Mosaic-topped tables, amber glassware, the sun’s rays beaming on your face and good-time vibes under the awning. On the market square in Furnes, Noek has a kind of Nordic dolce vita thing going on. Except here, the menu doesn’t gesticulate with its hands: it’s chef Simon Allinckx who calls the shots, rolling out generous, free-spirited, razor-sharp cuisine that his partner Norah Driesen (who, like him, trained at Ter Duinen) would happily ferry to you if you were in her dining room. The day we went for lunch, the chef’s menu unfolded as follows: ultra-thin beefsteak tomato paired with burrata and pastrami; sleek soy-cured salmon dazzling with yuzu and daikon; a beautiful little bao bun stuffed with chicken, kimchi and cos lettuce; turbot steak doused in béarnaise sauce dotted with grey shrimp; and to finish, marinated strawberries with mascarpone and almonds. Rebellious eaters can even go rogue, by dabbling in sharing plates menu. · Saffron Edge

FEELING THIRSTY? Champagnes and wines for every mood: Gobillard champagne (€14 a glass), Hemina, a Hungarian white from Pannonhalmi Apátsági (€7) or Zweigelt, an Austrian red from Judith Beck (€32 a bottle)…

PRICE: Simon’s Choice menu €59, sharing plates €24-32.