BRUSSELS: For Belgian chef Yves Mattagne, chef of 2 Michelin Star restaurant Sea Grill 2020 had to be a very special year. After 30 years, the restaurant closed on December 31, 2019 when the hotel where it was housed closed for refurbishment. 2020 had to be the year that he reopened his restaurant at Villa Lorraine, the legendary Brussels address that became the first restaurant outside of France to clinch 3 Michelin stars. Alas, that was not to be though the restaurant is now scheduled to reopen in early 2021, COVID-19 permitting. That should materialise through his collaboration with the Litvine family, owners of a number of restaurants in Brussels including Villa Lorraine. He has been working on a brand new menu and this new address should enable Mattagne to express all his talent. While waiting for the reopening of Villa Lorraine, Yves Mattagne has been exploring the digital world. He has just launched his Instagram account and has also immersed himself into the world of … [Read more...]
Bruut and Souvenir ‘in this together’ with Christmas and New Year’s menu
GENT: Bruut, the bistro by Bruno Timperman and Souvenir, the restaurant of chef Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson and Joke Michel in Gent have joined forces for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve to present a take out menu that will be available from 4 different Belgian cities. "We have missed our loyal customers, our friends, our families and even our colleagues too. So on December 24 and 31 we will pay tribute to this friendship in the form of a unique takeaway menu. The Bruut & Souvenir In this together menu". The menu includes oysters with two sauces and two toppings. There is also Bruut's recently awarded Gault & Millau Vegetable Dish of the Year. Called the Brill Gravlax with smoked beetroot, yogurt, horseradish, grilled leek, smoked mussels, beurre blanc and tarragon. The main course is a farm chicken Wellington served with festive side dishes and the Birramisu, a dessert with chocolate 'Sarah Bernhardt', almond and chicory. The menu is aimed to be easy to serve (only two … [Read more...]
Let’s Celebrate box by Hertog Jan launched
BRUGES: The Hertog Jan restaurant group which includes L.E.S.S. Eatery and Bar Bulot has developed a new concept for the festive season. It is called the Let's Celebrate by Hertog Jan foodbox. Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens have been working with deliveries for both L.E.S.S. Eatery and Bar Bulot delivering food not just in Bruges but elsewhere in Belgium since the restaurants were closed because of COVID-19. They will do the same with the Let's Celebrate Foodbox which will be available on Christmas eve and New Year's eve. The menu can also be enjoyed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day as long as the box is kept in the fridge. They formerly operated Hertog Jan, a three Michelin star restaurant in Belgium. "A traditional Christmas and New Year does not seem possible this year. Still we need to stay positive and think about how to make these days special," Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens said. Each box is for 1 person and contains a festive four course menu … [Read more...]
Christophe Pauly is Gault & Millau Belgian chef of the year 2021
BRUSSELS: Gault & Millau launched its 2021 guide, its 18th edition in a digital event that was streamed from Brussels. The title of Chef of the Year went to Christophe Pauly from Le Coq aux Champs in Soheit-Tinlot.The guides are slowly making a return back despite the COVID-19 complications that makes it difficult for everyone in the restaurant industry to plan anything. “Pauly works with the best ingredients, often from the terroir of Wallonia but he is also part of the North Sea Chef collection and also chooses the best that fishermen catch from ashore. Finesse and perfect balance of the dishes are two recurring characteristics of his style,” Gault & Millau CEO Marc Declerck said. Mr Declerck said that the decision to publish the guide in March/April of this year was not a given but as time progressed ‘we grew convinced’ that this was the right choice to make. Michelin, the other guide has delayed its presentation of the 2021 guide to January 11 of next year. “By … [Read more...]
Willem Hiele closes restaurant for 2020, launches Christmas box
KOKSIJDE: Willem Hiele, chef of restaurant Willem Hiele, one of the Belgium's top talents has decided not to reopen the restaurant on the Belgian coast till the end of the year. "We want to start again in full glory and full safety. That is why we are unfortunately cancelling reservations after 13 December until the end of the year," Willem said. Those who have reservations till the end of the year will be able to get a reservation in January, February or March. Vouchers that expire in 2020 will also be automatically extended. The Boutique called Boutique Raphael will remain open until 20 December. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm, customers can buy local produce, vegetables, delicious home made food such as shrimp croquettes, his famous bisque, wild smoked fish and a range of pate's. Using his wood fire oven, Willem also makes sourdough bread, raisin bread, pizza, kebabs (Hiele style) and much more. Reservations for pizza and game can me made directly via … [Read more...]
