BRUSSELS: Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Bon Bon in Brussels announced the opening of Le Bon Bistro by Bon Bon at his restaurant Bon Bon. The bistro will open from Sunday to Tuesday and will be run by Christophe's right-hand man and sous-chef Adrien Cunnac who has worked with the Belgian chef for the past 8 years. Hugo Traineau, who worked at Bon Bon for the past four years will be responsible for the hospitality in the dining room. "We are pleased and proud to start this new adventure," Christophe Hardiquest said. In the opening of our WhatNext series we hinted at the possibility for restaurants to maximise the use of their space particularly at times when the restaurants may need to reduce their covers or rethink a certain part of their function. Restaurant Bon Bon is normally closed three days a week (from Sunday to Tuesday) to give his team the chance to rest and have a decent work life balance, Christophe has now decided to open seven days … [Read more...]
The Best Chef Awards 2020 goes digital
The Best Chef Awards announced today that their annual event which had to take place in Rotterdam on 21, 22 and 23 September will still take place on the same date but it will go digital instead. Given the current Covid-19 restrictions and to ensure safety, one of the world’s leading culinary platforms has decided to go back to its roots and present its Top100 via an online show. The event will also include hybrid conferences. “It is particularly important in this moment of great difficulty for the hospitality industry to keep going. Stopping would have meant giving up, and giving up is a negative message to the new generations who are the driving force behind this project. By doing this, we hope to provide a message of strength and positivity to the whole gastronomic world. However, we need to ensure the safety of all our guests. That’s why we decided that the # TOP100 and Awards will be presented in a new digital format. As can be expected from The Best Chef Awards, the event … [Read more...]
#Whatnext: Paul Ivic on the lessons learnt from the reopening of Tian after the lockdown
VIENNA: Paul Ivic, executive chef of one of the only Michelin star vegetarian restaurants in the world is relieved that the restaurant reopening has been smoother than he expected. The chef of Tian and Tian Bistro in Vienna and Tian in Munich reopened the fine dining restaurant on May 15 so he can reflect and look back on the ups and downs of reopening after COVID-19 forced the lockdown of thousands of restaurants around the world. The restaurant reopened on May 15 and Paul's experience provides a glimpse of what other restaurants are bound to expect in the next days and weeks as more and more restaurants reopen for business across Europe. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette, Paul Ivic spoke of the first night of the reopening. "One hour before service, I was not feeling well. It was like I had lost my motivation and did not have a good feeling or vibe. I was a bit depressed but as soon as we finished the staff meeting and I saw the team motivated I immediately felt … [Read more...]
#Whatnext: How Souvenir intends to bring customers back
GENT: Viljhjalmur Sigurdarson, the Icelandic chef of restaurant Souvenir and his wife Joke Michiel will reopen their restaurant in Gent from next Monday. They are offering incentives to bring in as many guests to the restaurant as possible by offering incentives for 'bubbles' of between 4 to 10 people. Their large 'bubble' table is available for groups of between 4 to 10 people and the restaurant will offer a bonus to groups from six people onwards. "The bigger the bubble, the better your deal to come and eat in a group," Joke and Vili said. The Belgian government has announced a further relaxation of the lockdown as from Monday which enables restaurants to reopen under strict social distancing conditions. For the time being and subject to further evaluation, the restaurant excepts to serve between 2 to 3 people on the high table. The dining room will have two tables of three to four people and 2 tables of 2 people. The restaurant will also serve take away on a regular … [Read more...]
Sergio Herman and Syrco Bakker open temporary deli in Antwerp
ANTWERP: Sergio Herman and Syrco Bakker are bringing a taste of their restaurants in Cadzand Bad, Netherlands to Antwerp this summer. As from June 5, they have opened a deli in the Belgian city of Antwerp serving dishes from restaurants Pure C, Air Cafe, Air Republic and Blueness in Cadzand, and Frites Atelier, as well as showcasing a number of small producers and startups. The Deli is a concept that has been created by FoodFest, an annual culinary event that Sergio and Syrco organise in Cadzand Bad. FoodFest had been bringing a combination of food, drinks, music and talks since 2015 which is exactly what the focus of the deli will be. “Foodfest is not going to happen this year, maybe it will not be possible to hold it even next year. We thought it would be a good idea to bring food to the city. People can enjoy casual, easy going dishes that they can get out of the fridge as well as a selection of good produce from farmers and new producers,” Sergio Herman told Food and Wine … [Read more...]
