The tasting room beneath the Court of Justice in Namur (Photo by Manu Crooy)When we visited Grafé Lecocq to discover the story behind this Belgian wine 'negociant' that ages wines within the citadel of Namur and then stores the bottles under the cathedral of this Belgian city, we were surprised by the quality of the wine we tasted. Not that we should have been, the winemaker had come highly recommended. But what made the discovery so surprising was the purity of the wines and the winemaker's attention to let the terroir speak for itself. It might sound like a cliché but trust us it isn't. The wines of Grafé Lecocq would be a perfect way to test your knowledge of wines because they reflect a typicity which is not often found these days as many wine producers pander to wine critics who sometimes prefer power and oak over anything else. And I want to stress this in a positive way because I found the wines (even the entry level ones) to reflect the terroir from where they … [Read more...]
Gert de Mangeleer (Hertog Jan): Simplicity is not simple
In the outskirts of the idyllic Belgian city of Bruges in Zedelgem is a culinary genius who became the youngest ever 3 Michelin star chef in Belgium and one of the youngest in history at 34. What made the journey so incredible, however, was not the age at which he reached the top, but rather the speed with which the team at Hertog Jan turned a brasserie first into a Michelin starred restaurant (2006) and then one of only three, 3 Michelin starred restaurants in Belgium (2011). Gert De Mangeleer is now 37. Last week I visited Hertog Jan to meet Gert, to learn the story behind one of Belgium's most successful chefs and a rising star in the culinary world. Hertog Jan only moved to Zedelgem from its old location in July. It was the next step in their philosophy since the farm has been supplying their own restaurant since they bought it in 2010. The 180 year-old barn has been completely renovated and refurbished, now hosting a stunning kitchen which is the beating heart of the new … [Read more...]
Jack O’Shea Chophouse in Brussels finally open
The much awaited Jack O'Shea Chophouse has opened in central Brussels a few days ago. Judging by the page views and searches on this site, this looks like it will be another top foodie destination in Brussels. Jack O'Shea is the second butcher in Belgium to open a restaurant this year. The first, Dierendonck, has opened Carcasse in January on the Belgian coast. The chophouse has opened in the Place St. Catherine area just a few metres away from his second butcher shop in the Belgian capital city. There is no question that the quality of the meat at Jack O'Shea. The meat which you get from this butcher whether it is a Wagyu beef t-bone steak, an Angus beef ribeye, an aged t-bone steak or just sausages from his large range (which includes mustard and spinach, Italian, beef and guiness, chorizo), are all exceptional. For those who have not heard about Jack O'Shea, he is probably one of Europe's leading butchers, though maybe not as famous as the much talked about as Dario … [Read more...]
Inside the cellars of Grafé Lecocq in Namur: A winemaker like no other
Within the citadel of Namur, the Belgian city that provides a gateway to the Ardennes, lies a tunnel that for more than sixty years has been quietly ageing the wines of one of Belgium's leading wine 'negociants'. The conditions for holding up to 1,200 oak barrels are near perfect. Temperature is constant between 11C and 12C and the humidity reaches over 90% in these tunnels. Bernard Grafé, the CEO of Grafé Lecocq, took me to visit the impressive cellars within the Namur citadel and explains the story behind this incredible wine house. After our visit to the tunnels inside the Namur citadel, he takes me to the cellars of the Namur cathedral and the Courts of Justice, just opposite the house from where the business had started 130 years ago. There he shows me over 500 square metres of storage space with ideal and stable temperatures where the bottles are aged before they are distributed. The cellars have been used pretty much since the business started and had been built to … [Read more...]
Kobe Desramaults: Using humble ingredients to create something special out of nothing
Kobe Desramaults, is a conscious Belgian chef with a conscious cuisine. He has a strong character and knows what he wants. His cuisine may appear simple because of its focus on pure flavours but there is a certain complexity to it. "When I am cooking I like to go back to the roots and try to extract as much flavour from the ingredients I use. When I go to eat somewhere the most important thing is memory. It is all about the food. And if you want to remember the food you eat, you cannot have many different flavours going on in a plate. You cannot have a 20 course tasting menu with each dish having six or seven flavour combinations, because you would go crazy and would not remember anything," he tells me when I interview him in Cologne at Chef Sache. "So what I like to do is to focus on one ingredient. The reason I do this is that when people read the menu, they can remember what they have eaten just by remembering that one ingredient. This is what I like in food and this is what I … [Read more...]
