Okay, so yesterday was a bit hectic… it’s time to look back at the list of OAD TOP 100+ Europe and I would also like to send out some congrats to the chefs on the list I had the pleasure to meet once or more than once and who give their everything with their teams to satisfy their (demanding) customers day after day…respect to you: Kobe Desramaults (#4), Quique Dacosta (#5), Frank Cerutti/ Louis XV (#6), René Redzepi/Noma (#9), Couillon Alexandre/La Marine (#14), Gert de Mangeleer / Hertog Jan (#21), Thomas Bühner/ La Vie (#22), San Degeimbre / L’Air du Temps (#26), Herr Harald Wohlfahrt/ Schwarzwaldstube (#27), Chris Bau / Schlossberg (#30), Elena Arzak (#33), Albert Adria / Tickets (#38), Emmanuel Renaut/ Flocons de Sel (#39), Tim Raue (#40), Syrco Bakker Pure C (#41), Jean-François Piège – Page Officielle(#55), Mikael Jonsson / Hedone (#60), Brett Graham / The Ledbury (#65), Nicolai Nørregaard and Rasmus Kofoed Kadeau (#66), HKK (#75), David Toutain (#92), Atsushi Tanaka (#96), James Knappett /Kitchentable (#100) (and all the chefs who didn’t make it into the top 100)

Absolutely fabulous to have been back to my beloved Bruges and great to return to two of my hotspots in this beautiful city:

Lunch was at: http://www.rock-fort.be

Dinner was at: http://www.bistrobruut.be 

 Wanted to see for myself what all the fuss about this place was…and honestly, it’s an incredible place to discover…In the heart of London….what a transformation of this former fire station…and an atmosphere that sends shivers down my spine. I will let the pictures speak for themselves…best thing to do is go there and see it, live it, enjoy it… 

http://www.chilternfirehouse.com
                   

 As often, I had known about the existence of this restaurant for quite a few years but it wasn’t till late 2013, shortly after they received a Michelin star that I paid them a first visit. A promising visit but I needed a second to see how they would deal with the new status as one of Hollands fine dining places. 

Last week, I had the unexpected pleasure of visiting Kaagjesland for the second time. How happy I am to  have been back! 
The chefs treated me to a delightful lunch as you will see from the attached pictures. The cooking here has clearly been fine tuned even more, getting to a level that doesn’t leave the slightest doubt about the Michelin starred status. 
High level ingredients perfectly prepared and a wonderful ballet of flavours and textures. Really a flawless meal with tasty dishes, seasonal ingredients and perfect technique. I was quite speechless honestly to find this level of cooking in this rather unknown part of the Netherlands when it comes to fine dining. 
Carla is the perfect hostess giving you a warm welcome and serving you in an efficient and friendly way, the kitchen team deliver consistently good plates that are not only very good to eat but also great to look at…what more to wish for? Oh, I shouldn’t forget to mention the stunning views on the polders. Lovely stretches of dark green grass, farm animals grazing…birds…nature at its best, despite being situated in one of Europe’s most densely populated countries.  
BTW, this area of the Netherlands is very well known for its tree and plant nurseries…as these trees and plants were transported over water, a lot of the properties here are surrounded by lovely canals. Why not combine a meal at Kaagjesland with a nice walk or bike tour? Especially in spring it’s a truly magnificent sight. 
http://www.kaagjesland.nl

Thursday April 16th 2015… A day that will go down in the history books as EPIC…. Two great friends who happen to also be great chefs…A fantastic mixologist…A stunning beerbrewer…A crazy DJ and two hot bunnies…and last but NOT LEAST…Emilie, Carlo and Arthur…and all the helping hands that stayed humbly invisible to us…great food and drinks ands wicked party that went on and on and on… but most of all, great, warm people….Thanks y’all…I have never experienced ANYTHING like this!!!! Enjoy the pics and see you next time for sure…. Full menu is included in the picture series… 

If I say terroir, seasonal cooking, urban farming…if I say Flemish Vegetable Chef of the Year 2015…if I say Belgium…if I say ANTWEEEEEERP….You surely say: SEPPE NOBELS….another chef cooking and partying at FFB 2!!!!

www.graanmarkt13.be

Things are starting to move in the good direction in Luxembourg…we are not there yet, but I start to see some people who are determined to share their passion, their ambition to bring high level ‘foodie experiences’ to Luxembourg. Today I had the pleasure of meeting a surprisingly focussed young woman with a vision…a pastry vision that is…After working and training with some reputed chefs like Thierry Marx and after spending time with some of the existing ‘patissiers’ of Luxembourg, Cathy Goedert decided to set up shop in one of the ‘gastronomic’ streets of Luxembourg City, the Rue Chimay. She offers a wide array of pastry, cakes and bread. There is also ample space to eat in and have a coffee or hot chocolate. Catering for events is also something Cathy and her team can take care of. At this stage Cathy is focussed on delivering high level, refined seasonal pastry that still remain quite traditional but I am very curious to see if, at a later stage, she’ll dare to step out of her comfort zone (and that of her customers) to surprise us with truly surprising creations that could help put Luxembourg on the international culinary map…. A charming, clever girl to watch for the years to come…. http://www.cathygoedert.lu