Adventurous and affordable haute cuisine at Lake Donk TEXT: MAYA WITTERS | PHOTOS: RESTAURANT LIJSTERBES
Restaurant Lijsterbes in Berlare is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, but chef and owner Geert Van der Bruggen has no thoughts of slowing down anytime soon. He looks back on 30 years of highs, growth and changes with contentment: “Let them give the Michelin stars to the young guns, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just having fun.” Lijsterbes exploded onto the Flemish culinary landscape 30 years ago: after a mere two and a half years in business, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. It was a blessing and a curse, attests Van der Bruggen: “It’s a nice recognition, but it puts the pressure on you to keep that star. You keep adding new things, 68 | Issue 72 | December 2019
expanding your menu, it becomes more and more expensive, and in the end, you lose touch with the essence of your business: to provide people with good food.”
Open for more Four years ago, Van der Bruggen had enough of the race to the top and decided to change the Lijsterbes formula completely. “We really wanted to be more accessible, to be able to provide more people with a great culinary experience without the usual price tag or the stiff, formal atmosphere of many haute cuisine restaurants.” It meant losing the long-cherished Michelin star, but Van der Bruggen doesn’t mind. “Our prices have dropped,
but the quality of the food hasn’t! Our motto is now ‘open for more’, a guiding principle for our menu and service. Let them give the Michelin stars to the young guns, it doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’m just having fun now.”
Cooking with nature Lijsterbes operates a seasonal menu that changes regularly and champions local, seasonal products, cooked to perfection to let the natural flavours shine. “Our rotisserie spit is a central tenet of the kitchen,” explains Van der Bruggen. “We use it to cook meat, but also vegetables and even desserts. It creates an indirect heat, which means a slower cooking process that brings out the flavour of each ingredient.”