Lou Stejskal

After an amazing dinner last night in Ghent at Chambre Séparée, this morning I drove about an hour West to the coast to visit Restaurant Willem Hiele Fine Dining in the town of Koksijde.
I am amazed this place does not have more recognition from the Michelin guide. It really was a spectacular meal. Willem cooks using herbs and vegetables from his own garden, locally sourced meat and seafood only from the North Sea which is only a few hundred yards away. The food is inventive and delicious.
Even though Willem and his wife have been running this restaurant for 6 years now, he still spends his spare time flying off to do stages in other restaurants in order to gain even more experience. Recently he has done stages under Mikael Jonsson at Hedone in London and Bittor Arguinzoniz at Etxebarri in the Basque Country.
This goes some way to explaining why I enjoyed Willem’s cooking so much as he chose to stage under two of my favourite chefs on the planet.
Anyway, as you may be able to deduce, I liked this meal a lot and I highly recommend you visit if you are in the area, or like me, even if you are not in the area.
Thanks to Lou for the rec.

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The plantains at Ikoyi were my intro to West African food. Ikoyi restaurant uses British ingredients, putting their own modern twist into bringing Nigerian flavors, techniques and spice combinations to London.

CHEF: Jeremy Chan

2018 OAD Top 100+ European Gourmet Casual No. 73
FULL ALBUM: https://www.flickr.com/photos/loustejskal/albums/72157690708744610 Less

OAD Japan Meets Iceland dinner in London
Featuring dishes by

Vijhalmur Sigurdarson | Souvenir | Ghent, Belgium
Kári Porsteinsson | Dill | Reykjavik, Iceland
Yoji Tokuyoshi | Tokuyoshi Milan, Italy
Atsushi Tanaka | A.T. | Paris, France

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/1Y6M3Lje8qM
BLOG: https://loustejskal.com/2018/04/16/oad-japan-meets-iceland/
FULL ALBUM: https://www.flickr.com/photos/loustejskal/albums/72157695693446284 Less

Michelin-starred brewpub. Multi-functional space for food, beer, wine, coffee, or snacks, all to be enjoyed in their respective nooks. Revisit and explore.

CHEF: Ian Davis
TIP: Order the life-changing omelette.
BLOG: https://loustejskal.com/2018/04/29/band-of-bohemia/

*Prices reflective of the a la carte menu. Photos show portions from our customized tasting. Less

This cozy restaurant is a place I could go to once a week. This was my most relaxing and satisfying meal during my trip to London. While Noble Rot Restaurant & Wine Bar is known for their wines, the food by Paul Weaver, formerly of The Sportsman and St John's, is worth a try if visiting London. Solid.

CHEF: Paul Weaver
BLOG: https://loustejskal.com/2018/04/24/noble-rot-restaurant-wine-bar/ Less

We drove just past the border from Denmark to Sweden arriving at a cozy, 150-year old farmhouse. Daniel Berlin stood in the doorway waiting to greet us as we got out of the car.

After a few courses, Daniel presented his signature celeriac demonstration. Then we were asked to go to the entry, grab a blanket, and head outside. Small bonfires beckoned us to walk down the steps and we were handed a cup of mushroom broth and invited to snack on battered artichokes kept warm in a cast iron pan. We explored the other buildings and rooms then headed back inside. Dinner continued as a vegetable-forward meal with any meat dishes coming from Daniel’s own hunting excursions.

After what we thought was our final course, we were asked to step outside once again, this time taking the path to the greenhouse, where we enjoyed candies, coffee, tea and a nightcap by candlelight.

Great friends, a starry night, and really feeling the connection with our food. The night was magical and I was charmed.

Daniel Berlin. Excelling in all corners of what a unique, humble, fine dining experience can be. Two Michelin stars. Well-deserved.

Chef: Daniel Berlin
Dinner Menu: $218
Wine Pairing: $159
Juice Menu: $77

2018 Michelin ⭐️⭐️
2017 World’s 50 Best #93
2017 OAD Top 100+ European #13 Less

An impressive, 10-course dinner, run by two alums of one of Chicago's oldest-standing French restaurants, Les Nomades.

The tables are custom-built to house each dining party's own microgreen garden. The greens serve as palate cleansers in between courses and diners are guided as to which courses will be heightened by adding it to their plate.

While courses were creative and whimsical, there was a mature understanding of when a splatter should be a splatter and why. The adornment of flowers and herbs felt purposeful and the dishes were beautifully constructed, not overly-tweezed.

I may have been sitting under a speaker because the music levels made it hard to hear, but it was the strong, classical cooking skills brought forward into their own modern style, that won me over.

Chefs: Sam Plotnick and Don Young
Menu: $125
Pairings: $95
2019 Michelin ⭐️

BLOG: https://loustejskal.com/2018/04/12/temporis/ Less