Restaurant Boury in Roeselare, together with L'Air du Temps in Eghezée, gets the highest scores in the latest edition of the renowned restaurant guide Gault&Millau. Hof van Cleve that top chef Peter Goossens took to great heights is no longer at number one after 20 years. The restaurant is not getting a score this year as it is changing hands at the end of the year. Maxime Collard of restaurant La Table de Maxime in the Walloon municipality of Paliseul was voted Chef of the Year.
Again this year Gault&Millau's anonymous inspectors visited the country's best restaurants. Their findings were compiled in a new edition of the restaurant guide, which, including 170 new restaurants, now totals 1,385 addresses.
Best restaurants
Most striking fact: three-star restaurant Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem (East Flanders) does not receive a score this year. The reason for that is the announced departure of top chef Peter Goossens. Early next year, the current kitchen chef will take over the restaurant. For 20 years Hof van Cleve was awarded a top score of 19.5 out of 20.
This means a change at the top. Restaurant Boury in Roeselare and L'Air du Temps in Liernu (Eghezée, Namur) are in a shared first place. Both got a score of 19 out of 20 in the new Gault&Millau, or the highest possible ranking with five chef's hats. It means chef Tim Boury improved last year’s score by half a point. The restaurant also won three Michelin stars last year.
"We are so happy, but there is still room for improvement," Tim Boury, his wife and venue manager Inge Waeles say. "We continue doing what we have been doing, we are patient, but you always have to try to do even better, both for yourself and the guests. Fortunately, we have a very strong team around us. It is thanks to them that we can achieve this."
La Rigue, Peter Goossens' new restaurant in Knokke-Heist, gets 14.5 out of 20.
The main risers include Innesto in Zonhoven and Menssa in Brussels, both with 16.5 points out of 20. They get 3 chefs' hats. Attablez-vous (Namur), Bruut (Bruges), DIM Dining (Antwerp), Humus x Hortense (Brussels), La Grappe d'Or (Arlon), Misera (Antwerp) and Rebelle (Kortrijk) get 16 out of 20 and also 3 chef's hats.
The highest newcomer in Flanders is Otoro in Hasselt (15.5/20). In Wallonia it's La Table Benjamin Laborie in Lasne (15/20) and in Brussels Menssa (16.5/20).
Chef of the Year 2024
The presentation of the new guide is traditionally accompanied by numerous award ceremonies. The title of Chef of the Year 2024 goes to Maxime Collard of La Table de Maxime restaurant in Paliseul, in Luxembourg Province.
"Maxime takes the best from the region to create his cooking style: a cuisine with a classic base, to which he couples his creativity," Gault&Millau notes. "In all his dishes we find excellent basic techniques, respect for the seasons, aesthetics and respect for original flavours. In doing so, his signature is not overshadowed by unnecessary artifice."
Awarded this year's Young Chefs of the Year title we recognise: Marius Bosmans (Restaurant Arden - Rochefort) in Wallonia, Niels Brants (Restaurant EssenCiel - Leuven) in Flanders and Georges Athanassopoulos (Restaurant Màloma Comptoir Culinaire - Brussels) in the capital.
New this year is a selection of trendy and hip restaurants where concept and atmosphere are central, but which meet Gault&Millau's quality standards. This ranking has been given the title "Here is the place", or H!P. In this category, Bar Raket in Antwerp, Bombay BBQ in Brussels and Boa in Arlon were honoured.