Discover Benelux | Restaurant of the Month | Oesterbar Restaurant Venitien
Tailor-made dining with a perfect view TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS: RESTAURANT VENITIEN
If you ask anybody in Blankenberge where to find quality food and enjoy a great view, most will advise you to go to Restaurant Venitien on the Zeedijk. For nearly 40 years, the restaurant run by the Wymeels family - has been serving nothing but excellent food. “People can engineer their meals based on their dietary wishes, including the size of the portions,” explains Katerine Vergote, who has been working at Venitien for 27 years alongside her husband Jurgen Wymeels. “Some people have allergies or just can’t finish a regular portion. That can take away the pleasures of dining out. By designing their own meals, we make sure guests can enjoy our menu either way. For instance, you can have the standard codfish, or take a smaller portion and supplement it with different side dishes and sauces. We can prepare it any way you want.” Venitien opened its doors in 1970 on the famous Zeedijk in Blankenberge, one of the most beautiful spots along the Belgian coast. The influences of the Belle Epoque era are all around, on cosy squares and in narrow streets. “You are 74 | Issue 55 | July 2018
literally just a few steps away from the beach and the North Sea. You can taste the richness that the North Sea has to offer,” smiles Vergote.
you dine at Venitien. “The perfect spot to enjoy the best of the North Sea.”
Ten years ago, Venitien redecorated the restaurant completely with the help of Antoine Pinto, the famous Portuguese interior designer who has designed restaurants in Brussels, Paris and Lisbon. “We wanted something perfect. I had seen multiple designs from Pinto,” remembers Vergote. “I never thought he would be interested in working with us. Still, I contacted him and it turned out he was!” When entering Venitien, you feel as though you are walking into a warm galley of an old sailing ship. There is a lot of wood and leather, and the floor is just like one you would find in a ship. The restaurant also has a terrace, right on the beach. For those who want to stay in Blankenberge for a few days and fully experience the city, Venitien has multiple apartments to rent, right above the restaurant. Excellent food, fully tailored to every wish, in one of the most beautiful places of Belgium; that is what you get when
Web: www.venitien.be