ANTWERP: They say the devil is in the details. And in this regard, it is difficult to find any detail missing at the newly opened Hertog Jan at Botanic in Antwerp. This has been a much awaited reopening. After Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens shocked the Belgian culinary scene with their decision to close their flagship 3 Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem four years ago, they have not rested on their laurels. They’ve moved L.E.S.S. Eatery from the previous location to the centre of Bruges making it a destination restaurant in its own right, one every city would be proud to have. It also clinched a Michelin star in the process. It was soon followed by another Michelin star at Bar Bulot, a typical Flemish brasserie of exceptional quality. They will open a second outlet in Antwerp later this month. Even their latest venture before the opening of the new Hertog Jan was a success. Babu is their interpretation of what a ‘burger or bunner’ should be. First it popped up … [Read more...]
Sergio Herman and Foodfest open mussels and fries pop-up restaurant in Zeebrugge
ZEEBRUGGE: Sergio Herman has opened a pop-up mussels and fries restaurant on the beach of Zeebrugge in Belgium. The restaurant Moules//Frites opened on 1 July and will remain open till 15 August. It is being organised by FoodFest set up by Sergio Herman and Syrco Bakker to organise a festival in Cadzand. Last year, Foodfest also opened a pop-up store in Antwerp bringing some of Sergio and Syrco's delicacies to Belgian foodies. Under a spacious tent, 120 guests will be able to enjoy lunch or dinner in a relaxed atmosphere with music, wines and fresh mussels in a super tasty and simple menu. The pop-up restaurant will serve one menu that consists of the cocktail Le Spritz Pristine by Martine, a starter with the traditional shrimp croquettes, tartare sauce, lemon and parsley followed by Zeeland mussels in a white wine sauce based on a family recipe by Sergio Herman. It will be combined with the crispy fries from Frites Atelier, another concept by Sergio Herman. The three … [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...]
Sofie Delbeke and Matthieu Beudaert launch La Bicicletta for summer
KORTRIJK: Sofie Delbeke and Matthieu Beudaert known for their former star restaurant Table d’Amis and restaurant Beudaert will open a summer concept in the coming days in Sint Maarten’s square, Kortrijk. La Bicicletta is a restaurant with a bar and will resemble a trattoria and will be an ode to Italian cuisine and to the square where the restaurant is located. It will replace restaurant Beudaert for the summer and will remain open till mid-September. The couple are also planning The trattoria will be open till mid-September and the couple said they want to keep what’s coming next as a surprise. On the menu at the trattoria are a series of antipasti, first courses and second courses as well as classic Italian desserts. Dishes include vitello tonnato, asparagus with bottarga (fish roe), bursts with taggiasche olives, a number of pasta dishes and fish and meat dishes. “The impact of the coronavirus crisis on the hospitality industry have been hard. Not only where we … [Read more...]
‘Restaurants, gastronomy are going to be completely different after this crisis’ – Christophe Hardiquest
BRUSSELS: If one thing is certain for Christophe Hardiquest, it is the fact that restaurants will be completely different to what we know them when they reopen after the lockdown. “Gastronomy is going to change completely for different things and different reasons. Chefs will need to be creative and rethink what they do completely. At the moment we have a coronavirus crisis but after this there is going to be an economic crisis and we need to think things differently,” he told Food and Wine Gazette in a phone interview. Hardiquest is chef of two Michelin star restaurant Bon-Bon in Brussels and one of the most internationally recognised chefs in Belgium but he does not see a return to two or three Michelin star experiences anytime soon. For two weeks after the Belgian government announced a lockdown and the closure of restaurants, the Belgian chef took a break. “I needed to take a rest for a couple of days. It was necessary. I've now been back in the kitchen trying out new … [Read more...]
