Last December I had the pleasure of visiting one of the two 3-star Michelin restaurant Belgium has to offer: Hertog Jan. Having started in 2005, Chef Gert De Mangeleer and his companion sommelier Joachim Boudens obtained their first star in 2007, followed by the second star in 2010 and the current third star in 2012. In 2014 chef De Mangeleer was voted European Chef of the Year and having enjoyed some of his creations, I am not surprised:)
The current location of the restaurant is in a revamped old farm house with adjacent one of their vegetable and herb gardens. I can imagine in the spring and summer it must be a gorgeous view to watch from the dining room as well as to walk through the garden after having seen the different courses pass in front of you before. Although the dining room seemed to be pretty large (40+ guests if I can remember well), people were placed such that privacy was pretty much kept intact while keeping a very spacious feeling.
Menuwise I went for the Hertog Jan Integral one, comprising 8 courses, with wine pairing. It started off with some very fine amuses-bouche (mackrel with goat cheese and bell peppers; goose liver with lychee and roses; potato, coffee and mimolette; passion fruit, goose liver and licorice).
North Sea perch with black raddish and tomato @ Hertog Jan, Zedelgem, BE (10th of Dec16)
Then the first course just blew my mind away: North Sea perch with black raddish and tomato. The raddish was shaped as rose leaves with the fish in between. Visually an absolute stunner and taste wise, well, I wish I could that dish over and over again. From my amateur point of view this perfectly illustrated the motto of the restaurant: ‘Eenvoud is niet eenvoudig’ (‘Simplicity is not simple’). Sadly, the same dish was not served again (:)) but got followed by two dishes with caviar, one in combination with sea urchin. I’ve had sea urchin only a few times so far, but must admit it does taste for more…The next course was langoustine ‘la vie en rose’ with -as you can guess- a langoustine at perfection covered by deep beetroot colored ‘rose’ leaves. Again visually very appealing and a delight for the taste buds. This was followed by a scallop, Jerusalem artichoke and beef marrow and -although a very nice dish- the next one struck a perfect chord (duck liver, winter radish and smoked eel ). The draping of the radish, the taste combo, mmmm, please bring me another one:) Then it was time for the main course: wagyu Stroganoff. No need to introduce wagyu, but again, what a taste… interesting how he had the dish covered with a ‘carpaccio’ of mushrooms. Again eye candy:)
Then it was time for the cheese trolley and what got stuck with me was a bleu cheddar, first time I’ve seen or tasted that. Forgot the name, but if I see it again, it’ll end up on my plate again! Then: desserts:) To my shame, I cannot recall what the first dessert was, apart from that it was delicious. Not something stunning I haven’t see anywhere else, but just played very well. What was stunning was the second dessert: chefs guilty pleasure…
Chefs guilty pleasure: snickers @ Hertog Jan, Zedelgem, BE (10th of Dec16)
Basically he decomposed a Snickers and reassembled it in a different way. This was divine! The taste, the texture, mouth feel, I had the feeling (still do actually) I could keep devouring one portion after the other:) Even if it would not be in your menu, they have it a la carte, I would suggest to give it a try. With the coffee/tea the friandises trolley past by and I couldn’t resist but to endulge in the little treats such as pistachio macaron, chocolate tarte, cake, pralines, …
I was a bit sad to have the lunch end, but was grateful I could have had this wonderful culinary experience. From my point of view, Chef De Mangeleer and his team presented consistently dishes that stood out, that were aesthetically very appealing as well as provided taste sensations that only longed for more. I always find it interesting to see dishes reduced in complexity and seemingly ‘simple’, though once you start to eat, it just puts a big smile on your face. ‘Simplicity is not simple’ very much indeed…
Although the entire menu was – to me – on a very high level (as is also expected…) there were some dishes that really blew my mind:
- North Sea perch with black raddish and tomato
- Duck liver, winter radish and smoked eel
- Chefs guilty pleasure: Snickers remodeled
Apart from the food itself, the wine pairing went very well with the dishes (including a refreshing beer once (as a Belgian always a pleasure to see)), the whole entourage oozed quality, attention for detail in every aspect. A rather young crew as well, felt very welcome. Bon, a top experience, definitely worth to visit and take your time to enjoy. Hopefully to be repeated rather sooner than later!
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