4 - Recognised
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Sourcing starts in the restaurant's own ground: the chef's organic vegetable and herb garden in the Kruibeke polders covers 6,000 square metres and supplies around 50 vegetables and 120 edible flowers, alongside cheeses matured by Michel Van Tricht in nearby Antwerp and fish landed in the North Sea. Menus are composed around what the garden gives and what the market brings that day, so the dishes move with the growing year. Fermenting and pickling are used deliberately to hold produce beyond its season and keep surplus out of the bin. Vegetables are treated as a main event: a complete five course vegetarian menu sits beside the classic carte at the same price, every menu carries a vegetarian course, and roughly one guest in five eats entirely without meat or fish.
The vegetable cooking is recognised outside the house. We're Smart Green Guide lists the restaurant at number 65 in its 2025 world Top 100 of vegetable restaurants, and Michelin has awarded a Green Star for the garden and the vegetarian menu.
The impact dimensions
Low waste & circular practices✓
Sustainable animal products
Own vegetable garden in the Kruibeke polders supplies 50+ vegetables and 120 edible flowers daily; North Sea fish and cheese from local affineur Michel Van Tricht complement imported premium proteins.
The vegetable and herb sourcing starts in the chef's own 6,000 square metre organic garden in the Kruibeke polders, about 10 kilometres from the restaurant. The garden carries around 50 vegetables and 120 edible flowers that are cut and picked daily and supply the kitchen. Independent trade press records that he prioritises local producers and works closely with suppliers, sourcing regionally where possible.
Cheese is matured by affineur Michel Van Tricht in Antwerp, about 15 kilometres away. North Sea fish (sole, crab, wild turbot) count as local for seafood. The imported premium protein base includes Gillardeau oysters and langoustine from France, Balfegó tuna from Spain, gambero rosso from Sicily, Anjou pigeon, Ito Wagyu from Japan, and Iranian caviar, which sit prominently on the carte.
Dishes developed from the daily harvest and market supply; the Trilogy of Taste menu changes with seasonal availability from the 6,000m² garden.
Michelin describes fresh vegetables and herbs as the backbone of the cooking, with the chef found in the garden when not in the kitchen. The restaurant's own material states that dishes are developed from the harvest of fresh seasonal ingredients and from the daily market supply. The Trilogy of Taste menu composition changes with seasonal availability.
Seasonal rotation is corroborated by dish composition at screening: apricot, cantaloupe and strawberry in the warm-season bracket appear alongside autumn truffle and oca as the year advances. Independent trade press records daily cutting and picking in the garden as the primary quality driver for the cooking.
Fermentation and pickling used for produce preservation; own-garden harvesting removes packaging and limits spoilage.
Fermentation and pickling are cited by the chef as preservation techniques he uses as part of his approach to working with produce; he advocates wider culinary training in these techniques within the profession. Independent trade press records these as deliberate, named practices.
Growing the restaurant's own vegetables and herbs and harvesting them daily to order removes transport and supplier packaging from the vegetable category and limits spoilage. This approach extends the season of fresh produce and keeps surplus out of the waste stream.
Named oysters, tuna and cheese producers; North Sea fish and wild species; full vegetarian menu offset by caviar and Wagyu without welfare certification.
Named and verifiable producers are attached to several animal products: Gillardeau oysters, Balfegó tuna (which operates a published traceability scheme), and cheeses matured by affineur Michel Van Tricht in Antwerp. Species and origin are stated across the carte: North Sea sole, North Sea crab, wild sea bass and turbot, wild mallard, and Anjou pigeon. The restaurant reduces animal volume by offering a complete vegetarian menu at the same price as the classic carte.
The carte also features Beluga caviar sourced from Iran, where Caspian beluga sturgeon is critically endangered, and Wagyu airfreighted from Japan. No MSC, ASC or other animal welfare labels appear on any menu item.
Owner-led since 1999 with professional advocacy for vegetable technique education; Mastercook of Belgium and Alliance Gastronomique membership.
Kris De Roy has been head chef and co-owner since 1999, describing a long standing partnership with his co-owner. The kitchen is described as a driven and enthusiastic team.
Independent trade press records the chef advocating for broader culinary education in traditional vegetable preparation techniques, a knowledge sharing stance within the profession. He holds Mastercook of Belgium membership (2017) and Alliance Gastronomique membership, professional associations.
Complete five-course vegetarian menu (Gina's Choice) at equal price; all appetisers vegetarian; ranked 65 in We're Smart Top 100 vegetables and Michelin Green Star winner.
Vegetables are structurally central. The We're Smart Green Guide lists the restaurant at number 65 in its 2025 world Top 100 of vegetable restaurants and carries its Pure Plant Choices marker, describing near self-sufficiency in produce from the garden plus a pure plant line named Gina's Choice. Michelin states that fresh vegetables and herbs form the backbone of the cooking and has awarded a Green Star citing the garden and the vegetarian alternative. Earlier recognition as Best Vegetable Restaurant of Flanders (2017-2018) and Best Vegetable Restaurant in Belgium (2017) are recorded.
Gina's Choice is a complete five course vegetarian menu at the same price and length as the standard tasting menu. Every menu carries at least one fully vegetarian course and all appetisers are vegetarian. The carte offers two vegetarian starters and two vegetarian mains. Independent trade press reports that roughly one guest in five dines entirely vegetarian.
Sourcing signals
✓
Direct named-farm sourcing
The chef runs a 6,000 square metre organic vegetable and herb garden in the Kruibeke polders carrying around 50 vegetables and 120 edible flowers, cut and picked daily for the kitchen.
Named, verifiable producers appear on the carte: Gillardeau oysters, Balfegó tuna, cheeses matured by affineur Michel Van Tricht in Antwerp, and Anjou pigeon; most are premium non-local producers.
Fermentation and pickling are used for holding garden produce; component preparations including emulsions, chutneys, jus and sorbets are made in the kitchen, and vanilla ice cream is churned to order.
