Kruidtuin

Relax and take a deep breath: Toon Deseyne comes in peace. At the slender Kruidtuin, a sober mansion not far from the Lys River, the Ghent chef invites you in for a soothing meal. The tone is set from the very first bite of sourdough bread: homemade, still warm, with caraway and fennel seeds. What’s next? Baby cabbage grilled on the plancha topped with a soft-boiled egg and mustard leaf; blue ling paired with a divine shrimp sauce, plus salt-cooked celeriac, fermented red cabbage and scallop coral to complete the picture; then picanha escorted by roasted portobello and salsify, plus aniseed mushrooms, fermented garlic and crunchy nuts. We finish as we started, with a sourdough bread, chestnut and pear ice cream. // Romy Van Helden

FEELING THIRSTY? The chairs have been practically designed so that you can access the natural wine list at any time: La Coulée de Proserpine, a Savoyard white from the Domaine Berthollier (€10.50 a glass, €52 a bottle), and Moravia, a Czech Pinot noir from Krásná Hora (€50). Unless you’d prefer a beer, like L’Arogante from Brasserie De Proefbrouwerij (€4 for 330 ml).
PRICE: Menus €39 (lunch) and €69 (dinner).