Le Coq aux Champs, a restaurant in Soheit-Tinlot, Belgium celebrated its 20th anniversary this week. Christophe and Catherine Pauly said that despite the fact that many of their dreams have come true from a Michelin star to the title of Gault&Millau chef of the year, the publication of a recipe book, 4 hands dinners with exceptional chefs and many other achievements they still have the same feeling of the first day which is that “we still have a lot to do.” Over the past 20 years and 7,300 days they have been open for more than 10,000 services. “Our objective has remained the same which is to share our love of gastronomy, good food and exceptional produce. We want to constantly challenge ourselves, be creative and give our guests a great time during a dinner or an evening out,” they said. They said that their motivation and ‘fire’ remains intact from the day they started and they look forward to another 20 years. “We are more mature, have a greater knowledge of who we … [Read more...]
‘This is one of the best days of my life’ – Karen Torosyan as Bozar finally clinches 2 Michelin stars
MONS: Yes! Yes! Karen Torosyan shouted on stage in Mons yesterday after it sank in that he had finally clinched a second Michelin star. Five years ago, the Armenian chef took over Bozar Restaurant from his mentor David Martin and has been working hard to reach this achievement. And there was no one better to announce the two Michelin stars than David Martin of Brussels restaurant La Paix who looked emotional as he announced the only two Michelin star restaurant to make the grade in 2023 for Belgium and Luxembourg. The embrace between the two as Karen Torosyan went on stage said it all. On the same day, Michelin also named the 16 new restaurants that clinched a Michelin star for Belgium and Luxembourg. In total, there are 816 restaurants in the guide, 149 restaurants have a star and 147 restaurants have a Bib Gourmand. The Michelin Guide also awarded four restaurants with a Green star. David Martin not only saw his former colleague Karen Torosyan clinch his second star but he … [Read more...]
End of an era for Hof Van Cleve as restaurant to change hands at the end of the year: Peter Goossens to pass over the helm to Floris Van Der Veken
Peter Goossens and his wife Lieve Fermans have announced that they will quit the highly acclaimed Belgian restaurant Hof Van Cleve which has been open since 1986 at the end of 2023. Considered to be the contemporary father of Belgian cuisine, Peter Goossens will pass on the helm of the restaurant to his executive chef Floris Van Der Veken who will change his role to becoming the owner of the restaurant and its over 20 staff. The restaurant, one of only 3 Michelin star restaurants in Belgium and one of very few restaurants in the World that have remained in the World’s 50 Best restaurants list for more than 15 years will change hands on 1 January 2024. The 57-year-old chef that he and his wife had been thinking about this decision for the past few years also to give a new direction to their professional lives. In fact, Peter Goossens will be opening a new restaurant at Hotel La Reserve in Knokke. The Belgian chef is confident that his right hand man Floris is the … [Read more...]
Nick Bril is Belgium Gault & Millau Chef of the Year
BRUSSELS: Nick Bril, chef and owner of iconic Antwerp restaurant The Jane is the new Belgian chef of the year according to Gault & Millau which launched its 2023 guide today. The Dutch chef has crowned a year which has seen him climb the rankings of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, launch a music project and feature in a Brussels pop-up with this prestigious title. “As a passionate chef, Nick Bril likes to lead his guests to a special experience. With an 18.5 rating, he has the gift as a chef of being innovative and in doing so he continues to reach exceptional levels. He has strengthened his position as one of the best chefs in the country and his cuisine of the highest level makes a dining experience at The Jane one of the best in the world,” said March Declerck, CEO of Gault & Millau in Belgium. The chef of The Jane has been in the limelight over the past year not only for his work at The Jane and August, his second restaurant in Antwerp but also for his … [Read more...]
Humus x Hortense invite Emile van den Staak from De Nieuwe Winkel for plant-based feast
BRUSSELS: Humus x Hortense in Brussels has fast established itself in Belgium as one of the leading, if not the leading proponent of plant-based fine dining in Belgium. The visionary couple Nicolas Decloedt and Caroline Baerten started their concept in 2008 and today have won accolades not only in Belgium but also outside of Belgium for their vision and direction. So it was no surprise that for the first ever Belgian gastronomic tour on plant-based dining, Humus x Hortense would play a central role. Visit Flanders recently hosted a four day gastronomic tour for food writers from across the globe to plunge them into the world of plant-based dining. Humus x Hortense have been proponents of sustainable gastronomy and lowest food waste possible thanks to ancient conservation techniques and zero-waste cocktails. For the occasion, Nicolas invited chef Emile van den Staak from two Michelin star Dutch restaurant De Nieuwe Winkel for a unique four hands dinner which showcased what … [Read more...]
