BRUGES: When Gert de Mangeleer together with Ruige Vermeire, the head chef of L.E.S.S. Eatery invited Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilege and Susumu Shimizu of Anis from Tokyo for the first event called Chef’s Invitation little did they know that it would take more than two and a half years for the next event to take place.
The first such event was held at L.E.S.S. Eatery in Bruges on Wednesday 29 and January 30, 2020. A few weeks later, the world would nearly come to a standstill as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel to a halt.
Now, over two and a half years later, Gert de Mangeleer and Ruige Vermeire are back with a second edition of Chef’s Invitation, a concept created by the Hertog Jan Restaurant Group.
This time it is the turn of Jordy Navarra, a good friend of head chef Gert de Mangeleer who was scheduled to cook in May 2020 in Bruges.
Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday 21 and 22 September, the oriental-inspired cuisine of LESS Eatery will meet the refined gastronomy of Toyo Eatery in Manila, Philippines. It is a special four-hands dinner which brings Navarra to Belgium for the first time. His restaurant was voted the best restaurant in the Philippines and is one of the 50 best restaurants in Asia since last year.
Gert, Ruige and Jordy will work together to create a menu that is unprecedented in Belgium as they bridge the gap between two culinary cultures that have more in common that one would expect at first glance.
Jordy needs no introduction in the culinary world. He worked in London and Hong Kong before moving back to his home country. He applies a philosophy based on Filipino gastronomic heritage and brings that to life with a sophisticated choice of ingredients, flavours and techniques.
Toyo is the Filipino word for soy sauce, an underrated condiment with intense complexity. Famous dishes at Toyo include the Bahay Kubo which uses vegetables from a nursery rhyme of the same name. BBQ Silog is an ode to Pinoy street food barbecue with garlic rice and egg yolk.
On the other hand, Ruige Vermeire has headed L.E.S.S. Eatery since its opening in Bruges. He is not only Gert’s right hand man but has also left his mark on the menu giving local produce an Asian touch.
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