YokaTomo

The place is tiny and built mainly around a long counter that wraps around the open kitchen. That’s really the heart of the experience. There’s also a small room at the back for a more traditional sitting arrangement for a small group, but the counter is clearly where you want to be. We were seated at the very end of the bar, and it turned out to be the best spot to watch every detail of the preparation. The chef, originally from Fukuoka, offers a 45-euro Omakase menu as well as à la carte dishes. I went for the menu. The first course was a selection of lotus root, butternut, potato salad, bamboo prepared in-house, grilled aubergine and sesame carrots : refined, balanced and very well executed. Then came the “chef special”: a warm glass filled with vegetables and a sake-marinated prawn, followed by fried mackerel with kimchi and a small cucumber salad, and finally fried chicken with rice and a Japanese-style tartar sauce. Everything was tasty and well-seasoned, with no missteps. The flavours are spot on, even if some dishes lean towards simplicity (fried chicken and rice isn’t exactly unexpected), but everything is done with care and precision. For an extra four euros, the dessert made with black sesame paste and red beans was a lovely surprise: full of flavour and not overly sweet, a very nice way to end the meal. A quick note on drinks: the wine I had was excellent, and they also serve a Japanese beer that’s actually brewed in Brussels, which is a fun touch. A sincere, well-mastered address that doesn’t rely on showmanship but delivers solid cooking and a genuinely pleasant experience. I’ll post photos of the dishes as well.

The incompetence of the cook ruined our night and the ridiculous service approach made it worse. Beer + menu €51,50 per person We told the waitresses and the cook that we didn’t like the miso soup and the second course and they didn’t reply to us. The first course was a tiny plate of different vegetables, then we had a tasteless soup with one shrimp that was too hot to be served and we waited in front of it for 15minutes at least (we told the cook that it was tasteless, he didn’t even look at us), then we had fried salmon with one slice of fried eggplant and cabbage and seaweed salad, then a super salty miso soup was served (why after 3 dishes? Not Japanese style at all) and we couldn’t eat it (we told the waitress it was too salty, she didn’t reply and took the soups away), then we had fried chicken with curry sauce and overcooked rice. Japanese standards are different. They should have at least a Japanese chef if they want to call themselves Japanese izakaya.

My second time having dinner there. I would totally recommend if you like Japanese food that is far away from your usual Japanese restaurant. We took the 4 service menu and enjoyed each of our dishes. Note that you shouldn’t arrive there starving, it’s tasty with small portions.

Good but room for improvement. The service was great and the courses were served at a good pace. The food on the other hand - while not bad, leaves room for improvement. Some soundproofing to reduce the noise level would also be welcome.

What a special place this was! Highly recommend YokaTomo, for gray evening with great food and atmosphere. The restaurant is relatively small, but super cozy, worth booking in advance. Offers set menu of ever-changing dishes. We’ve sat the counter, with front row view of chef’s magic in the kitchen. Each dish carefully prepared and explained in front of you by the chef or the waiter. It was a beautiful journey of flavours. We really enjoyed every dish, as well same to go with it. Look forward to returning again and exploring new dishes.

Discovered this Izakaya place in Schaerbeek on the Michelin Guide and it was a good find! Their €45 menu with 5 dishes is well worth it and you will leave this place satisfied. The staff are also welcoming and they explain what is in each dish. Downside is that the place is tiny so with full tables, it can feel crowded and your chair will get bumped quite a lot if you are sitting at the comptoir. But other than that, highly recommend and would come back again!

Extremely overpriced Japanese restaurants for hipsters. We paid 43 eur the menu with 5 courses, food wad good but nothing special. The waiter unfortunately was quite amateur and struggled to provide a good service for what you would have expected in a restaurant which such prices. There are no desserts and there are ZERO gluten free options.

We were a group of 5 so they gave us a little private room in the back that we loved! We took the big menu which was a good amount of food and very nice dishes. In general I think the food was good but had that missing punch, like the last big meal... but still I recommend. remember they don't have dessert im case you like to have it. The wine and sake were Great