My take on the new selection:

• Safety first…no bold moves…at times it looked like a recycling center…and some “obvious” names are missing (again)…luckily some beautiful, emotional moments too ❤️‍🔥.
• 764 restaurants in the guide of which 139 hold at least 1*…we are approaching the 20% mark…not sure that’s a good thing…maybe a clean up is long due…(call me if you need help)
• The Green Stars are back : but finding new ones seems to have been harder than finding a sea bass in Lake Geneva…
• And the Weird Award prize goes to…. The “Opening of the Year”. Thank God for Simone, one of the hosts of the ceremony, for specifying that this award could also be won by an existing restaurant (yes, yes, even if they have existed for decades), as long as they have undergone a “serious refurbishment”…I long for the days where “Opening of the Year” really meant, well.. “Opening of the Year”.
• Women? What Women? The problem is real….
• When is the Ceremony for Wallonia and Brussels? The struggle is real… One country, two speeds… Not only for obtaining stars, but also for Cooking School levels, staff motivation, governmental support and promotion (disclaimer : these are the words of a non-Flemish 2* chef but I agree…).
• At the toplevel, our region is still dragging behind, only two 3*’s (and remember, also in this champion’s league, nothing lasts for ever… The pressure is real).
• Could someone tell Gwendal Poullennec that there are Eurostar trains to Antwerp? It’s only a two hours drive. A bit more respect for our region would be highly appreciated… Michael Ellis was almost there every time I went to the ceremony in Ghent! 🇧🇪🇱🇺

That’s all folks…you can read excellent additional analysis by : @tonideconinck @vierbordjes.be @stilis @sabatomagazine

PS: as the Mayor of Antwerp, Els van Doesburg said, to those who received one or more stars today: heartfelt congratulations, you’ve earned it…with countless hours of hard work, blood…sweat and tears… ❤️‍🔥💐🍾