OLD BOY

I remember the first shift like yesterday.
We messed up our floor plan minutes before the opening.
Xavier was doing the dishwashing, I was on the floor taking orders.
Everything that could go wrong went wrong. We had friends leaving without even eating.
Then we got into it, and a few weeks later this little spot on the corner of rue Tenbosch was already too small for all of you to come and sit properly.

6 years ago we wanted to create a place where you could hit on a few dishes, with a nice bottle and listen to some sounds.
I remember @boogyblow pouring wine, managing the waiting list the best he could. At the time we didn’t take reservations, so it was a bit tricky for some of you to get a table.
Fast forward covid strikes and hopefully we had just opened LIL BOY our take away so we managed ok. @yannick was already there, captain of a speedboat in the middle of a huge storm, holding strong.
After lockdown, we reopened and changed a few things. Taking bookings, working with a set menu in the evening. And this is basically how we’ve been handling things until today.

But today we feel it’s time for change.
Change in the way we cook and how we envision what OLD BOY will become for the next decade.
We also want to be able to welcome everybody – whether you’ve booked a table or if you’re just in the neighborhood and hoping for a quick bite.
And we want you guys to be able to eat a la carte whenever you want.
But to be able to do this, we needed more space. This is why we’ve decided to close LIL BOY a few weeks ago.

As of end October, OLD BOY will close for a few months and undergo a full renovation and expansion.
To go out with a bang, we’ve invited a few friends to cook with us in the coming months.
@propaganda from CPH will join us on October 13th and the guys from @kolae London will be cooking with us for our last two nights October 20th and 21st.
More info on how to book for these wonderful nights will follow soon.

From November and for a few months, we will welcome you in Flagey for our pop up at Chez Marie whom some of you may already know.
And we plan to reopen OLD BOY around March 2025.

Much love to all.

J & X

This November we were awarded “Asian Restaurant of the Year 2023” by Gault & Millau.

4 years ago we wanted to bring something different to Brussels. The kind of lively place we felt was missing. Good food, nice wines, cool sounds.

This award is a recognition for that and for all the hard work we have put in OLD BOY throughout the years. This goes to all the chefs, cooks, everyone in our team who have been with us from day 1 and those who are here today keeping the spirit alive.

Awards are great and we feel blessed. What matters even more are all the smiles and thank you we get from you every night after hanging out with us for a while. To all those who have visited us, thank you.

To many more years ✨

John & Xavier