Yirmi

Once a personal chef, always a personal chef. That’s still kind of the case for Jérémy Vandernoot (ex-L’Air du Temps in Éghezée, Bon-Bon in Brussels, L’Agathopède in Namur, and a contestant on Top Chef Belgium 2018), as he now welcomes no more than ten guests at a time into the ground floor of his own detached home in the village of Malonne. The whitewashed brick walls and open cellar capture the eye at Yirmi, baptized in 2021 after the boss (Yirmiyahu is Jérémy in Hebrew), and it’s here where the local terroir and the finest produce in its most natural state grace each plate. As for the menu, which is written out in just five words, it’s difficult to decipher what we’re actually going to sink our teeth into. The promise? A flavorful trip that rapturously reaches a high of flavors and textures. The robust four-course menu (€59) features three appetizers upon boarding (beet meringues, an endive, citrus fruit and coffee tartlet, carrot mousse), three mini desserts at the end of the cruise, plus brioche with a chicken skin crisp top coat as a tasty companion for the journey. Sandwiched in between all that? Some locally grown grilled leeks with nasturtium, samphire, leek butter and trout roe; plump monkfish in a miso sauce; a perfect fillet of Rouge de Famenne beef with smoked garlic hummus, sunchokes, sweet potatoes crisps and wild garlic with capers; and a pillowy soft brioche with Nuu Miso miso ice cream for dessert. // Jessica Fletcher

FEELING THIRSTY? A selection of wine that’s part-traditional, part-natural, simply take your pick from the cellar: kick things off with a Crémant de Wallonie from Brut de Bioul for your aperitif (€12 a glass), a white Côtes-du-Rhône from the Famille Gras (€37 a bottle), or a Côte-Roannaise Éclat de Granite from the Domaine Sérol (€40).

PRICE: Menus €39 (weekday lunch, food and wine pairing €24), €59 (food and wine pairing €32) and €79 (food and wine pairing €39), jeunes gastronomes menu for under 27s €75 (Thursday).