Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre has a unique background of being of Korean descent but being adopted by a Belgian family when he was five. A self-taught chef, he became well known through his use of modern cooking techniques and hyperlocal ingredients (predominantly from the restaurant’s own farm) at his flagship restaurant, L’Air du Temps (two Michelin stars), located out in the “countryside” about an hour outside of Brussels.
SANS is Sang-Hoon Degeimbre’s expression in the city. Instead of focusing on farm ingredients, the restaurants focus on his travels around the world.
tuna with marcona olives 
It’s no accident that every single course is served in bowls and only with a spoon. Chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre says it reminds him of his childhood when “it was not yet possible to sort out what was on the plate and we ate with gusto.”
Sometimes SANS will serve signature dishes from L’Air du Temps.
The food at SANS draws from influences around the world. We very much enjoyed the creative 5-course tasting paired with wine. At 95 Euros it was reasonable and was well executed.
Food + Wine Pairing
There are two SANS locations: SANS Bruxelles and SANS Sablon. I have not been to both, but I’ve heard that they are different because the two locations have different executive chefs.
SANS Bruxelle is now VerTige
Alas things change quickly, especially during these COVID times.
In June 2020, SANS Bruxelles is no more and has become VerTige. VerTige is still under the larger umbrella of the SAN group but is a new concept headed up by Kevin Perlot, an alum of L’Air du Temps.
The new restaurant will focus on “sustainable, modern, plant-based gastronomy.” Though the focus is clearly on vegetables, the restaurant still serves some seafood and uses ingredients such as ham, sweetbreads, and dairy products.
We very much enjoyed SANS Bruxelles but we are also interested to see what Chef Kevin Perlot will do. Additionally, I been told that L’Air du Temps is an amazing experience and is worth the hike out to the countryside.
I’m not sure when I’ll return to Brussels again. However, the next time I’m in Belgium, visiting one of Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre’s restaurants will be high on my list.
SANS Bruxelles (now VerTige)
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