"We are no longer dining in chapters; we are dining in status updates."
A chat with shape-shifter and food strategist extraordinaire Saskia Neirinckx.
When the country’s most influential food strategist spills the beans on hospitality’s radical shape shift, we take note. Neirinckx tackles hybrid spaces, the Small Plates Renaissance, diaspora cuisine, and the male gaze.“Some boys in the industry think I’m too loud,” she laughs. “But I’m just cheerleading hospitality. And I’m not about to tone it down. If that makes people nervous, that’s entirely on them.”
@saskiathewicked
“TO BE HONEST, I MISS THE DAYS WHEN YOU PRIMARILY COMMUNICATED WITH YOUR ACTUAL FOLLOWERS, INSTEAD OF CREATORS BLINDLY CHURNING OUT CONTENT FOR AN ABSTRACT AUDIENCE. I LOVE IT WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA ACTUALLY GETS TO BE SOCIAL. ALSO REALISE THE ALGORITHM OFTEN BRINGS IN DINERS WHO COME FOR A DIFFERENT REASON SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP A BALANCE.”
Neirinckx moves between fast-casual concepts and top chefs, which confuses some.“In an arena ruled by skyrocketing costs, a hyper-volatile consumer, and TikTok hysteria, communication strategists too are forced to tear up their own playbook,” she says. “The most exciting things happen where high and low overlap.”She doesn’t do corporate suits, and no, the tatts and Black Sabbath t-shirt aren’t performative. She bought it at a concert long before you even suspected it was cool. And don’t ever call her an influencer.“I’m not a fan,” she says. “I’m highly critical of how that sector and its clients misjudge the game, which causes the whole market to warp.”“IT’S WAY SMARTER TO INVEST IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND TAP INTO YOUR REAL CUSTOMER BASE, THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY CHOOSE TO SPEND THEIR OWN MONEY TO DINE AT YOUR TABLES. THE FUNDAMENTAL MISTAKE IS THE OVER-RELIANCE ON EXTERNAL UGC CREATORS HIRED TO MIMIC ACTUAL PAYING GUESTS.”
“The modern small-plate format, heavily borrowed from izakayas and night markets, feeds our collective deficit in attention span. It’s not about Michelin status, but about in- the-know cultural currency, fueled by a focus on quality, fresh ingredients, and artisanal preparation. Coupled with a new fusion aesthetic blending Café Core, polished chrome, and vintage deli nostalgia—often sharpened by rotating chef residencies that keep the menu excitingly fresh—Elevated Bar Food is changing how and where we eat out.”
"Batch in Ixelles hits the hybrid sweet spot, where morning rituals mean an affogato spiked with a matcha shot, and evenings transition into sardines, vegetable escabeche, lemon oil, and aioli paired with top-notch natural wine."
@batch.brussels
First things first: are you still dipping your pickle juice popsicles in hot Cheeto dust?“Uh, no-ho! I see where you’re going with this. The ‘snackification of luxury’ - from pickle popsicles to caviar on Dorito's - has been going on for a while, and I love it. And I do love the odd drop of pickle juice. But I do slurp my caviar in Michelin restaurants, thank you very much. (smiles)No, seriously, the trouble with that whole caviar on Cheetos bullshit is that it’s purely performative. For the ‘grams or TikTok. It twists things out of shape. A matcha shortage, for instance. Or the comeback of plastic cups just because they’re transparent and show off your layered drink. You see influencers devouring Wagyu en masse. Nothing wrong with that, it’s top-tier meat. But it’s imported. In Belgium, for example, butchers agree that you’re better off eating West Flemish Red. Just as good, and local."
“LUXURY HOSPITALITY GOT A TOTAL REWRITE, AND BOTH THE STAR-CHASERS, STREET FOOD AND THE CORPORATE CHAINS NEED TO KEEP UP. GEN Z FLIPPED THE SCRIPT. AND IF YOU MANAGE IT RIGHT, THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY BAD NEWS.”
