A straight-talking bakery by day, a stylish restaurant by night, this hidden gem from Jordi Hiel (ex-Koks in the Faroe Islands and Nage in Antwerp) is injecting a little life into Zwijndrecht, on the outskirts of Antwerp. His dad’s old bakehouse has undergone a striking transformation, now boasting a very Scandi, wabi-sabi look, with custom wooden furniture, ceramic tableware by Astrid Mora and luminous skylights flooding the space with natural light, fit for 26 guests who get pampered over three courses of haute cuisine. Just take the other night as an example: hand-cut roasted beet tartare (the beet skins purposely burnt and turned into dashi) under grated smoked beefsteak tomato for the appetizer; roasted cauliflower glistening with a dried yeast and vegetable stock glaze – a tribute to his father; crispy-skinned sea bass from the North Sea, neatly lined up with pickled kohlrabi, pearl couscous, charred leeks and a kimchi vinaigrette; before finishing the meal with freshly churned vanilla ice cream, served with plums macerated in a spiced wine cranberry reduction. // Saffron Edge
FEELING THIRSTY? Conventional and natural wines: Loustic, a Loire red from Emmanuel Haget (€11 a glass) or Pixel 2019; a South-West white from Clos Le Joncal (€47 a bottle)… As well as a few beers, like Alles Kapot farmhouse ale from ‘t Verzet (€6.50 for 330 ml) or Oosthoek triple (€7).
PRICE: Tasting menu €65.
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