Home and abroad: Shane Blackdragon

New Zealander Shane Blackdragon runs a New Zealand and Italian fish and seafood restaurant in Brussels, Ariā - A l'Ombre du Bois, close to Bois de la Cambre, with his Italian wife. 

Where are you from and how did you end up in Brussels?

My family is from the far north of New Zealand and my mother is of Maori descent. I spent my youth in Auckland and later moved back north to the Bay of Islands where I started cooking 20 years ago. This is where my passion for the sea and seafood grew. I met my wife, who is Italian, while cooking in Piemonte, and moved to Paris where she was based. We then moved to the family home in Uccle after my wife fell pregnant.

How do you fuse Italian, Australian and New Zealand cuisine?

I try to combine what I have learnt in Italy, such as seafood risotto or Italian-style lobster and homemade filled pasta with mushrooms, with my knowledge from New Zealand and Australia. So you can find meats and venison from the Antipodes – New Zealand lamb, kangaroo, ostrich or crocodile – with sauces like mint and basil pesto and traditional pavlova with mascarpone and marsala mousse. And, of course, you can choose Italian Piemontese, Australian or New Zealand wines.

Do you have any difficulty sourcing ingredients?

I have some very good contacts in Italy so whatever we can’t get here we order directly there, such as special cheese or tasty olive oil for focaccia. There are some things that are a little trickier like venison and green-lipped mussels, so I rely on outside suppliers and family contacts in New Zealand.

Do Belgians appreciate the Antipodean touch?

We have found that the people around Brussels are very happily surprised when they come to eat here: they enjoy the exotic meats and our seafood chowder and fresh seafood and, when available, fresh oysters.

If you have visitors from abroad, what are your favourite places to visit in Brussels and Wallonia?

My favourite places to visit are the Sablon, with its awesome weekend antique market and the Notre-Dame church that just takes the breath away. We also like Bois de la Cambre and the Forêt de Soignes for walks with the family. I enjoy living here; Brussels is a beautiful city and the mixture of cultures and people is amazing.

Ariā - A l'Ombre du Bois, 15 Avenue Legrand, tel 02.640.72.51, www.alombredubois.be

This article first appeared in WAB magazine