An international culinary awards show in London has ranked two restaurants in Ghent and Brussels in their top 10 best "vegetable restaurants" in the world.
The annual "We're Smart awards" celebrate chefs who have a focus on fruit and vegetables on their menus.
The awards ceremony took place on Tuesday in London. It is organised by We're Smart, an initiative of vegetable specialist and former Michelin-starred chef Frank Fol.
The We're Smart Green Guide culinary guide gives restaurants worldwide a score of one to five radishes, depending on their creativity with fruit and vegetables and the percentage of plant-based ingredients used. Belgium has 19 restaurants with five radishes.
At Tuesday's revealing of this year’s world ranking, Ghent’s Restaurant Vrijmoed was ranked in 5th position, while Brussels’ Humus x Hortense came in 10th.
Both have dropped by one place, but maintain their place in as the world’s best vegetable restaurants. El Invernadero in Madrid is the world's best for the second year in a row.
"When vegetables are in the hands of a chef who has worked in one of the best restaurants in the country, wonderful things happen," says Belgian chef and founder Frank Fol in a press release about Restaurant Vrijmoed.
With his vegetable menu, Michaël Vrijmoed illustrated "the unlimited creative possibilities and combinations of vegetables, and his constant excellence is rewarded."
L'Air du Temps from Liernu is the third best vegetable restaurant in the country, followed by De Vijf Seizoenen from Brakel and Arabelle Meirlain from Marchin. Then come Menssa (Brussels), Amaranth (Merelbeke), 't Aards Paradijs (Merendree), Zilte (Antwerp) and Patrick Devos (Bruges). Restaurant Entropy in Brussels wins the Belgian Discovery Award.
El Invernadero by chef Rodrigo de la Calle remains the global number one. "His dishes and combinations are not only pure and technically perfect in terms of taste, but the carefully adapted pairing also ensures an exceptionally high-quality experience," says Fol.
