A must-visit restaurant since its opening in October 2024, AKAI is not just another Brussels rooftop eatery. Benefiting from its position in the heart of the city on Place Rogier, AKAI restaurant and lounge club, with its main room, lounge area and bar counter, is a total experience, blending first-rate gastronomy with a buzzy atmosphere.
Heading up the AKAI kitchen is chef Tibor Repa, who has worked at Zuma, Aqua Kyoto, The Ned London and The Ned Doha. The menu celebrating the fusion between Asian and Mediterranean is only in English, the aim being to link this venue to top-class contemporaries in London, New York and Tokyo.
Indeed, the carte oozes premium delights, from buns, baos and nori tacos to daring dessert combinations like yuzu cheesecake and matcha tiramisu. Meat specialities include Wagyu ribeye A5 (the highest grade of Wagyu beef) steak with truffle miso, roast chicken with miso Hiroshima sauce and roast duck. Fish lovers will rejoice at exquisite miso black cod, scallops steeped in green curry, cilantro and salmon roe and seafood including squid, crab and umami-glazed lobster.
All dishes are made with the highest quality ingredients, are supremely fresh, and carefully selected. Service is with a smile, and even the cutlery and tableware are beautiful. I was particularly taken by the delicate bronze mug that housed my delicious raspberry mule. My daughter’s virgin pina colada came beautifully presented with flowers.
After spicy, rock salt edamame beans to whet our appetites, I enjoyed a delectable ‘Nasu Dengaku’ (glazed aubergine with sweet miso and sesame). My daughter tried zingy miso soup with smoked tofu, shitake and wakame seaweed and the shredded duck bao with cucumber and hoisin sauce.
To follow, she chose sirloin beef and teriyaki sauce. I debated over delights such as seabass ceviche or teriyaki salmon and finally opted for the sublime Mediterranean sea bass with spinach and a delicate sesame sauce, with comforting rice and charcoal-grilled broccoli with umami dressing.
Keen to try AKAI’s original ice creams with an Asian twist, my Lilipink red chocolate-covered raspberry and vanilla mousse with a raspberry compote heart, madeleine, lemon and kaffir lime zest was to die for. My daughter tucked into a Japanese take on the French classic nougat glacé – a ‘vanilla nut entremet’ with pecan and white chocolate.
At AKAI you can go à la carte or be tempted by special four-course ‘taste of AKAI’ menus at €49 (€59 including a glass of wine or cava brut). Set lunches are also available from Tuesday to Saturday.
AKAI further boasts an extensive ‘signature and classic’ cocktail, wine and champagne list, including four key brands – Laurent Perrier, Dom Pérignon, Ruinart and Louis Roederer – to suit every occasion. Sakes even feature in AKAI’s special ‘Hakka’ cocktail, in keeping with AKAI’s Asian roots.
We will return to test AKAI’s amazing sushi, prepared by chefs on a grand sushi bar. We watched transfixed as delicate slices of tuna o-toro, salmon teriyaki and nigiri were created, not to mention sashimi, Futomaki and maki, including California snow crab and truffled beef rolls.
AKAI’s décor is exceptional: voluptuous velour seating, marble-topped tables, and a mirror-glass ceiling to bathe your dining experience in a warm gold glow. The design suits anything from skyline drinks and mid-morning coffee to festive celebrations, with at least four birthdays celebrated as we dined.
The party atmosphere increases as the night goes on, with electronic sounds changing to disco beats. AKAI also features live DJ sets every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, playing house, R&B [rhythm and blues] or hip-hop.
AKAI’s lounge ‘club’, complete with plush velvet armchairs and sofas, is perfect for a glass of sake or after-work apéritif. High tables and chairs suit drinks, meals with friends or romantic dinners à deux. A more formal dining area is ideal for business meetings and birthdays alike.
Whatever you choose, you cannot miss AKAI’s undisputed claim to fame – the amazing view of downtown Brussels from its wall-to-ceiling windows. In short, this Japanese and Asian restaurant, which has shaken up Brussels’ culinary scene since its opening, may attract first for this show-stopping 100-metre high view. But you will also return for AKAI’s breathtaking, mouthwatering food served in a cosmopolitan, modern ambience.
