Korean roots, imbue the first two bowls. Liernu is a colourful selection of home-grown vegetables from his kitchen garden served in a barely-warm lacto sauce that perfectly offsets the earthy seasonal legumes. In the Ardennes (each bowl is named after a town or region), a porcini risotto is a soupy bowl of rice and mushrooms reminiscent of the Far East rather than the Mediterranean, but no less tasty. For dessert, Degeimbre again delivers personally in a specially designed street-food-style wooden carrier, a bowl of autumnal stone fruits submerged in a light and frothy almond cream complete with a sprinkle of crunch. There’s a careful balance of temperatures, cold and ambient and pleasingly not too sweet.

While waiting on tables, Degeimbre explains that the spoon is a deliberate ploy so that diners have to taste everything together, as well as rendering the culinary journey more accessible. A popular alternative to chopsticks in South Korea, San's long wooden-handled spoons have been custom-designed. The homely touch extends to the contemporary yet cosy decor of the narrow two story building. On the ground floor, a wooden counter seats up to ten, adjoining the open kitchen helmed by Degeimbre’s second, Japanese chef Toshiro Fujii (the Michelin star chef himself will drop in on Monday and Tuesday evenings when Air du temps is closed).

Upstairs, where there’s space for 30 covers, the made to measure furniture continues with stripped wood tables, tree trunk stools, semi-circular canapés and in a further nod to nature, a suspended ironwork floral trellis suspended from the ceiling. Degeimbre says he came across the traditional Brussels building by chance, but that he was already a fan of the area and loves “its village atmosphere”.

The menu consists of seven different bowls, one vegetarian, two sweet. They change every month, as does the wine list which starts at €30. There are a selection of gins and beer, including Walloon artisan brews Blanche de Namur and Orval with a Brussels brewery due to join the list. For lunch, diners have the choice of two, three or four bowls, in the evening, three, four or five. Prices from €30 for two bowls, €45 for three, €55 for four and €65 for five.

San Bruxelles, 19 Rue de Flandre, 02.318.1919