Peruvian paradise: King Kong pulls in foodies and design aesthetes alike

Brussels’ culinary landscape waxes ever more diverse with its growing international population. Whether they’re in search of brand new flavours or simply a nostalgic taste of home, expats are fuelling an astonishing specialisation in the food biz.

So it was only a matter of time before the capital would boast a dedicated Peruvian fast-food joint. Since opening its doors last year, King Kong has been a favourite among foodies from across the city, especially neighbouring Saint-Gilles and Ixelles.

Open for lunch and dinner every day of the week, this no-nonsense kitchen serves up the culinary specialities of Peru’s big cities and mountain villages. Better still, the price is right. You can score a gluttonous, all-in lunch formula for €11.95 or one of several other lunch or dinner combos priced under €10. Ordering à la carte is easy on the pocketbook too.

King Kong’s signature dishes include roasted chicken as well as that quintessential fast food: the sandwich. You can have yours with chicken and mayonnaise, grilled pork belly or butifarra (spiced pork). Vegetarians aren’t neglected either. The avocado sandwich may not have been bloody enough for the carnivorous King Kong himself, but it will certainly satisfy a more civilised appetite.

Skull Island
The recommended side dish is, of course, yuca fries with special sauce. Quinoa salad and oven-baked potatoes are also available. The drink menu features a selection of organic wine, locally brewed beer and authentically Peruvian pisco-based cocktails.

It’s no accident that King Kong’s visual style reflects its menu’s fusion of the traditional and the modern. Designer Diego Carrion isn’t just a hired gun but a business partner. He chose to retain certain original architectural elements of this 19th-century maison de mâitre, while embellishing the rest of the space with geometric wood panels and mirrors, contemporary furniture and floral arabesques.

There are hints of tropical landscape throughout the dining room, but the influence of the cinematic King Kong’s Skull Island is most evident in the restaurant’s rear courtyard, which is done up in stone and vines. All this conspires to make dining in a more attractive option than carrying out.

King Kong has impressed gastronome and aesthete alike. Carrion’s work is currently in the running for the annual Commerce Design Awards, with winners announced this weekend as part of the city-wide Design September programme. Chaussée de Charleroi 227