Sofie Delbeke and Matthieu Beudaert launch La Bicicletta for summer
Sofie Delbeke and Matthew Beudaert at La Bicicletta (Photo by Hughes Vanhoucke) 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 … [Read more...]
Thomas Troupin and Marie-Charlotte Portois announce closure of La Menuiserie
WAIMES: La Menuiserie, one of the top restaurants in Wallonia announced it will close its doors. The restaurant owned by chef Thomas Troupin and his wife Marie-Charlotte Portois, who worked at L'Air du Temps before opening the restaurant in January 2013 said they were very sad to announce the closure of the restaurant. "La Menuiserie has represented more than seven years of hard work, tens of thousands of hours of work, thousands of clients, over a hundred employees and countless briefings and debriefings," the couple said. "Our passion has not been lost but these times of confinement have been a time of reflection for us. We will seek out new adventures and hope to discover new destinations. We thank you for your support since January 2013 and who knows, maybe we can welcome you in Menuiserie 2.0," the couple said. In the highest spot in Belgium, La Menuiserie was one of the highly regarded restaurants in Wallonia. When I visited the restaurant in January, I discovered a … [Read more...]
The Jane goes open air for summer
ANTWERP: The Jane, one of the most stunning restaurants in the world will go open air during the summer months. The open air restaurant will be open from June 12 in collaboration with Sommar. The unique outdoor food concept will be open on the banks of the River Scheldt where the team from the Upper Room Bar team can be creative with produce, fire and temperature using the best local products. "During these uncertain times we need to be creative and reinvent ourselves," Nick Bril said. Because of the limitations imposed it is not possible to reopen the Upper Room Bar and it was for this reason that the team at The Jane decided to take the bar to an outdoor location. The entire Upper Room Bar team is happy to welcome you to this summer location. Nick Bril, Thomas Swenters and Jean-Philippe Vormezeele will be responsible for food. Trésor Vets, along with other well-known Upper Room Bar faces, will take care of the service. Tables can be booked via the link here. The … [Read more...]
L.E.S.S. Summery Eatery opens in former Hertog Jan
BRUGES: Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens, the owners of the Hertog Jan Group have announced the reopening of their restaurants as COVID-19 measures were lifted by the Belgian government. After a few months without activities or guests, the former three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan will be ready to welcome restaurant visitors for L.E.S.S Summer eatery. L.E.S.S. Eatery will be transformed from the central Bruges urban space to a summer open-air restaurant serving Southern dishes. Their other restaurant, Bar Bulot, in their first Hertog Jan restaurant will also open its doors and terraces on Tuesday 9 June for a warm summer full of Bar Bulot classics from the Belgian kitchen. Over the past few months, the Hertog Jan team have thought very carefully about all the hygiene measures that are needed while at the time ensuring that guests have a nice restaurant experience. L.E.S.S. Eatery is therefore becoming L.E.S.S. Summer Eatery in a redesigned Hertog Jan garden … [Read more...]
(37) Brussels restaurant takes to surrealism as reopening measures are announced
BRUSSELS: Le Pigeon Noir, a Brussels institution and one of the favourite bistros in the commune of Uccle has taken to surrealism as reopening measures for restaurants were announced. The bistro, taken over by Henri de Mol in 2006, earned a Michelin star for its cuisine in November 2014 but remained pure to its core despite Michelin’s recognition. Customers of this excellent bistro were afraid that the Michelin star would change the focus of this bistro which is housed in a former café. What may end up changing everything for this restaurant, however, is the COVID-19 crisis and the new social distancing measures. On its Facebook page, Le Pigeon Noir took to irony to comment on the social distancing measures. In a post that looked like a recruitment advert, the restaurant said it was employing: A professional basketball player to fill the bread basketsTwo experienced frisbee players to send the plates (one from the kitchen and one in the restaurant)1 diver (complete … [Read more...]