What’s on the menu at the new LESS eatery in Bruges
LESS Eatery (Love, Eat, Share, Smile) by Hertog Jan*** is the new concept created by Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens in the centre of Bruges following the closure of their flagship 3 Michelin Star restaurant Hertog Jan at the end of last year. The new all-day eatery serves food from morning till late in the evening. A lot has been written about this new opening. Here we look at what's on the menu. The day starts with breakfast that is served between 8.30am to 11am. Sweet dishes includes homemade Danish pastry which Gert has been perfecting in recent months to granola and Greek yogurt. There also are savoury dishes like eggs benedicts or artisan baguettes with savoury or sweet toppings. When the breakfast service finishes, there is a transition to lunch which is served from 12 noon till 2.30pm. Bites and drinks are served in between breakfast and lunch and also in between the lunch and dinner service. Among the bites available one can choose a selection of … [Read more...]
Commotie: A pop-up restaurant in Ghent causing a ‘commotion’
Thomas Gellynck is still 23 but has the maturity and the cooking skills of a more experienced chef. Together with his partner Lara De Vliegher, they manage a pop-up restaurant which will cause a commotion when it closes in November 2019 because it has become the talk of the town in the Belgian city of Ghent. The pop-up restaurant is called Commotie (translated into commotion in English). The food scene in Ghent has been very vibrant over the past few years and this pop-up restaurant adds to the number of interesting food spots that are on offer in this vibrant city including recent openings like Taxi, Souvenir and Aroy Aroy to mention a few names. You could say that Thomas and Lara have returned back home after running a 40-cover pop-up restaurant in Kortrijk. ““We started in Kortrijk because we thought that nobody knew us there so if we managed to make a restaurant work there it could work anywhere,” Thomas said. "While we had people working with us at Kortriijk, we decided … [Read more...]
Chambre Séparée: where cooking is like theatre and eating is like attending a performance by Kobe Desramaults
When Kobe Desramaults said he wanted to reinvent the dining experience he was clearly being very serious about it. The chef of the renowned restaurant in De Wulf, in Dranouter, Belgium, which closed in December, has been serving guests in his new restaurant Chambre Séparée in the Belgian city of Gent since opening the new restaurant in June. In a completely different format, the talented Belgian chef is doing what he loves best, cooking with fire in front of guests in what can easily be described as a unique experience. The restaurant only has 16 covers and the diners all sit around the kitchen. Here the cooking takes centre stage and the experience is focused on Kobe and his team working in harmony to serve a limited number of guests while cooking with different forms of fire. There is no hiding for Kobe and his team. In a completely open environment you will know what is going on in the kitchen, whether there is a problem or not. Most importantly you will know whether the key … [Read more...]
Mon bistro d’été : Christophe Hardiquest’s playground
Mon bistro d’été by Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin starred Brussels based restaurant Bon Bon could easily be defined as the chef's playground. Although this is not necessarily his element given that he is used to cooking in his fine dining restaurant, it is evident that the chef and his team are enjoying themselves in the new pop-up restaurant that has taken the Brussels scene by storm and is indeed one of the most talked about places in the Belgian capital city this summer. Housed in the old Chez Marie restaurant in the Flagey area of Brussels, the restaurant may have been closed for over two years but you would not notice from the vibes and the atmosphere that fills the place. But that is to be expected given the fact that the reservations never stopped the minute they opened and by the time the restaurant had opened earlier this month, 4,500 reservations had been made for the two-month pop-up restaurant. If you do not have a booking, don't despair. The … [Read more...]
Bon Bon’s Christophe Hardiquest to open summer bistro in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest, two Michelin star chef of the highly regarded Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is realising his dream of opening a bistro even if this will only be for two months. Having decided to close his two Michelin star restaurant in July and August to modernise and refurbish the kitchen completely, Christophe together with his wife Stephanie have decided to take over Chez Marie, a restaurant that has been closed for over two years in the area of Flagey in Brussels. The bistro, called Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest will be serving classics away from the constraints of fine dining restaurants though you can expect a very high quality given that he will be moving together with his team and will be at the helm of the bistro for the two months. This is part of his Brussels project which started last year with a reflection on how to interpret Brussels and Belgian classics. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette last year, Christophe had said that "it is also … [Read more...]