04-07-2023
The dining room of The Jane. Credits Pieter D'Hoop
The eclectic restaurant The Jane is located in Antwerp's pulsating Belgian fashion capital inside the deconsecrated chapel of a former military hospital: a project that took three years to convert to the restaurant as we see it today.
The Jane was opened in 2014 by Holland's most Michelin-starred chef Sergio Herman and Nick Bril: the venue represents the realisation of both of their dreams of a place where design, fine dining and fashion would merge in unison, providing a different, authentic and grand experience. This was made possible by the architects of Piet Boon's Belgian studio and the Lebanese interior designers of .PSLAB.
The exterior of the deconsecrated chapel housing The Jane - Credits Pieter D'Hoop
In 2021, the two chefs ended their seven-year collaboration and today Nick Bril who, among other things, was named this year's Belgian Chef of the Year by Gault & Millau, leads the two-starred restaurant independently.
The protagonist, of course, right after Nick Bril's incredible visionary cuisine, is a spectacular setting illuminated by large stained-glass windows and a mammoth, 800 kg 'chandelier' set in the centre of the restaurant. With over 150 lights, it glow with beauty in every corner of the restaurant, silently preserving the sacredness of the place and maintaining an architectural order that blends perfectly with the church's aisles.
Chef Nick Bril - Credits Pieter D’Hoop
The open-view kitchen is located where the altar used to be, enclosed in a large glass case that allows guests to observe the entire creative process; the modern designer tables are instead positioned in the central aisle.
The chapel's very high ceiling allows for a bar space called Untitled on the upper floor with 35 covers: led by chef Joeri Timmermans, its concept is that of a "bistro" accessible to all budgets and with longer hours than The Jane. The lunch menu (starting at EUR 69 up to EUR 105) includes a light menu, an à la carte menu and an extensive multi-course menu that is also served in the evening.
Untitled-Credits Pieter D’Hoop
Chef Nick Bril started his career at fourteen as a kitchen hand. After completing his apprenticeship in Belgium as a cook, he worked in several award-winning restaurants such as De Kurhaus, Château St. Gerlach and De Librije.
At 19, Nick Bril started working as a sous-chef alongside three-starred chef Sergio Herman in the legendary and historic restaurant Oud Sluis, where he was infected with the 'rock & roll virus' that translated into working for the perfection of dishes but at the same time living in a relaxed environment without the rigid and icy atmosphere of many starred restaurants.
Sommelier Trésor Vets - Credits Pieter D’Hoop
He left the Oud Sluis after four years and took up the position of chef de cuisine at Envy in Amsterdam before returning a year later to Oud Sluis and becoming, at only 24, chef de cuisine alongside Sergio Herman.
Herman and Brill, having been awarded three Michelin stars and the maximum 20 points by the Gault & Millau guide, decided to close the chapter of the Oud Sluis and to throw themselves headlong into the project of The Jane, which received its first star when it opened in 2014 and its second only eight months later.
While being involved in multiple collaborations with artists and attending various festivals where he wants to share the experience of his food, Nick Bril wants to focus 'only' and above all on being a chef. He often travels around the world to experience other cultures, find inspiration, discover new ingredients and approach new flavours.
Besides his passion for cooking, Nick Bril is also a famous DJ and performs at clubs and festivals: gastronomy and music are for him the symbiosis of his total perception of life and love.
‘Entertaining and pleasing people is in my nature. I want to share a little piece of myself with others. It is a perfect outlet, it relaxes me and inspires me as a chef.’ Nick Bril.
The gastronomic experience at The Jane is a five-hour journey that engages the emotions and senses as an unforgettable journey unfolds in which one loses track of time and travels through Europe, Asia and America on a 'single plane ticket'.
The chef is often present at the tables to explain the dishes and their history and this allows a tangible continuum and a privileged contact between his cuisine and the diners.
The dining room staff is one of the most incredible and wonderful we have ever encountered: a team of professionals but above all people driven by indomitable passion and incredible enthusiasm which come across with every course.
Well-deserved standing ovation to the great Trésor Vets who was elected Antwerp Sommelier of the Year in 2023 together with his colleague Aaron Moeraert of Restaurant Zilte. Vets accompanied us with professionalism, simplicity and art along a literally unforgettable path! The Jane is now ranked 23rd in the World's 50 Best.
Below is the incredible 15-course Taste Menu.
Smoked eel, walnut, onion brioche, Old Groendal cheese
Anguilla affumicata, Noce, brioche di cipolla, Old Groendal formaggio
Amberjack Madame Jeantte salad, orange
Cuttlefish Sesame, radicchio, purple artichokes, yakon
Oyster, Balfego caviar, yuzu kosho, butter milk, miso croutons
Lobster 1, Cherry, horseradish, beetroot, bergamot
Lobster 2, Mishima u kari, tapioca, daikon
Codfish, Mimolette cheese, cabbage, pumpkin, gnocchi
Scallop, Jerusalem artichoke, hay and jelly mushroom
Sea bass, Scorzonera truffle, lobster
Buckwheat, green apple, wasabi, celery
Finca la Rioja, burnt cheesecake, Don papa Rum, ace
The petit four
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
Reviews, recommendations and trends from the four corners of the planet, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose
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Partners in life, Josephine QUIntessenza and Elisa ALLocco have always shared a passion for gourmet cuisine which is the inspiration for their travels around the world. Their adventures can be found on their Instagram account @qui_and_all