Kobe Desramaults: An inspirational story of hard work and success
"We worked from 8am till 2am every day and just kept going" There is no question that Kobe Desramaults is one of the rising stars of European cuisine. His story is inspirational because he had to work against all odds to turn a debt-ridden restaurant owned by his mother into the success story it is today. We met Kobe Desramaults at Chef Sache 2014 in Cologne. You can read our full interview with this Flemish chef, famous for his Michelin starred restaurant In De Wulf in Dranouter, his bakery De Superette and his second restaurant De Vitrine in Gent. In the interview, Kobe speaks about why he opened the restaurant in this Flemish village in West Flanders just on the border with France. Why did you open a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I ask him. "People are now coming to visit the restaurant in the countryside," he tells me with a smile. "The reason is simple. My heart is there. My heart and my food. This is the area where I grew up. It is where I played in the fields with … [Read more...]
Salon du Chocolat in Brussels on first weekend of February
http://youtu.be/L7i4rl5QRCc The Belgian Salon du Chocolat will take place between 6 February and 8 February at the Brussels Expo. Over 70 Belgian and international participants from France, Germany, Hungary and Luxembourg among others will be participating in this chocolate show. They range from artisans to iconic brands, chefs and cocoa experts. They all share their passion for chocolate with the public and will demonstrate some of their favourite chocolate recipes. Among the participants are some of Food and Wine Gazette's favourite Belgian chocolatiers such as Pierre Marcolini, Van Dender, Laurent Gerbaud and Joost Arijs to mention a few names. Visitors will be able to taste fine chocolates and can also be able to follow many activities related to the world of chocolate including live demonstrations, talks and tastings, pastry workshops for adults, Chocoland with activities for children aged between 4 and 10, a bookshop dedicated to chocolate and the famous Chocolate … [Read more...]
Trailer of Sergio Herman documentary released
Sergio Herman, chef of 3 Michelin star Oud Sluis decided to close the restaurant last year to follow his dreams. In March, a documentary Fucking Perfect will be screened for the first time at the International Film Festival of Berlin. The film is included in the Culinary Cinema programme with others including a documentary on Italian chef Massimo Bottura. The documentary shows the pressures of a 3 Michelin star kitchen and the chef's search of perfection. It is a story of ambition, perfection and sacrifices. In the trailer, you can see why Sergio Herman decided to close Oud Sluis. He says: "And then you are not kind, you are not the father you should be or the friend or the husband you know." The visuals of the film are stunning. The documentary also shows the preparations for the opening of The Jane which Herman opened together with chef Nick Bril in Antwerp. In November, the restaurant, which has become incredibly popular since its opening, earned its first Michelin … [Read more...]
Sang-hoon Degeimbre announces series of four-hands dinners for 2015 at L’Air du Temps
Sang-hoon Degeimbre, chef of 2-Michelin starred L'Air du Temps, has announced a series of six four-hands dinners for 2015. The first will be with Danish chef Bo Bech of the restaurant Geist in Copenhagen and takes place on Thursday 12 February at L'Air du Temps. Bo Bech, is an award-winning Danish chef and restaurateur who trained under Alain Passard of L'Arpege. He is known for his delicate dishes and unique flavour combinations matching unusual flavours in a very simple style. Bech says that he likes to make food with pure ingredients and pure enthusiasm. It has a unique concept because the menu consists of light savoury dishes, slightly larger savoury dishes and sweets. They recommend that you choose a few dishes and if you want to try more dishes, you can simply order as you go. When I interviewed Sang-Hoon last year, he had told me that Geist was one of his favourite restaurants in the world so it will be a unique experience to enjoy a dinner prepared by Degeimbre and … [Read more...]
Jack O’Shea Chophouse opening in coming days
I've written about Jack O'Shea Chophouse before to say it was set to open in central Brussels in September. Unfortunately because of delays related to works, the chophouse is still closed. But after a long wait, Jack O'Shea himself told us yesterday that the chophouse will finally be opening in the coming days. It is a soft-opening for the time-being but Jack O'Shea's chophouse is set to become one of Brussels top foodie destinations in the New Year and will add to the already interesting restaurant scene in the Place St Catherine area. There is no question that the quality of the meat at Jack O'Shea. Together with Dierendonck, he is one of Belgium's best butchers. The meat which you get from this butcher whether it is a Wagyu beef t-bone steak, an Angus beef ribeye, an aged t-bone steak or just sausages from his large range (which includes mustard and spinach, Italian, beef and guiness, chorizo), are all exceptional. With such quality of ingredients and a hot grill, all you … [Read more...]