If you have eaten out in Brussels during the past 10 years there’s a great chance you have been in a place thought out by Lakhdar Hamina-Lakhdar, creative director in the HoReCa field, developing visual concepts, menus, putting together teams and a lot more. His professional background and interest in cinema don’t go unnoticed in the large variety of establishments he has created.
This interview is taking place in one of your recent projects, the bar and pizza joint in Saint-Gilles called Fight Club. Obviously, the name can’t help but make one think of the movie. What is your relation to cinema?
I grew up in a family of ambitious movie makers, I did cinema studies and during different periods in my life I worked in the field, on short movies, feature movies and documentaries. Thanks to these experiences, I’ve developed a way of understanding spaces and settings, lighting and the elements needed to create an intriguing atmosphere. In my work with restaurants, I feel very inspired by cinema. Like this place which is built around some ideas I got from watching the latest James Bond movie. Lighting is the most important element in movie making and I’ve adopted that approach from cinema. The work of the lighting director and the gaffers is central to how the atmosphere will turn out; they decide what will look beautiful.
Let’s run an eye over your CV which is rather long as you began your first project about 30 years ago.
Yes, I started out when my parents bought an old hotel in Brussels next to Bois de la Cambre and they offered me to take care of the restaurant. I didn’t know much about food and wine besides having grown up in a family that appreciated good cuisine. My parents often invited people over for large dinner parties which meant that I was used to that kind of atmosphere from home. Some friends and I ran the place, Le Café de d’Hôtel, a classic bistro restaurant with a bar upstairs. Since then, I’ve developed the concepts for around 20 different restaurants in Brussels, the first ones being mainly focused on Italian kitchen and wine, like Mano à Mano, Vini Cuccina, Caffè al Dente and Gazzetta. Later on, I set my eyes on Mexican and Asian kitchen with places like Sanzaru, Old Boy and Verigoud. In one of my latest projects, Malmø, close to Place Chatelain, we’re discovering sea food with details from the Nordic and French kitchen.
As a developer of restaurant concepts, what is your role exactly? How many aspects around the interior and the food are you involved in?
All of it basically. Firstly, I consider the location of the spot and what kind of urban environment we are in. This question is very important in terms of pricing. Then we decide what kind of food and drinks we would like to propose. And then we build the scenography up around that. The concepts have to be immediately readable from the outside. Fight Club for example is perfect for Saint-Gilles; it probably wouldn’t have worked as well in Jette or Laeken which are more residential and calm neighborhoods. The longer I’ve worked in the industry, the more involved I’ve become in the kitchen and the products. Deciding which suppliers to work with and understanding the importance of communicating where the ingredients come from. This is essential to many customers nowadays and it makes my job much more interesting too. Only recently did I discover the pleasure of Vermouth and we decided that this should be a stable drink at Fight Club. We have put time in finding some unusual and tasty bottles for the menu.
I’m a passion driven person and my concepts are developed based on feelings and curiosity – and by now, years of experience of course. When collaborators challenge me to do something new, I go with it and I travel and taste to come up with the right idea. The question of finding good products has become more and more important, influenced by pressing topics like sustainability and healthy farming culture. I have to be connected with what’s going on in society to bring relevant concepts to life, like the café and canteen Bambino which is conceived in collaboration with the co-working space Silversquare. Bambino is open morning to evening throughout, offering coffee, breakfast, a lunch buffet made with organic produce and wine, tapas and pizza in the evening. I love to eat and after 25 years in the field, I have a good pallet. I search for talented chefs, give them a first direction and together we taste and try and set up the menus. Sometimes I’m called in to give new direction to already existing places that need a makeover or a helping hand. I then analyze the place from A to Z and give advice on the menu, the interior, the positioning, the location etc.
Being involved in so many projects, you must be working a lot. How do you organize your time?
I have a great team. I’m not involved in administration, rather on the floor, taking care of the relations in all directions, the teams and all the partners. I offer a lot of myself. Daily, I'm on my bike, in between restaurants, visiting them 2-3 times per week, trying to not stay too long as I don’t want to interrupt, just checking in to see how they’re doing and if they need my advice or input. I try the food and give my opinion. Big meetings are not my thing, I prefer the direct and daily contact. We’re about to set up a company with another associate which will be a great new adventure. With a lot of demand, we need to be more people in charge. It’s a good thing to let your ego rest a bit and share the ideas with a solid team. I initiate and connect different people and afterwards I have to let them do their thing, just guarding the red thread. I’m aware of the chance I have, with good partners and collaborators. Without them I couldn’t do it.
You’re mainly working on restaurants in Brussels. In your eyes, what is special about the food and restaurant scene here?
Buildings are less expensive in Brussels than in most other capital cities in Europe which makes it more affordable to invest and take chances like in HoReCa. Brussels offers a culture where it’s easy to meet people and set up collaborations, it’s openminded, friendly and non-aggressive. We help each other. Personally, I have my friends and family here, and I don’t really dream of going to other places. Brussels stays an organic city and the cultural diversity makes it is so rich. There are still many new things to do, a great potential.
And when you’re not in one of your restaurants, what do you do around Brussels?
On Sundays I buy books, I read and cook and I go to museums. My friends are good at inviting me out to concerts; they buy the ticket and bring me along. Or we go to the cinema. I try to do nothing until Monday noon where I resume work, cool and relaxed at home.
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Lakhdar is one of the 73 locals who has generously contributed to our city guide 'Brussels by locals' by sharing his favourite spots in town.
Pictures by Stephanie De Smet