Down a small, near-deserted street behind the Leuven courthouse, a cryptic sign reading EED (“oath” in Dutch) hangs above an discreet doorway that leads to who knows where… After a stint at Hertog Jan in Bruges, Philippe Heylen was barely twenty-four yet brimming with ideas when he opened this mysterious, multi-award-winning restaurant back in 2018. Seven years on, the theatrics and Brillat-Savarin are long gone. What remains is a steady, unbroken flow of razor-sharp style which fires out from his kitchen-laboratory, a place he practically never steps away from. The evening we went, the six-course trial delivered a jolt of radical honesty: mind-blowing rainbow trout tartare entangled with fermented kohlrabi and a whey and lemon balm vinaigrette; seasonal white asparagus with basil, kimchi, a sake-based jus and seaweed butter; a sensational langoustine stew with sunchoke, bergamot, hazelnut, smoked eel and cherry blossoms; crispy sweetbreads with pak choi, vin jaune mousseline and lovage; juicy spring chicken with snow peas and wild garlic velouté; and to finish, stewed rhubarb with saffron ice cream, jasmine mousse and a dusting of lychee powder. Pure, oath-worthy delight. · Jean-Eude d’Aye-Quiry

FEELING THIRSTY? A manicured selection of natural wines for deep pockets (Labet, Ganevat, Tscheppe, Jobard and more, well above €100). Savvier drinkers can still snag Bianco SP68 2019, a snazzy Sicilian gem from Ariana Occhipinti (€75 a bottle), a red Brutal 2013 from Rémi Poujol in the Languedoc (€55) or an otherworldly Secalaunia 2010 from Sologne wine wizard Etienne Courtois (€95).

PRICE: Set menus €105 (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; four courses) and €165 (six courses), cheese supplement €18, dessert €10, food and drink pairings €11-14 (per glass, with or without alcohol).