“THIS SHIFT IS NOT FRIVOLOUS, BUT PLAIN MATH. HOSPITALITY ENTREPRENEURS ARE RADICALLY RETHINKING THEIR BUSINESS MODELS, TURNING TO FLUID VENUES TO SWEAT EVERY EXPENSIVE SQUARE METER FROM SUNRISE TO MIDNIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME, GROCERY STORE TOURISM AND VIRAL TIKTOK HYPES ARE ENGINEERING CHAOTIC NEW FOOT TRAFFIC. THESE FLASH MOBS OF FOODIES GENERATE INSTANT REVENUE, BUT THEY ALSO TRIGGER SUDDEN INGREDIENT SHORTAGES AND NEIGHBORHOOD DISRUPTION THAT CITIES ARE STRUGGLING TO CONTAIN.”
“Whether it’s the Indian street food of Faeiq Al-Mamoori and Sandip Patel or the famous fried gyoza by @maffoodbymaff landing as guests at Café Keulen (a prime example of an old-school neighborhood pub with innovative, rotating guest chefs), razor clams in a theatrical vinyl bar, or chomping on pâté en croûte at the bar of Ruby (hello red plastic chairs and café-core vibe), Antwerp has picked up on elevated bar food. It’s an exciting balancing act between nostalgia and newness."
“HAVING BEEF WELLINGTON IN A GENTLEMEN’S CLUB VIBE, AND INDIAN STREET FOOD IN AN OLD-SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD PUB IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.”
→@cobra.antwerp
→@smudged_antwerp
→@rubyantwerp
“Many of those pop-up appearances are only shared on socials (or with posters), giving it that in-the-know vibe the postmodern foodie is so crazy about."
“The distinction between fine dining and streetfood has disappeared as a sandwich with 48-hour cured meat at a stainless steel counter now carries more cultural currency than a three-course menu amidst plush velvet and starched linen. In France, the ‘Buvette’ reinvented the counter. Places like Le Dauphin and Early June completely dissolve the line between drinking and gastronomy. At Paris’ Septime La Cave, there are no plates, silverware, or ceremony; just oily focaccia and premium anchovies on greaseproof paper. In Spain, the ‘Nueva Taberna’ turns the bodega into a hipster destination. At La Retasca, chef Juanjo López strips away the pretense of fine dining by using the gritty, ‘cutre’ aesthetic of a neighbor- hood joint to serve a single, unadorned product: a bocadillo of hand-carved ham. Jeremy Lee’s famous smoked eel sandwich — the byproduct of a hangover and a fridge raid— is one of the bestsellers at Quo Vadis, the legendary Dean Street haunt in London’s Soho."
“The Izakaya (counter dining, small plates, direct face-time with the chef) is basically the blueprint for how we want to eat now. The counter is the original open kitchen. The chef’s role has shifted toward that of an editor of taste."
"Going for the full omakase (お任せ) experience at Antwerp’s Hiro is all part of the theatrics of the Small Plates Renaissance.”
→ @hiro.antwerp
"Spiridon proves that the most exciting dining today happens when a wine bar refuses to stay in its lane."
Ratz, a large-scale food market in the Saint-Boniface district, faced immediate backlash shortly after its opening in early 2026. The concept was accused of cultural appropriation, ‘light colonialism’, and racism for recreating typical Eastern cultural scenes. How do you navigate that? How to balance respect for the origin of dishes and culinary heritage with the reinterpretation of that culture into new forms?“I pay close attention to this myself, and the public is highly alert right now. Dressing a white person as Chinese is obviously unacceptable. You can no longer just wear someone else’s culture as a costume. We have a colonial past, and it is finally becoming normalized to leave those practices behind. No blackface for Zwarte Piet, no Native American costumes for carnival, and no white staff dressed as Chinese in restaurants. There is also a strong case to be made for ‘decolonizing food’, which includes protecting disappearing food diversity. We rarely consider the gentrification of ‘poor people’s food’. Ingredients and dishes that once sustained impoverished communities and immigrants are rebranded as premium, ‘cool’ culinary trends. As a result, they become priced out of the very communities that relied on them.Take sardines or oxtail. These were creative, resourceful solutions born out of necessity. Today, they are marketed as high-end delicacies.” And then there’s the Swet sauce riot. :)“Love it. That was actually a prime example of polarization, as nobody listens to intentions anymore. So these guys with this niche brand, known for constantly wrong graphics (sometimes even inspired by porn), drop a batch of ketchup featuring Stalin. Pure dark humor, meant as a critique. But then a history teacher spots it at Delhaize, goes full Karen, and hits the press. The papers call Delhaize, and they immediately pull it from the shelves. Those guys were completely blindsided; nobody even asked for their side of the story. The whole narrative just detached from reality. Apparently, they tried calling, but hit some distributor who didn’t pick up. Anyway, they dropped a statement like, ‘DUH, you completely missed the point,’ and flipped the drama into massive exposure for the brand. Never waste a good crisis!” You had your little hand in that.“I might have egged them on to get more press out of it. (laughs) And then I mediated between Swet and Delhaize.”
