Ni Shifu
Antwerp, Belgium
The read// why locals go
Ni Shifu cooks Sichuan, and only Sichuan — an Antwerp kitchen refusing the pan-Chinese compromise most European Chinese restaurants settle for. Every dish follows that tradition, which means garlic, chilli and the numbing Sichuan peppercorn doing the work, plus fondue-style hotpot for tables that want to cook their own. It sits on Breydelstraat near Antwerp Central, with Chef Ni's reputation carrying well beyond Belgium, and two independent local sources list it as a neighbourhood favourite. Mains around €16. Order more boldly than instinct suggests; the kitchen is not toning anything down for the room.
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The read// why locals go
Ni Shifu cooks Sichuan, and only Sichuan — an Antwerp kitchen refusing the pan-Chinese compromise most European Chinese restaurants settle for. Every dish follows that tradition, which means garlic, chilli and the numbing Sichuan peppercorn doing the work, plus fondue-style hotpot for tables that want to cook their own. It sits on Breydelstraat near Antwerp Central, with Chef Ni's reputation carrying well beyond Belgium, and two independent local sources list it as a neighbourhood favourite. Mains around €16. Order more boldly than instinct suggests; the kitchen is not toning anything down for the room.
