Restaurant in Hollain, Belgium
Two Bib Gourmands. Book before it fills.
Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmands and a 4.8 Google score across 305 reviews make Sel et Poivre the clearest value call in rural Hainaut. Marcio Shihomatsu and Bia Limoni run a farm-to-table kitchen at €€ that consistently earns Michelin's good-cooking-at-fair-price recognition. Book now while it remains easy to get into.
Seats at Sel et Poivre in Brunehaut are limited, and once the word spreads further about back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, booking ahead will matter more than it does right now. If you are within reach of the Hainaut countryside and want farm-to-table cooking that earns a Michelin nod at a €€ price point, this is one of the clearest yes-decisions in rural Belgium. Book it before it becomes harder to get into.
Sel et Poivre sits at Rue de la Fontaine 3 in Brunehaut, a small commune in the Hainaut province that most diners pass through rather than stop in. That is part of the point. The drive out here is deliberate, and the reward is a farm-to-table kitchen run by Marcio Shihomatsu and Bia Limoni that has now collected consecutive Bib Gourmands — Michelin's signal that a restaurant delivers serious quality without the price tag that typically accompanies it in Belgium.
The Bib Gourmand designation is specific: Michelin awards it to restaurants offering good cooking at prices that inspectors consider friendly. Two consecutive years of that recognition, in 2024 and then again in 2025, is not an accident. It tells you the kitchen is consistent and that the value calculation holds up on repeat visits. A Google rating of 4.8 across 305 reviews adds independent weight — that sample size at that score is difficult to sustain on a single strong night.
For a returning visitor, the question is where to position yourself in the room. The editorial angle here is worth noting: in smaller farm-to-table kitchens of this type, counter or bar seating , where it exists , tends to close the distance between diner and kitchen in a way that a full dining room table does not. You watch the rhythm of service, you see how the produce arrives and how it is handled, and the meal becomes a different kind of experience. If Sel et Poivre offers counter seating or a kitchen-facing position, that is where a second visit earns the most. Ask when you book.
The farm-to-table format here is not a branding choice in the way it sometimes is in city restaurants. In Hainaut, where agricultural land surrounds the commune and supply chains are genuinely short, it reflects how a kitchen like this actually operates. Shihomatsu and Limoni are working in a context where seasonal sourcing is structural rather than aspirational. That shows up in the cooking , and it is the reason the menu will look different depending on when you visit.
On timing: the countryside setting and the farm-driven menu make this a better autumn or spring booking than a midweek summer visit. In autumn, root vegetables, game, and preserved ingredients give the kitchen more material to work with. In spring, the early produce , asparagus, young greens, the first herbs , suits the lighter register that a €€ kitchen handles well. The sensory pull of a room warmed by kitchen aromas, with produce that has travelled a short distance to the plate, is strongest in these shoulder seasons. Summer weekends work too, but the menu range narrows slightly when local supply is dominated by a smaller harvest window.
Day-of-week matters for a venue of this size. Weekend lunch or dinner is where Sel et Poivre likely operates at full capacity and full energy. A midweek visit may be quieter , useful if you want a more unhurried meal, less useful if the kitchen runs a shorter service. Confirm operating days when you book, since hours are not published in the available data.
If you came once and ordered conservatively, a second visit should push further into the menu. Farm-to-table kitchens at this price tier in Belgium frequently rotate their strongest dishes around whatever is at peak season. The chef pairing here , Shihomatsu and Limoni , brings a collaborative dynamic that often produces more interesting results across the full menu than at a single anchor dish. Order wider rather than safer.
Booking is currently easy. That will not necessarily remain the case. The Bib Gourmand draws attention steadily, and a venue of this size in a location this rural has limited capacity to absorb demand. The window to walk in relatively easily is open now; it is worth using.
Booking difficulty is currently easy. There is no published booking method or phone number in the available data, so your leading approach is to visit the restaurant directly or search for a current reservation link. Given the Bib Gourmand profile and limited rural capacity, booking a week or two ahead for weekend services is sensible. Walk-ins may be possible on quieter weekdays, but confirming by phone or email first is the safer move.
Quick reference: Farm-to-table, €€, Bib Gourmand 2024–2025, Brunehaut/Hainaut, easy to book now.
For a fuller picture of dining and travel in this part of Belgium, see our full Hollain restaurants guide, our full Hollain hotels guide, our full Hollain bars guide, our full Hollain wineries guide, and our full Hollain experiences guide.
Elsewhere in Belgium, the farm-to-table and produce-led format appears at different price points and registers: Au Gré du Vent in Seneffe operates in a comparable idiom in Wallonia. For higher-end Flemish kitchens where seasonal sourcing is equally central, Willem Hiele in Oudenburg and Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem set the benchmark. L'air du Temps in Liernu is the Walloon reference point for produce-driven fine dining. For urban contrast, Bozar Restaurant in Brussels and Zilte in Antwerp show where the same commitment to quality lands in a city format. Bartholomeus in Heist is worth the detour if you are heading toward the coast. Also see d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour for another Hainaut-area option closer to Mons, and BOK Restaurant in Münster if the farm-to-table format is your primary criteria and you are travelling cross-border.
