All the best to Bloesem, Antwerp's most coveted restaurant
Like (almost) everyone in the culinary world, the dream of working independently on their own project is a constant, though not without sacrifices and compromises, including personal ones. What Belgians Deborah Van Haute-Bloemen and Brend Geudens never imagined was running their business from home. Literally.
Number 8 Leescorfstraat has been home to three generations of Deborah's family, and she greets guests at street level. Just beyond the door, next to which hangs a simple sheet of paper illustrated with faded flowers, is the word "Bloesem," which indicates the restaurant's name. It opened barely six months ago, and already it's impossible to book a reservation less than two months in advance.
More and more people are eager to witness this success story and sample the offerings of Deborah, Brend, and Nebo Schamp, the third member of this well-matched trio. Their only previous collaboration was at Willem Hiele in the north of the country. The men worked in the kitchen for five years, while she occasionally worked in the dining room. Here, they continue their approachable, direct, and informal style of gastronomy. “We’re overwhelmed by the warm reception we’ve received in such a short time, so we’re going to keep reinventing ourselves every day,” they exclaim.
The desire to experience (and share) Bloesem transcends borders, as it's common to share its tiny dining room with French and Dutch diners simply due to geographical proximity. Access to such a personal project as Bloesem doesn't intrude on the private lives of any of its three partners. The restaurant occupies only the ground floor of the house, which has curtains separating the dining room from the staircase leading to the apartment where Deborah and Brend live. Nebo's restaurant can be seen from the terrace overlooking the garden, which they hope to open this summer to offer part of the dining experience outdoors.
There's no trace left of the year and a half of work it took to redesign, refurbish, and furnish the family home into the coveted restaurant it is today. A perfectly equipped open kitchen, a bar with high stools so you don't miss a single detail of each service, and a table for groups that completes the dining area in front of the record player and shelves overflowing with books. The book by Etxebarri, which Nebo and Brend recently visited for pleasure during their vacation, stands out in bold letters.
Bloesem is open three times a week—from Thursday to Saturday—for lunch and dinner. The experience of its single tasting menu, for a total of 14 diners, begins promptly at noon or 7 p.m. The wine pairings, with or without alcohol, are also blind. They are decided by Deborah, who knows in advance what will be coming out of the kitchen and whispers all the selections—about five per menu, mostly French. She is the first to taste and approve them. This also applies to those prepared on-site with herbs and flowers, such as the magnolia infusion on the current menu.
Just as Bred and Nebo adapt their dishes to the changing seasons, Deborah cleverly offers natural drinks and wines that align with her hospitality philosophy. For example, the rooibos tea is served in the tea set she inherited from her paternal grandmother, with whom she lived for years under the same roof as what is now Bloesem.
Quality and quantity
Bloesem expresses itself through 18 courses, each featuring two or three seasonal products, plus the chefs' always perfectly chosen touch. They are also the ones who serve, announce, and explain each dish. This decision was made when they decided to eliminate all staff. “We are the best suited to tell our story. We are well-organized to give each customer the attention they deserve and personalize their experience as much as possible,” Deborah explains.
She herself is undoubtedly behind every detail. From the choice of the tableware motifs to the composition of the sourdough bread with whipped butter, and even the handwritten menu in each guest's preferred language.
On the other side of the bar, Nebo and Bred shape and refine their own increasingly distinctive culinary style. Heavily influenced by the French classicism from which they have learned so much, they adapt it to contemporary tastes and customs. They rely on suppliers they worked with alongside their friend and fellow chef, Willem Hiele. Hence the abundance of vegetables, North Sea fish and shellfish, and game dishes they often present in various preparations. Always adhering to the principle of zero waste.
The verdant recital respects the natural freshness of each ingredient, enhancing it with technical and even aesthetic mastery on the plate: seaweed, peas, asparagus, spinach, cabbage… How they change, depending on their texture. The inevitable oyster that heads the gastronomic festival then gives way to the same scallop in two different presentations, each more delicious than the last.
Also noteworthy are the cuttlefish with sautéed mushrooms and quail's egg yolk, and the pigeon served on a plate and on a skewer, which so closely resembles the one they used to make for Hiele, who should be proud of his colleagues' progress. They pay him another tribute with the kombu and honey soufflé, although it's surpassed by the splendid French toast with blue cheese or the incredibly light waffle for dessert, followed by an addictive cookie as the final bite before the bill.
TASTING MENU (18 courses): 110 EUROS. WINE PAIRING: 50 EUROS. PAIRING WITHOUT FOOD: 35 EUROS.
