in antwerp, belgium (jan’24)

headed to antwerp for a weekend earlier this year as a break from london. hertog jan now prizes itself on its japanese fusion cooking, with some nordic influences and predominantly dutch produce. not normally a fan of this type of cooking especially in europe because of how much this term ‘japanese fusion’ has been abused, but i think hertog jan is one of the better renditions.

highlights were the starter and of course his take in the take on brussels waffle. caviar explosion consisting of 4 types of ‘caviar’ - caviar, salmon roe, mullet roe and finger-lime was surprisingly nice, ‘toro no toro’ where they use sustainable cured beef tartare to replace the tuna was also nice. wild turbot grilled in binchotan was nice, especially the engawa, the lobster ragout i didn’t understand cuz it was a bunch of stuff mixed together with a rich like buttermilk sauce. brioche with seaweed butter was lovely and so was the grilled and smoked duck. cheese course was another highlight today, especially loved the cheese ‘pudding.’ dessert was a sweetcorn and popcorn with black truffles and ended on a high note with a canele and whole brussels waffle. a solid meal, nice experience, a good fine dining option in the area.

menu ‘omakase’: (€360)
✨caviar explosion
✨‘toro no toro’
kombu aged royal belgian caviar
hamachi ‘crudo’
wild turbot, vin jaune
ragout from breton lobster
bread service
duck, grilled & smoked with beurre rouge
✨‘say cheese’
‘save room for dessert’
✨‘sweet memories’
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would revisit: try once
reservations: yes
price range pp: €300-€600
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📍HERTOG JAN AT THE BOTANIC
location: botanic sanctuary, lange gasthuisstraat 41, 2000 antwerpen
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