Yes, with the right expectations. The €€ price point and Bib Gourmand recognition make it a strong choice for a low-key celebration where quality matters more than ceremony. It is better suited to a birthday dinner or anniversary for two than a large group milestone. For a grander occasion with more service formality, Castor or Boury at €€€€ deliver more of the full-occasion experience. At Sel et Poivre, the occasion is the food and the setting, not the theatre of service.
At €€, it is one of the clearer value propositions in Belgian farm-to-table dining. Two consecutive Bib Gourmands tell you Michelin inspectors agree the price-to-quality ratio is favourable. A 4.8 Google score across 305 reviews confirms that holds up over time, not just on one inspector visit. For what you pay, the quality level is high relative to comparably priced options in rural Hainaut.
Within the immediate Hollain area, the dining options are sparse, which is part of why Sel et Poivre draws attention. For farm-to-table at a comparable register in Wallonia, Au Gré du Vent in Seneffe is the closest stylistic peer. If you are willing to travel further for a step up in ambition, L'air du Temps in Liernu is the Walloon benchmark. Closer to the Franco-Belgian border, d'Eugénie à Emilie in Baudour is worth considering for the same regional trip.
No published information is available on dietary accommodation. Farm-to-table kitchens that rotate their menu seasonally typically have some flexibility, but the menu structure at any given visit depends on what is in season. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if dietary restrictions are a factor , the more lead time you give, the better the kitchen can prepare.
Currently, booking a week or two in advance is enough for most weekend slots. That may tighten as Bib Gourmand awareness grows , restaurants at this price point in rural locations tend to see demand spike after consecutive Michelin recognition. If you are planning around a specific date, book as soon as you have it confirmed. Weekday slots are likely easier to secure with shorter notice.
No specific dishes are confirmed in the available data, so any list here would be speculation. What the Bib Gourmand and farm-to-table format suggest: the menu is seasonal and the strongest dishes will reflect what is at peak. On a return visit, order wider across the menu rather than repeating what you know. If counter or kitchen-facing seating is available, take it , it gives you a better read on which dishes the kitchen is most focused on during that service.
No confirmed information on whether a tasting menu format is offered. At €€ with a Bib Gourmand, if a set menu exists it is likely to represent the leading value path through the kitchen. Ask when booking. If the choice is between a set and à la carte at this price tier, the set menu in a seasonal farm-to-table kitchen usually shows the cooking at its most coherent.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sel et Poivre | €€ | Easy | — |
| Boury | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Comme chez Soi | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Castor | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| Cuchara | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| De Jonkman | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Hollain for this tier.
Yes, with caveats. Back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025 confirms the cooking is serious, and the farm-to-table format gives the meal a sense of occasion without a formal dining-room atmosphere. At €€ pricing, it's a strong choice for a low-key celebration rather than a grand anniversary dinner. If you need private dining or an elaborate tasting format, look elsewhere in the region.
Yes. Michelin's Bib Gourmand specifically recognises good cooking at moderate prices, and Sel et Poivre has held that designation two years running. At €€, you're getting Michelin-acknowledged farm-to-table food in rural Hainaut at a fraction of what comparable quality costs in Brussels. For the price point, it's hard to find fault.
Within the broader region, Cuchara and Castor offer farm-forward and locally rooted cooking worth considering. For a step up in formality and prestige, Boury in Roeselare and Comme chez Soi in Brussels are benchmarks for Belgian fine dining, though at a significantly higher price point. De Jonkman is another Flemish option if you're willing to travel further for a more elaborate format.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is documented for Sel et Poivre. Farm-to-table kitchens typically build menus around what's available seasonally, which can limit flexibility. check the venue's official channels via their physical address at Rue de la Fontaine 3, Brunehaut before booking if dietary needs are a concern.
Book as early as you can. Sel et Poivre is in a small commune that draws destination diners, and consecutive Bib Gourmand awards in 2024 and 2025 will only increase demand. No phone or online booking link is currently published, so your best approach is to visit the restaurant's website directly or contact them in person. Don't leave this to the week before.
Specific menu items are not documented in available data, so no dish-level recommendations can be made here. The farm-to-table format means the menu changes with the season, so what's available will depend on when you visit. Trust the kitchen's current selection rather than going in with fixed expectations.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in the available data for Sel et Poivre. The farm-to-table approach at €€ pricing suggests a focused, seasonally driven menu rather than a long omakase-style progression. If a formal tasting format is what you're after, Boury or De Jonkman would be more reliable choices for that specific experience.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
