04-05-2018
Michaël Vrijmoed and the extraordinary fish from the North Sea
"Ghent is an emblem for the Michelin Guide: three more stars" was the title of a piece in Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad in November, when speaking of the climb to the Olympus of food of this beautiful Flemish town, which this year has even more étoiles from the Red Guide shining (only five years ago, there was only one remarkable restaurant for the French guide): all in all, five one-star restaurants and a two-star one, Vrijmoed in Vlaanderenstraat 22, which is named after its chef-patron, Michaël Vrijmoed, a pure gentenaar born in 1980, previously one of The Flanders Kitchen Rebels. To use the words of Michelin, "he matches complex and refined tastes with a soft spot for vegetables. He uses his creativity wisely. His dishes always have a soul. You’ll surrender". A very positive and well-deserved review.
Peter Goossens (three stars at Hof Van Cleve) and, to his right, Michaël Vrijmoed, in a photo from a few years ago
The dining room at Vrijmoed
The brigade at Vrijmoed
Scampi with beetroot wrapped in salt, orange confit, vinaigrette with vanilla and orange
Ravioli with spinach, seaweeds and tofu, sesame, marinated spinach, consommé of Matcha tea
Eel with green herbs
Jerusalem artichoke soup with black garlic foam and Parmigiano
Poached and roasted skrei, seaweed salad, asparagus and yuzu confit
Vrijmoed’s ideas belong to a contemporary cuisine, which during our tasting in Bergamo he interpreted in rich, elegant dishes with a strong presence of chlorophyll but balanced to harmonise the fresh "green" flavour with the other components. As in Eel with green herbs, a dish in the menu in Ghent, in which the fatness of the meat is softened by the vegetal ingredients. The same applies to the Poached and roasted skrei, seaweed salad, asparagus and yuzu confit (skrei is an ancient cod - Gadus Morhua – caught in Norway from January to April). The delicious Jerusalem artichoke soup with black garlic and parmigiano, and before that the remarkable Ravioli with spinach, seaweeds and tofu, sesame, marinated spinach, consommé of Matcha tea.
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
An outdoor trip or a journey to the other side of the planet? One thing is for sure: the destination is delicious, by Carlo Passera
by
journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief