On 1 June, one of Belgium’s most talented chefs Kobe Desramaults returns to cook after a sabbatical following the closure of his Gent restaurant Chambre Séparée. He will be cooking at Stazione Vucciria in Finale di Pollina. That will be temporary until he and his new business partners Franco Virgo and Stefania Milano, restaurant entrepreneurs in Sicily that are slowly putting the Italian island on the food map look for a new place in the Madonie mountains also in Sicily. The news that Kobe Desramaults would be settling in Sicily does not come as a surprise. In the past months, anyone following the Belgian chef on social media and particularly Instagram could see that he was spending more and more time in Italy and more particularly Sicily and he was particularly fascinated about the produce on the Sicilian island in particular the fish market of Catania. At Stazione Vucciria, a stone throw away from the sea, Kobe will present his distinct Nordic cuisine using Sicilian products. … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa of Azurmendi opens Eneko Basque in Brussels
BRUSSELS: Eneko Atxa, chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi and Eneko, a chain of restuarants that serves traditional Basque food in Spain as well as internationally has opened a new restaurant in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Eneko Basque in Brussels brings Eneko's cuisine to Belgium. The Spanish chef's cuisine is a perfect trilogy of flavour, texture and aesthetics and is rooted in traditional Basque cooking. The flavour of home-cooked dishes are presented in innovative textures and techniques through various dishes. Eneko Atxa who was born in 1977 has five Michelin stars in total among them the flagship Azurmendi with a focus on innovation and sustainability. His passion and sensitivity, his cultural roots, his connection with the surrounding land and its products define the gastronomy of Eneko Atxa. Apart from restaurants in Spain, Eneko also has restaurants in London, Tokyo, Lisbon and now Brussels. The range of Eneko restaurants has been growing organically … [Read more...]
Brussels restaurant La Canne en Ville to move to new spot after three years
BRUSSELS: One of Belgium's most promising young chefs Kevin Lejeune has announced that restaurant La Canne en Ville will move to a new place in April. In 2018, he took over a popular family restaurant, La Canne en Ville, a neighbourhood restaurant in the an area close to Chatelain in the Brussels capital. He gained a star soon after despite keeping the same decor and style of a neighbourhood restaurant. In April, he will move to the the Steingenberger Wiltcher's Hotel. He will still propose a creative cuisine in a larger dining room with a new ambiance and decor. This follows a collaboration that took place between the chef and the hotel during the lockdowns. At the time, he proposed Michelin starred dinners in the hotel rooms thus creating a private restaurant for guests. The new restaurant will be accessible from one of the most prestigious streets in the Belgian capital, Avenue Louise. With this move, the young chef wants to have a central place in the city, attract … [Read more...]
Bon Bon to close in June: Chef Hardiquest says this is the start of a new chapter
BRUSSELS: One of the most influential restaurants in Belgium, Bon Bon will close its doors on 30 June 2022 after 20 years, chef Christophe Hardiquest announced on social media. Hardiquest is one of Belgium's top chefs and restaurateurs and one of the most internationally recognised chefs in Belgium. Over the past few years, the restaurant has established itself as one of the leading restaurants in Belgium with a near perfection score in the Gault & Millau guide. Cristophe Hardiquest said that we have been living in a strange period of time which has led him to think but also to accelerate his wishes and vision. "After 20 years behind the stove in the kitchen of my restaurant Bon Bon, 20 years of giving 200 per cent everyday it is time for me to make a turn in my life and my career," the Belgian chef said. He said he was passionate about his job and about creating new dishes and will never stop cooking. "I am not sure how yet but it will be full of … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #3
Creativity was the theme of our post yesterday and if you have missed it, we recommend that you read it. For this week's round-up we would like to start with another chef that epitomises the word creativity. No one has had an impact on today's cuisine as much as el Bulli, the iconic Spanish restaurant which closed its doors a few years ago. His brother Albert Adria, who was also heavily involved in el Bulli is interviewed here about creativity. This is a really interesting interview. He says what really motivates people is fear. And he has a very interesting perspective about meetings, which seem to be the greatest problem of the corporate world today. "At el Bulli we only had the winter to create the menu for next season. That’s why we were very pragmatic and efficient when it came to deciding on new crockery, products… We never had long meetings. Whatever you say after half an hour or 40 minutes is unnecessary." Bruges is one of the most picturesque Belgian cities and sometimes … [Read more...]
