Amour

Given the name, we almost expected to receive a huge welcoming hug from Johanna and Yassin Pycke as we entered their joint. It’s true, it’s pretty cozy inside this veggie-friendly eatery run by the aforementioned siblings, who have definitively shut down Pycke Zot, in order to start afresh, slightly further away from Ghent’s city center. Inside the bright space with an industrial vibe (red brick walls, polished concrete floors, exposed pipework), come ogle the lunchtime dishes lined up on the display counter, before piling your plate up high. Our buffet selection included: a creamy carrot and pumpkin dip, pickled radish, yummy marinated mushrooms, roasted celeriac and a handful of lime-roasted sweet potatoes, for the flawless cold appetizers; followed by some sassy miso-roasted pointed cabbage with spring onions, some decent roasted endive with vegan bechamel sauce, or even an herby minced pork and beef stew. Got a sweet tooth? Dame blanche sundaes, brownie or tiramisu, to be enjoyed on the huuuuge terrace which sits pretty in summer, for a shot of vitamin D. // Aline Flamme

FEELING THIRSTY? Pretty cool soft drinks (homemade lemonade at €4.20 a glass, Zester quince kefir at €4 for 330 ml), a few local beers (Hanssens Oude Geuze at €8.20 for 375 ml) and sulfite-free wines (La Vie En Orange, a Languedoc skin-contact wine from François Ducrot, €7 a glass or €35 a bottle).

PRICE: Buffet lunch €18.50, dinner €23.50, takeaway €16.50.