Fabrizzio Chirico opens Le Comptoir de la Table
Charleroi: Fabrizzio Chirico, chef of restaurant La Table de la Manufacture Urbaine is opening a 'counter' or the Comptoir de la Table with ready made meals from the restaurant as well as a large grocery department which includes cold cuts from Ospital, meats from Belgium's top butcher Dierendonck and cheeses from Pascal Fauville among others. The new shop will open on Friday 20 November and is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm. The grocery shop also has a cellar. Sanae will help clients choose from among beers from La Manufacture as well as Belgian gins and spirits as well as wines from around the world. The shop also has a pastry section to complete the selection. "We can't wait to see you here to present you all this," said Fabrizzio Chirico. The chef said that as soon as the lockdown is over, he will reopen the upstairs restaurant as well as a few tasting tables around the counter. "Whenever you want to buy great products or want to taste them or savour … [Read more...]
L’Air du Temps opens temporary farm shop as restaurant lockdown returns in Belgium
LIERNU: Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre and Carine Nosal, owners of restaurant L'Air du Temps in Liernu, Belgium have announced the opening of a temporary boutique shop that will sell produce that was set to be delivered to the restaurant over the coming days and weeks. L' Air du Temps is one of the top restaurants in the country that has been hit by a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the past weeks. The shop will open between 1pm and 7pm at L’Air du Temps in Liernu as from Tuesday 20 October. “Yet again, the restaurant sector is impacted by what is going to be moment in history. It is extremely rare for generations of restauranteurs to face what they have had to face in 2020.” The Belgian government announced on Friday night that all restaurants will close for a month as from Monday 19 October. Many Belgian chefs and restaurants took to social media and posted a black image, some with the hashtag JeSuisHoreca. Sang Hoon Degeimbre said that during the next weeks, they will … [Read more...]
New chapter for Hertog Jan: Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens to open 12-seat restaurant in Antwerp
ANTWERP: Almost three years after closing Hertog Jan in Zedelgem on the outskirts of Bruges, Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens have announced their return to fine dining with “Hertog Jan at Botanic Antwerp”. The new concept will be a ‘cosy’ 12 seat restaurant that will be open two weeks every month. The restaurant will be housed in the site of Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp, a 5 star superior hotel with wellness and meeting facilities that will open its doors in the historic centre of Antwerp in June 2021. (Interview with Marc Alofs here). They have also announced the addition of a second Bar Bulot in Antwerp, their Flemish French bistro that has been so successful in Bruges. When Gert and Joachim announced the closure of their three Michelin star restaurant in Zedelgem they said they wanted to create space for new ideas and businesses. The Hertog Jan Restaurant Group opened L.E.S.S. Eatery in Bruges. Chef Ruige Vermeire managed to clinch a Michelin star for the … [Read more...]
The end of a chapter for Kobe Desramaults’ Chambre Séparée is fast approaching
GENT: That this would be an important year for Kobe Desramaults was a given. He turned 40 earlier this week and as he himself posted on social media, the fun begins now. But this year is also important because it will bring to an end a relatively new chapter, the closure of Chambre Séparée, the restaurant he opened in Gent just over three years ago. The restaurant will make way for a new construction development that has been in the pipeline for many years. He knew from the start that the lifespan of this highly acclaimed restaurant in the Belgian city of Gent would be short. The time when the restaurant closes is fast approaching. But the talented Belgian chef is not new to closures and fresh starts. He made a name for himself in In de Wulf, a place in Dranouter on the border between Belgium and France in what was the middle of no where. His distinct style made him one of the most sought after Belgian and international chefs. But come December, Kobe Desramaults does not know … [Read more...]
Iceconic, the new ice cream concept by Gert de Mangeleer
BRUGES: Visitors to Bruges this summer will be able to get a taste to Iceconic, a brand new ice-cream brand created by star chef Gert de Mangeleer. The first location of Iceconic is the 't Zand in Bruges where a pop-up store is open until the end of August. It may well be the 'Willy Wonka' of ice-cream as the chef and co-owner of the former 3 Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan has created five ice-cream creations. Gert has given is personal take on the ultimate ice cream experience focusing on purity of taste as well as high quality of produce to create a combination of silky and light texture of the freshly churned ice-cream. Iceconic is a collaboration with Friesland Campina, known for its high quality dairy products and also a strong partner for professional end users with their brand Debic. Gert was asked to think of surprising flavour combinations and went into his food lab to create this new story. He has created three basic flavours, vanilla, yogurt and … [Read more...]