The story
Nénu, at Rue Dejoncker 21 in Saint-Gilles, Brussels, is a Vietnamese restaurant that earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026 for good-quality, good-value cooking. The kitchen serves small Vietnamese dishes with a modern twist, and the menu is designed to be shared.
The restaurant grew out of a family story. Nénuphar, a Vietnamese restaurant opened in 1982 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, was run by the father of owner Tutu Pham, who founded Nénu. The word "nénu" also means "bud" in Vietnamese. Guests order several plates for the table and eat from a bowl with chopsticks, following the Vietnamese practice of "anh nhau," or eating and drinking together.
Gault&Millau scored Nénu 13 in its 2026 guide, calling it a gorgeous place serving excellent Vietnamese cuisine. Le Fooding's listing names Nénuphar pork spring rolls, green papaya salad with chili and peanuts, and duck tongue sautéed in garlic and chili. It also mentions more adventurous pairings, such as lamb, smoked eel and chili oil wontons, and grilled Iberian pork chops served with bok choy kimchi.
FACT-BOOK NOTE: Omitted hours, booking, and contact details per instructions. Chef attribution was left out because the sources conflict: the website names Tutu Pham as executive chef, while Le Fooding credits Robin Froeliger with the cooking.
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good quality, good value cooking
Tutu Pham grew up in Nénuphar, the Vietnamese restaurant which his father opened in 1982 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. In 2019, he founded Nénu, a neo-Vietnamese spot where he practices anh nhau, aka the art of eating and drinking with small shared plates, a concept practiced in Vietnam long before it became fashionable in France. In a space designed by Studio MurMur (a bar near the entrance and a dining room under a glass canopy, overlooking the kitchens, with marble tables and pale green banquettes), dig into the fun fusion fare, perfectly prepared by chef Robin Froeliger. Expect a series of classics (indisputably good and not-so-greasy Nénuphar pork spring rolls, properly spiced green papaya salad with chili and peanuts, divisive duck tongue sautéed in garlic and chili) and shocking pairings – lamb, smoked eel and chili oil wontons; hot garlic chipirones under a beurre blanc emulsion, that go down easy; mouthwatering grilled Iberian pork chops with bok choy kimchi…. And finally, cool off with a coffee frappé made with mocha ice cream, siphoned crème anglaise and caramelized pecans. // Ringo de Balmalon
Gorgeous place serving excellent Vietnamese cuisine. Put your dinner in their capable hands and you won't regret it.
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