Hendrik Dierendonck, the renowned nose to tail Belgian butcher who also owns the Carcasse restaurant next door to his butcher's shop in Saint-Idesbald, Koksijde on the Belgian coast invited his friends and guests for a four-hands dinner with the team of Brussels Korean restaurant Maru. There is a reason why Dierenonck chose the Maru team. It is one of his favourite spots in Brussels and he loves the Korean flavours which marry very well with his style and philosophy of cooking. As one would expect from a dinner at Carcasse, this was clearly a dinner for meatlovers and also not for the faint-hearted though the message was clear. At a time when sustainability is the talk of the town, we need to forget prejudices and if we are going to eat meat, then we need to ensure that nothing goes to waste. That was the philosophy and the story behind this four hands dinner. From the blood sausage which Hendrik prepared in front of guests to fried cock's combs (prepared by the Maru team), pig … [Read more...]
Four hands lunch by Gert De Mangeleer and Yusuke Takada at Hertog Jan
Gert de Mangeleer, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges hosted a four hands lunch with Yusuke Takada from 2 Michelin star restaurant La Cime in Osaka, Japan on 24 August. Also present for the event were chefs Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They helped Yusuke prepare his dishes for the four hands lunch before cooking with Gert a dinner on the same day. The event, organised with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan aimed to raise awareness of this Belgian region while introducing a few Japanese and international media to some of Gert and Joachim Boudens favourite suppliers and fellow chefs. Takada is the most western of the three chefs that cooked at Hertog Jan, also because of the time he spent in France during his formative years. The lunch was … [Read more...]
Sang Hoon Degeimbre first chef to cook at Mary Pop-in
Mary Pop-in, a Brussels based pop-up restaurant will be inviting chefs from Michelin star restaurants to cook a six-course vegetarian dinner using food that has been saved from waste. Called Masterchef Monday, the first guest of Mary Pop-in, an initiative of Eatmosphere, will be the chef of two Michelin star restaurant L'Air du Temps, Sang Hoon Degeimbre. "We love to work with top chefs like Sang Hoon. They have no limits and do not have preconceived ideas. Their approach to food waste is different and they actually value certain products in their way of cooking. They have the authority, the creativity and the possibility to raise awareness among the general public. Sang Hoon has been using a no waste philosophy for a long time and is using all sorts of modern and also old techniques such as fermentation to follow this approach," said Steven Desair, the founder of Mary Pop-in and Eatmosphere. "He respects nature. If you would like to take part in this event, then book quickly on our … [Read more...]
Japan meets Belgium at Hertog Jan: Gert de Mangeleer to reciprocate with visit to Japan next month
Gert de Mangeleer, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan in Zedelgem, Bruges on Thursday hosted three Japanese chefs for a unique four hands lunch and a six hands dinner. The event, organised with the support of Visit Flanders and Arts Flanders Japan, aimed to raise awareness of this Belgian region by introducing the chefs and a few Japanese and international media to some of Gert and Joachim Boudens favourite suppliers and fellow chefs. The three chefs that cooked at Hertog Jan together with Gert were Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka cooked lunch with Gert. On the other hand, the dinner was a collaboration between Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants together with Gert. Inspired by the unique garden at Hertog Jan which supplies 95 per cent of the herbs, fruits and vegetables that are used … [Read more...]
Three top Japanese chefs to cook at Hertog Jan
Three top Japanese chefs are currently in Belgium and will cook with Gert De Mangeleer, chef of Belgium three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan. The three chefs are Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka (a 2 Michelin star restaurant), Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo which holds 11th place in Asia’s 50 Best and 45th place in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège, 14th in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. They arrived in Belgium on Monday and have been guests of Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens who have taken the chefs in tow in Bruges and its surroundings together with a few Japanese and international media. They have been introduced to a few of Gert and Joachim’s favourite suppliers and fellow chefs of both top restaurants as well as brasseries, brewers, chocolatiers from Flanders. The experience and inspiration that the chefs will have gained during this culinary trip will be put into practice on Thursday 24 August. The Japanese … [Read more...]
Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson: The Icelandic brutalist chef in Belgium
When Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson left Iceland on a one way ticket to Belgium little did he imagine that he would be settling in the small city or village of Ypres, known more for the battle field that was World War 1 than for a dining destination. But as a young chef, you cannot say he was not determined. After an experience at Texture in London, he had returned to his home country, Iceland, thinking he would settle there but after three weeks he realised that he needed to leave the island. “In London, I came to experience exceptional produce. It was everywhere and the quality was like nothing I had seen before,” the young Icelandic chef told Food and Wine Gazette. “I realised that this was not possible in Iceland. I wanted to leave as soon as possible.” He had a list of restaurants in mind that he wanted to work in to gain experience, What he was looking for was not the what or the how the restaurant worked but rather the why. That has remained his philosophy till this day. He … [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...]
San Degeimbre to open third San in Gent in October
San Degeimbre chef of two Michelin star restaurant L' Air du Temps in Liernu and creator of two successful Brussels restaurants called San will be opening the third 'San' restaurant in Gent in October. The news had been in the air for a long time but it has now been confirmed. The Belgian chef had said on the opening of the first San in Rue de Flandres, Brussels that he wanted to take the concept to other Belgian cities and if possible also outside Belgium. After the successful opening of the restaurant in the Brussels centre and then a second one in the area of Sablon, the 'bowl' concept will also be available in Gent. The current chef of San Sablon will be taking the lead at the new restaurant in Gent which is expected to be close to popular Gent restaurant Vrijmoed. Gent is therefore set to welcome another of Belgium's top chefs after the successful opening of Kobe Desramault's Chambree Séparée. With his bowl and spoon concept, the Belgian-Korean chef is going back to … [Read more...]
A leap in the dark for Mélanie Englebin but plans to take Cecila to next level
Restaurant Cecila in central Brussels may be closing its doors on 26 August but will return in a new location, the Brussels Gault & Millau young chef of the year 2017 Mélanie Englebin told Food and Wine Gazette. She may have become famous for sending out a Brussels politician from her restaurant when the pedestrian zone threatened to kill many businesses in central Brussels but this is not the sole reason why she has decided to move on. “The kitchen I have is small and therefore places certain constraints on me. I would like to have a bigger kitchen to be able to develop my cooking and also add staff in the kitchen. I want to also increase the amount of covers to around 30 to 35,” she said. Known for her love of seasonal ingredients and in particular fish she showcased some of her favourite all time creations during a press lunch recently (see our Instagram feed for more). These dishes are the ones that will be served over the coming weeks. “I might change a few dishes in … [Read more...]
San Degeimbre and perma-management: Learning to manage people by finding inspiration from nature
“It is essential to understand nature before you can start to understand your kitchen,” says San Degeimbre, chef of Belgian restaurant L' Air du Temps. “A plant will give you lots of hints about what you can do in the kitchen. Observing plants and nature not only inspires you but also communicates with you. Through observation you can notice that a plant or vegetable needs water. But when we speak with humans, observation is all the more essential because communication alone is not sufficient. Someone can tell you that they are very well when it might mean exactly the opposite. Understanding and observing are therefore essential," he said. Drawing inspiration from perma-culture he spoke about what he called perma management or taking inspiration from nature to find ways to solve problems and find ways to manage people. He was speaking at the first W Food Festival event organised the Generation W, the collective of chefs from the French speaking Belgian region of Wallonia which he … [Read more...]