In de Wulf, 2

In de Wulf has become a super-trendy restaurant among foodies. Its young chef, Kobe Desmaraults, is a star at cuisine festivals like Flemish Primitives and Cook It Raw. In de Wulf was just declared the best restaurant in Europe by Steve’s foodie-centric OAD poll. (Click here to see it.) To see some of the restaurant’s history, and our meal three years before, click here.  Linda and I returned for dinner, and to stay the night on June 4, 2014.

Breakfast at Librije’s Zusje, Zwolle

In 2006, after Jonnie and Thérèse Boer had already achieved their third Michelin star at de Librije, the city of Zwolle asked them to provide a catering service for a new theatre. They could also acquire a nearby 18^th century building that used to be the city’s women’s prison. They went ahead, renovated and restored the building and opened Librije’s Hotel on May 25, 2008. Inside the hotel the Boers opened their second restaurant, Librije’s Zusje, or little sister. It gained a Michelin star the following year and a second star in 2012.

Linda and I stayed the night of January 16, 2014, at Librije’s Hotel, dining at de Librije, and had breakfast in Librije’s Zusje the following morning.

de Librije, Zwolle

De Librije is in the former library of an old Dominican monastery in the once Hanseatic port city, Zwolle, a two-hour drive northeast of Amsterdam.  Jonnie Boer joined the kitchens of de Librije in 1986, becoming head chef in 1989. He and his wife Thérèse, who both grew up in the area, bought the restaurant in 1992. They quickly earned a Michelin star and a second in 1999. In 2004 de Librije was awarded the third star, which it has held ever since. Linda and I went for dinner on January 16, 2014.

Ciel Bleu Restaurant, Amsterdam

Ciel Bleu Restaurant is on the top, 23^rd, floor of the Okura Hotel with a view toward central Amsterdam.  The cuisine is vaguely French and  “international;” it rates two stars in the Michelin Guide. After a hard day of museum going, Linda and I looked forward to taking the elevator up to Ciel Bleu Restaurant for dinner on January 14, 2014.

Yamazato Restaurant, Amsterdam

Linda and I spent the three nights of January 13, 14 and 15 at the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam. We chose the hotel as it is a short, easy tram ride to the museum area, including the Concertgebouw, which was our main objective of the trip.  The first evening we went to the one-Michelin-star Yamazato Restaurant in the hotel. The second we went to the hotel’s two-star Ciel Bleu. The third evening we had a surprisingly good meal in the Mirror Room at the Concertgebouw before an excellent all-Brahms concert.

In de Wulf

Thirty-year-old Kobe Desramaults has acquired a reputation among fans of the new Flemish cuisine as a bright young star, although his style is simpler and more rustic than the other well-known, creative Flemish chefs.  His restaurant, In de Wulf, is in his childhood home, a cottage that his parents had converted into a modest brasserie and inn.

Hof van Cleve

Peter Goossens was the first of the modern Flemish chefs to achieve renown. His restaurant, Hof van Cleve, is out in the country about 25 kilometers south of Ghent. He started it in 1987, won its first Michelin star in 1995 and its third in 2005. It is now ranked 15^th in the “World’s 100 Best Restaurants” list. Linda and I were joined there for dinner by Laurent on May 10, 2011.

Passion & C-Jean, Ghent

On May 9, 2011, Linda and I returned to Flanders, staying the first two nights in Ghent. We had big meals at important restaurants coming up the next two evenings, so we thought we should just have traditional Flemish specialties the first evening.

De Jonkman, Bruges

Filip Claeys worked for six years at de Karmeliet, the established three-star restaurant in Bruges, where he learned classic French cooking. He then was at Oud Sluis for five years, learning the inventive technique and philosophies of Sergio Herman. In 2006 he took over de Jonkman on the outskirts of Bruges where he and his wife Sandra continue to offer the new Flemish cuisine. The restaurant is in the former gamekeeper’s house of an old castle on the outskirts of Bruges. It has a lovely garden for summer dining, but that was not part of the scene when Linda and I went for dinner on cold, rainy January 14, 2011.

Oud Sluis

Sergio Herman is a leader of the young chefs in the low countries. His maternal grandparents ran a café/barber shop in the town of Sluis, which was once the port of Bruges, now just over the border in the Netherlands. His father turned it into a seafood restaurant.

Sergio joined it in 1990 after training in several prestigious spots, including at the end, significantly, El Bulli. He has turned Oud Sluis into an influential destination earning its first Michelin star in 1995 and its third in 2005. Sergio’s use of great local ingredients, combined in a fairly complicated way with foreign garnishes and techniques, particularly Asian and modern Spanish, seems to pervade the new Flemish style.

Linda and I were expecting a lot when we went for dinner on January 13, 2011, and we were not disappointed.

Hertog Jan, Bruges

Gert De Mangeleer is regarded as one of the most interesting of the young Flemish chefs who have made the region a restaurant destination in the style of Copenhagen or San Sebastián. He has converted this former brasserie, which still bears the name of a local beer, Hertog Jan, Duke John in English, into an internationally recognized restaurant which recently received its second Michelin star. Linda and I went for dinner on January 12, 2011.

Rouge Tomate, Brussels

We have enjoyed Rouge Tomate in New York and so were looking forward to going to the original in Brussels. We dined there the evening of January 11, 2011 with Alice and Folker.

Sea Grill, Brussels

On January 10, 2011, Linda and I went for dinner at the Sea Grill in the Radisson Hotel in Brussels, a short walk from La Grand’Place.

Comme Chez Soi – Brussels

Comme Chez Soi has been a Michelin three star restaurant for a long time, and so is legendary. We were really looking forward to our first meal there.

Brussels notes, April 24 – 28, 2006

Brussels is no longer primarily a French speaking city, although it may be in some neighborhoods.  One hears more English, usually not by native speakers, and Flemish in central Brussels. 

Bruges notes, April 27, 2006

Bruges was absolutely submerged in tourists on a Thursday in late April.

La Maison du Cygne – Brussels

La Maison du Cygne is an elegant old restaurant in a 1698 building on the Grand-Place.