Nénu is one of those places I'd been wanting to discover for ages but never thought about until the last minute. And so, quite logically, it was always fully booked.

Pretty frustrating but entirely my fault. Anyway … this time, that wasn't the case.

The place is spacious and the tables are comfortable, nicely spaced apart from one another. I like it when it's lively and buzzing but let's be honest, sometimes not eating on your neighbor's lap is a pleasant thing.

A trailblazer playing the nonetheless traditional "An Nhau" card, the cuisine is "meant to be shared" … which fits right in with Brussels' current offering. The wine selection, short and very natural, ventures into Austria, Germany or even the Czech Republic and is complemented by a lovely selection of Japanese sakés presented in a very user-friendly way.

The dishes skillfully juggle some elements of classic Vietnamese cuisine with others that are more creative or surprising … for a result that's genuinely successful and very contemporary. It could have stopped there.

Already more than enough to justify a place on my list of favorite restaurants … but it would have been unfair not to say a word about the service, so friendly, smiling and efficient that it alone made me want to come back lickety-split.