Bar Bulot to move from Bruges to Zedelgem
ZEDELGEM: "When one door closes, another opens." Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens, the duo behind the successful Hertog Jan Group have announced that Bar Bulot, their bistrot/brasserie concept of traditional Belgian/French food will be moving from Sint Michiels in Bruges to the former location of Hertog Jan in Zedelgem. The location of the current Bar Bulot was until today the cradle of the group's activities. It was there that Hertog Jan grew from an ambitious young restaurant to three Michelin stars. It was there that the Belgian dup experimented with L.E.S.S. Eatery as a pop-up before they opened it in the centre of Bruges and it was there that Bar Bulot was able to grow to a Michelin star from scratch and to develop into a 'franchise' with a second opening in Antwerp at the Botanic Sanctuary hotel. Zedelgem is the place where Gert and Joachim developed Hertog Jan into one of the most exciting restaurants in the global culinary scene before they decided to close it and … [Read more...]
Dine with Italian winemakers is a series of dinners organised by Racines Bruxelles
BRUSSELS: Ugo Frederico and Francesco Cury has invited winemaker Alessandra Divella for a special dinner at Racines in Brussels, Belgium. The Italian wine maker who is known as the queen of bubbles on Gussago Hill in Franciacorta will be presenting a selection of her cuvées on Thursday 20 October in a first in a series of dinners being organised by the restaurant with winemakers present. There will be two options during each evening. The first is to taste a classic Racines 4, 5 or six course menu with the possibility of a unique Divella wine-pairing where Alessandra will be present throughout the evening to guide guests through her selection of wines. The second is a dinner with the winemaker which is a more intimate and exclusive experience on the same night. Here a private table will welcome 12 guests who will have the opportunity to dine with Alessandra and taste older vintages accompanied by a special menu created specifically to Divella's region of origin. In total, … [Read more...]
Jordy Navarra to cook at L.E.S.S. Eatery next week for second Chef’s Invitation
BRUGES: When Gert de Mangeleer together with Ruige Vermeire, the head chef of L.E.S.S. Eatery invited Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilege and Susumu Shimizu of Anis from Tokyo for the first event called Chef’s Invitation little did they know that it would take more than two and a half years for the next event to take place. The first such event was held at L.E.S.S. Eatery in Bruges on Wednesday 29 and January 30, 2020. A few weeks later, the world would nearly come to a standstill as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt. Now, over two and a half years later, Gert de Mangeleer and Ruige Vermeire are back with a second edition of Chef’s Invitation, a concept created by the Hertog Jan Restaurant Group. This time it is the turn of Jordy Navarra, a good friend of head chef Gert de Mangeleer who was scheduled to cook in May 2020 in Bruges. Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday 21 and 22 September, the oriental-inspired cuisine of LESS Eatery will meet the refined … [Read more...]
Sebath Capela is in his ‘Elements’ at Indrani Lodge
Sebath Capela, one of Belgium’s promising young chefs is finally ready to showcase his new playground. At Elements, a new restaurant within Indrani Lodge a few kilometres away from the landmark lion monument in Waterloo, Belgium he is improvising with nature and all its elements to serve a very interesting menu focused on vegetables grown on the property and protein that comes from small farms close to the restaurant. Elements is part of a project created by Philippe and Jessica Brawermann, a couple who bought a farm in the Belgian countryside not far from Brussels and turned it into their home. Today, they’ve invested in a wellness hotel with 12 rooms, a 36-seat restaurant, a 20 seat lobby bar and a yoga studio among others. Their vision had been that of going past the buzzwords of sustainability and really focusing on making the property as ecological as possible. The lodge, restaurant as well as 39 neighbours benefit from a joint heating system using biomass and geothermic … [Read more...]
Racines: a way with pasta
BRUSSELS: The large raviolo stuffed with a whole burrata and a tartare of red prawns flown in from Sicily is cooked for just 52 seconds in boiling water. Chef Ugo Federico of Brussels restaurant Racines wants the burrata to melt but remain inside the pasta and the tartare of prawns to be served as a tartare, i.e. still cold. The end result is not only spectacular to see but also to eat. It is one of the signature dishes at Racines but it is not the only spectacular pasta dish. Soon after, there is a tortellino ‘carbonara’. For purists, it is not exactly carbonara because Ugo is using Parmiggiano Reggiano that has been aged by Belgian cheese affineur Van Tricht instead of Pecorino Romano for the filling and there is truffle instead of guanciale to top it up. There is a pasta with nduja and provolone Silano from the same region that hits all the right notes. It is on the right side of spiceness and the creaminess from the melted cheese combined to perfection with the acidity given to … [Read more...]