A NEW GENERATION OF CHEFS IS NAVIGATING THE SLIPPERY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUTHENTICITY AND FLUIDITY IN EXCITING CULINARY TRANSLATIONS OF HONG KONG GRAB-AND-GO CULTURE AND BANGKOK’S MOST POPULAR COMFORT FOOD.N OT BY ROLEPLAYING THE LEGACY, BUT BY ADDING NEW LAYERS TO THE HERITAGE."
A PROPER MILK TEA, OR A MANGO SAGO (“A PERSONAL FAVOURITE”) CAN BE JUST AS DEEPLY SATISFYING AS AN EXTENSIVE TASTING MENU.
@boe.antwerp
“People recognize the comfort of what they know, but also discover new flavors. That's what we do at Notti."
“The banh mi is colonial friction in a crusty roll. A high-velocity intersection of French influence and Vietnamese acidity. It’s edible migration, served at street level.”
Snag a front-row seat at Bahn Mi for advanced people-watching in one of Antwerp’s most vibrant hoods.
@banhmiantwerp
THE SIGNATURE ROSEWATER LATTE ON STELLA’S MENU ISN’T JUST A NOD TO FOUNDER BAS ABOUFAKHER’S SYRIAN ROOTS, IT’S A DIRECT ILLUSTRATION OF HIS VISION ON INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
Full interview with Bas in the ptrint edition.
THE BOUNDARY OF WHAT DEFINES A COFFEE SPACE OR BAKERY HAS COLLAPSED.
Unlike the rigid structure of the traditional neighborhood bar or pub, which is historically anchored to late-night alcohol consumption, the contemporary artisanal bakery and espresso bar operates like a cultural chameleon. It anchors the microhood by formatting itself around the shifting daily rhythms of the modern urbanite—sometimes becoming a workspace, a wellness starting point, and a nightlife destination within the exact same physical footprint.
High-engagement subcultures are the new currency of foot traffic for spots like Simple bakery in Brussels.
@simple.boulangerie
"Ostend’s biggest hidden gem is actually Brussels' very own Tonton Garby. Crazy good sandwiches, killer combinations, and a seriously passionate owner."
"Oh, more Brusseleirs in Ostend; Aster’s pop-up focuses heavily on exciting takes on veggies, alongside a mainly fish-driven menu. Fine dining 2.0."
@r.aster.bxl
THE RISE OF OAT MILK, MATCHA, AND ESPRESSO-TONIC CULTURE HAS MOVED COFFEE INTO A REALM OF TASTE AS IDENTITY—AND A LEAD INDICATOR FOR YIELD. THIS SHIFT IS BEST OBSERVED THROUGH THE ALO YOGA- AND ARC’TERYX-CLAD CROWD, BALANCED ON ON RUNNING CLOUDMONSTERS. IT IS A LIFE AS GEOLOCATED AND OPTIMIZED AS THE ACIDITY OF THEIR ANAEROBIC FERMENTED POUR-OVER.
"Game changers Caffenation keep setting the tone. At their new bar ZUID, try the Iced White."