4 - Recognised
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Folia works through the year with the seasons, changing menus weekly so vegetables stay at the peak of their harvest window, and the great majority of fruit and vegetables are sourced as seasonal produce.
Around two thirds to four fifths of the ingredients are directly sourced, with named suppliers across every category: produce from PLNT, Matteo Food and Best Fruit; meat from Monarti and Butcher's Store; seafood from Alfa Fish and Sherazad Caviar; dairy from the Het Vaarthof farm; bread and grains from Ireks and Ranson. A meaningful share of suppliers carry organic certification. Coffee, cocoa and sugar are Fairtrade certified, and the beverage programme draws on craft beer, wine sourced within 750 kilometres, local mineral water and botanicals from Botan in Antwerp.
Meat and fish are limited to recognised welfare and sustainability labels: seafood is ASC, MSC, Friends of the Sea, Visserij Verduurzaamt or organic; meat is sourced under Beter Leven, Belbeef, Label Rouge, IGP, AOP or equivalent; eggs carry EU organic, Beter Leven, EKO, Demeter or On the way to PlanetProof labels.
Vegetable trim is worked back into stocks so close to nothing leaves the prep table, fermentation runs alongside scratch cooking across the menu, and a single weekly menu keeps overproduction down. The dining room has moved away from single-use tableware and small disposable containers, deliveries arrive in returnable packaging, and cloth napkins replace paper.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products✓
Sourcing is 60–80% direct, with named suppliers across all ingredient categories; around 20–40% of suppliers carry organic certification.
The restaurant reports direct sourcing of 60–80% of ingredients, with named suppliers including PLNT, Matteo Food, and Best Fruit for produce; Monarti and Butcher's Store for meat; Alfa Fish and Sherazad Caviar for seafood; Het Vaarthof farm for dairy; Ireks and Ranson for grains and bread. Jörg Geiger, Botan and Ca Vista supply beverages. Horeca Totaal serves as a wholesale fallback alongside the specialist suppliers.
Around 20–40% of suppliers carry organic certification. Editorial coverage from Made-in.be and Gault&Millau corroborates the vegetable-led, regional sourcing approach.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
The menu changes weekly to track seasonal availability; 80–100% of fruit and vegetables are sourced seasonally.
The restaurant confirms that fruit and vegetables are sourced seasonally year-round, with menus changing weekly to follow the season. The chef frames seasonal produce as fundamental to the kitchen's philosophy. Editorial coverage from Gault&Millau and L'Officiel corroborates the seasonally driven format.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Vegetable trim is recycled into stocks, fermentation is in-house, and a single weekly menu reduces overproduction; single-use tableware and disposable containers are eliminated in favour of cloth and returnable packaging.
On food waste, the kitchen works vegetable trim back into stocks, runs fermentation as part of the in-house programme, and maintains a single rotating menu to reduce overproduction. Compost and recycling streams are in place.
On packaging, the house has eliminated small disposable containers (butter, salt, pepper, sugar, sauces) and single-use tableware (straws, cutlery, bags), and employs cloth napkins and returnable packaging for deliveries.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
All seafood, meat and eggs carry recognised welfare and sustainability labels; animal products are limited to flexitarian supplements.
Seafood is sourced under ASC, MSC, Friends of the Sea, Visserij Verduurzaamt or organic certification. Meat carries Beter Leven, Belbeef, Label Rouge, IGP, AOP or equivalent labels. Eggs hold EU organic, Beter Leven, EKO, Demeter or On the way to PlanetProof certification.
Named suppliers include Monarti and Butcher's Store (meat), Alfa Fish and Sherazad Caviar (seafood), and Het Vaarthof farm (dairy). The kitchen's plant-forward format keeps animal products as flexitarian supplements only; the vegetarian base is the majority of dishes.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
Supports Pink Ribbon (breast-cancer awareness); offers professional development to recent hospitality graduates.
The restaurant supports Pink Ribbon, Belgium's breast-cancer awareness and patient-support organisation. The kitchen offers professional development opportunities to recently graduated young talent in hospitality, naming this as a deliberate part of team-building. These commitments reflect a wider belief that investing in people and community engagement is integral to responsible business.
Strongest source Restaurant submission
80–100% of dishes are vegan and 80–100% are vegetarian, with flexitarian supplements available; fully vegan menu on request. We're Smart Green Guide Five Radishes for 2026.
The kitchen prepares 80–100% of main dishes as vegan and 80–100% as vegetarian, with fish or meat available as flexitarian supplements only. A fully plant-based menu is prepared on request at booking.
The chef and managers frame plant-forward cooking as gastronomic opportunity rather than constraint, with vegetables placed at the centre of every course. The We're Smart Green Guide recognises Folia with Five Radishes for 2026, placing it at the top tier of plant-forward kitchens in Europe.
Sourcing signals
✓
Certified organic ingredients
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
✓
Low-impact beverage program
20–40% of suppliers carry organic certification.
Named suppliers include PLNT, Matteo Food, and Best Fruit for produce; Monarti and Butcher's Store for meat; Alfa Fish and Sherazad Caviar for seafood; Het Vaarthof farm for dairy; Ireks and Ranson for grains; and Botan for botanicals and beverages.
The kitchen prepares 80–100% of main dishes in-house, including amuse, bread, dressings, stocks, side dishes, pasta, fermented items, baked goods, desserts, jams and syrups.
Coffee, cocoa, chocolate and sugar are always Fairtrade certified.
The beverage programme features craft beers, wine sourced within 750 km, local mineral water, and botanical non-alcoholic pairings from Botan and Jörg Geiger.
