Last weekend the public jury voted the shrimp croquette from Restaurant North as the best croquette at Ostend's Shrimp Croquette Festival. The expert jury chose the croquette from Restaurant Leffe Beach. In total, the 8,400 visitors devoured some 60,000 croquettes – an all-time record.
The 8,400 tickets for the 6th edition of the Shrimp Croquette Festival in the West Flemish seaside resort of Ostend sold out quickly. Visitors were clearly very hungry, as the 60,000 croquettes they ate set an all-time record.
But the visitors didn’t just come to fill their bellies. They were also able to rank their top three favourite croquettes from a selection of 15 restaurants serving them.
For the fifth year running, the public voted Restaurant North’s croquette as the very best in Ostend. Toope came second and Hotel Cocoon third. There was heated debate amongst the diners: at many tables, lively discussions took place about flavour and texture. 7,000 visitors cast their votes.
Technical perfection
The jury of experts, which included chef Piet Huysentruyt and actor Manu Van Acker, came up with a completely different top three. They deemed Leffe Beach’s croquette to be the best. Seafront restaurant Océan took second place and eatery ‘t Zeezotje came third.
For the jury, Leffe Beach stood head and shoulders above the rest. “The flavour, the crust and the texture are all the very best,” it said. “The fact that the croquette is served ‘naked’, without any garnish, testifies to the creators’ refined vision. Leffe Beach’s shrimp croquette comes close to technical perfection.”
The children’s jury awarded first place to ‘t Zeezotje.
The croquettes entered must weigh 40 grams and be made with North Sea shrimps. Otherwise, the chefs are free to follow their own recipes.
Next year, the festival will return from 9 to 11 October 2027.