MICHELIN is pleased to unveil the 2020 selection for the MICHELIN Guide Belgium & Luxembourg, featuring 139 starred restaurants.
Cuchara in Lommel, Belgium, run by chef Jan Tournier is awarded two MICHELIN stars in the 2020 guide. “Jan Tournier is brilliantly successful in his kitchen, bringing back the basics,” says Werner Loens, director of the MICHELIN Guide Belgium & Luxembourg. “His creativity and technical mastery translate today through impressive creations. By concentrating on a few ingredients, he manages to create real taste explosions. To eat at Cuchara is to discover a universe where inventiveness is at the service of taste.”
Seven new restaurants join the one-MICHELIN-star ranks in the 2020 edition. At L.E.S.S. in Bruges, the young chef Ruige Vermeire takes his guests on an Asian-influenced gustatory adventure. The perfect harmony between cuisine and wine is the forte of chef Sébastien Wygaerts and sommelier Diederik Herbots at Ogst in Hasselt, Belgium, as well as chef Glenn Verhasselt and sommelier Yanick Dehandschutter of Sir Kwinten restaurant in Sint-Kwintens-Lennik. A unique balance is assured in these establishments thanks to the combination of a contemporary haute cuisine with wines sought after by experienced sommeliers.
Vilhjalmur Sigurdarson, chef of restaurant Souvenir in Ghent, mastered an original vegetarian cuisine that will delight guests in Belgium and beyond. The relationship he has with nature gives life to his high-quality creations that follow the rhythm of the seasons harmoniously. This type of vegetable-oriented work is also an asset of Niels Brants's EssenCiel in Louvain.
The cities of Brussels and Wallonia both welcome a new MICHELIN star. La Canne en Ville in Ixelles is a well-known address to local gourmets where chef Kevin LeJeune offers a refined and personal cuisine. At Le Gastronome in Paliseul, tradition and modernity are combined thanks to the talent of Jean Vrijdaghs and Sébastien Hankard. The depth of their dishes is rooted in a subtle combination of flavours that combine sweetness and acidity.
The restaurant Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem) still retains its three stars in the 2020 edition, thanks to the talent and culinary expertise of chef Peter Goossens and his team who give every guest a unique experience. A daily source of inspiration for many chefs, the work of Peter Goossens is a testimony to the high level of Belgian gastronomy.
“This selection reflects the richness of the culinary scene in Belgium and Luxembourg, which, in addition to the great diversity of cuisine types that compose it, is also marked by a whole generation of chefs who, thanks to their creativity and talent, reach a subtle balance where respect for products and flavors,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the MICHELIN Guides.
The 2020 selection also highlights 168 Bib Gourmand eateries, 20 of which are new. The Bib Gourmand indicates quality establishments offering a set menu for less than €39.
Congratulations to all restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide Belgium & Luxembourg 2020. View the full selection for Belgium here and the full selection for Luxembourg here.
