Items Experienced:
Crisp Cannelloni with Carrots and…read more5-Spice, Beet Root with Tzatziki and Cucumber, Eel with Sour Cream and Peas
Chicken Stew in Aspic on Toast with Fennel, Goose Liver Mousse with Cumin, Mushroom and Quail Egg Croquette
Whole Seed Sourdough, Local Butter with Fleur de Sel
Slow Cooked Beef with Soy Sauce, Honey, Cabbage / Whiting with Choron Sauce
Marinated Mackerel - Radish, Lovage, Barbeque Sourdough
Goose Liver Terrine - Brioche, Radishes, Apple, Crème Fraiche
Barbeque Goose Liver - Onions, Beets, Coffee, Sweet n' Sour
Baked Goose Liver- Morels, Eggplant, Hazelnut, Artichoke, Mushroom Broth
Haddock - Mousseline Potatoes, Onions, Grilled Gerkin, Carrots, Sandcrab Broth
Crepe Normande - Apple, Vanilla Ice Cream, Calvados
Strawberries - Lime, Rhubarb, Speculoos
Trained at De Karameliet, where he met wife Sandra, Filip Claeys' De Jonkman has held two Michelin Stars since 2011 and now poised to become Bruges top table when Geert Van Heecke closes the doors at year's end the small restaurant at Maalse Steenweg 438 seemed a perfect way to finish a trek through the best of the best in Belgium, a lovely seat overlooking the courtyard offered for Saturday lunch.
No doubt a skilled man, several years of training with some of Europe's finest Chefs teaching Claeys a respect for the garden, soil and sea that is evident in plates where sizable proteins find themselves paired to the season in full bloom, De Jonkman is housed in a renovated home that sits far off the road and with whimsical art including such oddities as penguins with rocket packs the primary dining room looks outward where floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the space in light.
Leisurely in pace, like most upscale restaurants located throughout Belgium, lunch at De Jonkman began with a total of six small bites followed by an amuse in two services, the Beef, Chicken Stew and Croquette all setting a high standard for the plates that followed while service was a little bit stiff, the younger staff members at least friendly and gracious while the woman later identified as the restaurant's matriarch was rarely seen without a scowl on her face.
Having opted for the "Market Menu" plus two supplements, the cost about €40 more than the restaurant's longest degustation but turning into more courses by way of a three-part Goose Liver presentation, proper plates began with a meaty filet of Mackerel served alongside Lovage and Radishes with Sourdough from "a Big Green Egg," the fish nicely balanced by way of the marinade while the bitter vegetables played well off smoky notes as between-bite refreshment.
Nibbling on Bread while awaiting more, the music spanning Top-40 American tunes from recent years past, the supplementary course got started by way of Goose Liver Terrine served with a warm Brioche for spreading, the accoutrements ranging bitter, sweet and sour with the following Barbeque presentation continuing the concept by way of not only its Sauce but also Beets and Coffee while the generous baked lobe was smooth and rich alongside bold flavors of Morels, Artichokes and 'Earth.'
Ordering all fish from local purveyors, the Haddock line-caught just the night before, savories wrapped with another large filet accompanied by traditional flavors brought to new light by the broth of crushed Sand Crabs, the decision not to offer any sort of 'pre-dessert' or palate cleanser an unfortunate one as water did little to cleanse the lingering umami for the sweets that were soon to follow.
Told that De Jonkman's 'Pancake' was something worth seeking out, the Crepe Normande crisp on the exterior with Apples caramelized into the buttery dough by way of cooking at a very high temperature, those looking for a boozy dessert will be glad to know that Claeys does not skimp when it comes to the addition of Calvados, the actual menu dessert of Garden Strawberries with Lime Sorbet and Speculoos cookies sweet yet nicely balanced by Rhubarb while the meal was sparred of any sort of Mignardises because "classic restaurants only offer them with coffee" according to Sandra...a strange comment considering her previous employer with Three Stars just down the road serves them to each and every diner.