Pistolet Original – the not so dangerous Belgian sandwich place
Are you allowed to rave about a 'sandwich' shop? Difficult to say but Pistolet Original seems to be one of the places you wish you had next-door to your office (wherever that may be). I am sure that the thought of grabbing such a great sandwich for lunch would put a smile on many faces. If there were a top 50 places list of great sandwich bars, I would say this would probably be very high up on that list. So despite having seen the name around over the past months, I had never really looked into it thinking what could be so exciting about a sandwich place? What changed everything was the trip to Dierendonck, easily one of the best butchers we have visited in Belgium. We picked up Dierendonck's newspaper the Summer Times and in it was a small snippet about how Pistolet Original in Brussels uses his meat for some sandwiches. A quick visit to the Pistolet Original website confirmed our expectations. We became more and more excited when we read the list of suppliers. Cheese from … [Read more...]
Famous Parisian macarons compete with the best in Brussels
There are things in life which are just not done. In football terms, could you imagine a Juventus supporter walking into the Inter club in Milan or vice versa, or say a Real Madrid supporter sitting among Barcelona fans all clad with his Real Madrid memorabilia as he watches a game his side is playing against their arch-rivals. When French chocolatier Patrick Roger opened in Place Sablon, Brussels there was nothing short of an uproar. How dare a French open a chocolate shop on the Belgian square most famous for its chocolatiers. Then again Pierre Marcolini has also opened a chocolate shop in Paris. Now, there is another reason for some to worry about. The famous French patisserie Ladurée, known in particular for its macarons opened last Friday on Place Sablon. Competing with Wittamer and Pierre Marcolini, this makes the Place Sablon all the more interesting for foodies. A Michelin starred restaurant Senza Nome is also set to open on Rue Royale just off Place Sablon later this … [Read more...]
A trip to Dierendonck, one of the best Belgian butchers
"Being a butcher is being a craftsman. Dierendonck, combines the professional skill of today with the quality of the past," Hendrik Dierendonck says. A visit to his Atelier in Nieuwpoort yesterday confirmed all the good things that we have been hearing about this butcher shop. No wonder it is considered to be one of the best butchers in Belgium. A look at his website, however, would instantly confirm that Dierendonck is a must visit for any foodie who finds himself at the Belgian coast. His produce is used by some of the top chefs in Belgium and the Netherlands (Sergio Herman of Oud Sluis fame, David Martin of Restaurant La Paix , Jan Wittevrongel of Ten Bogaerde, Kobe Desramaultsoud of In de Wulf to mention just a few). This should be enough to tickle your taste buds and visit. The choice of meat at the Atelier was exceptional. We opted for a 'contra filet' from West Flanders. The meat was exceptional in flavour though slightly chewy. It did not have the marbling of the … [Read more...]
Brussels: Knees to Chin: Asian, fresh and healthy
The area around Place Chatelain in Brussels is one of my favourite places to just walk around, just sit down for a drink or eat. It has a superb 'village feel' with many boutique stores which are a breath of fresh air in cities that are starting to look the same with the common branded high-street stores. It is one of the first areas of Brussels I discovered when I moved to this city nine years ago. And it is constantly evolving though it hasn't lost any of its charm. Old places which have stood the test of time are complemented by new establishments which open from time to time and which hope to also become regular fixtures of the area. Recently we stopped for a quick bite at Knees to Chin, a newish place on Rue Livorne, in between Avenue Louise and Place Chatelain. The concept is very simple but effective. If you are looking for a quick and healthy lunch this is the perfect place. They make rice paper rolls which you find in Asia. Using fresh ingredients these rice paper … [Read more...]
Cafe de la Presse: A new coffee culture brewing in Belgium
The smell of coffee coming from a cafe in the morning is enough to wake your senses. The sound of the grinders, the gurgle of the steam warming the milk for a cappuccino, the espresso drizzling into the small coffee cup. You are next in line, you hear the barista banging the used coffee into the drawer and you know your coffee is next. Malta might not have the same coffee culture as Italy but there are many places where you can get a perfect espresso. For some, the coffee ritual is as important as the tea ceremony in Asia. So you can imagine the shock when on arriving in Brussels nine years ago there was barely a place where you could savour a decent coffee. A few Italian shops here and there made a decent espresso and cappuccino but in most places it used to be incredibly difficult to order a coffee without regretting it. Things have now changed, very much for the better and this has nothing to do with the venture into Belgium of Starbucks. Order an espresso now and you … [Read more...]