Category: Benelux – Fine Dining
Hof van Cleve 2010
In culinary terms, speaking of Flanders clearly means much more than just the Belgium region. In the former County of Flanders that encompasses parts of present-day France, Belgium and the Netherlands many interesting “modern” restaurants have mushroomed over the last couple of years that resulted in the formation of the Flemish Primitives named after Northern [...]
Read moreOud Sluis 2010
In August 2009 after a splendid diner at Oud Sluis I asked Sergio Herman what he still strives to achieve after being awarded three stars (since 2005) and 19.5 points in the Gault Millau. He paused and stated that first of all he wants to give the best every day (and for his highly artificial [...]
Read moreBeluga – Maastricht
It’s an impressive modern building, with a nice view over river Maas – Restaurant Beluga with no doubt is situated at a prime location in Maastricht. Inside, it’s even more stylish with a bar in the front part and the spectacular spacious, hall-like dining area in the back. Many carefully selected design and art objects, [...]
Read moreCulinaria in Brussels is Coming Up
Culinaria2 is coming up: an outdoor food festival taking place in Brussels where 16 Belgian chefs unite to introduce not only foodies to their cuisine. Impressive: 23 Michelin stars, 50 exhibition stands, 11 workshops and 4 menus each comprising at least 6 stars… As a first coverage FOOG will be there to report on the [...]
Read moreIn de Wulf – A Kind of Magic
The Flemish Primitives are coming up – this urgently reminds me that I owe you some reports on my Belgium/NL trip end of last summer. Although I have written about the Service à Six Mains at In de Wulf, the restaurant itself very well deserves its own post to provide deeper insights into the philosophy [...]
Read moreLooking Ahead (I): The Flemish Primitives
I am excited – lots of culinary delights are forthcoming this year. Planning for the first quarter is nearly finalized – although there are so many backlog posts from last year. Unfortunately, my time is rather limited recently – but I promise to report on my latest delights – France/Paris was the focus of last [...]
Read moreIdentity Crisis? – Not in Flanders!
Crisis – what crisis? Sure, there still is something like a financial crisis which hit also the fine dining world quite significantly… But an identity crisis? Hmm. The so-called ‘new naturals’ have left their own footprint by continuing the tradition of Michel Bras and Marc Veyrat to fully embrace the regional produce and its distinct [...]
Read moreOff to Belgium (again): Service à 6 Mains at In de Wulf
Well, Belgium and the Netherlands have emerged to a culinary hotspot not only due to Peter Goossens, Sergio Herman and Jonnie Boer ranking among the best chefs in the world. Interestingly, there are many young, very talented chefs who have developed a modern yet distinct culinary style, especially in the Flanders region. At my recent [...]
Read moreJonnie Boer – Bravo!
In the web2.0 fine dining blogs and forums are much more up-to-date and in-depth than the usual gourmet guides and are truly complimentary to these. Some restaurants create more buzz (like noma) and some less (like Arzak) but almost any high-end restaurant is covered somehow. Among food bloggers worldwide it is some kind of sport [...]
Read moreHof van Cleve – A True Master (July 2008)
Before I go on and turn to eating adventures in Germany there is one more reference I want to share. During our B/NL trip we this year finally managed to eat at Hof van Cleve (HvC) in Kruishoutem near Gent in Belgium. I came across Peter Goossens not before Juli 2005 when he was Chef [...]
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