Commotie

Got a kink for food and a fetish for highway stops? Then, listen up: come get a lashing’s full at Commotie! Located along the N70, chef Thomas Gellynck and sommelier Lara De Vlieger’s plush villa is a Magritian dream for fire-loving aesthetes, with its captivating kitchen show staged around the roaring flames. The unforgettable surprise menu featured: a fresh and punchy Zeeland flat oyster shaken up with sour cream and soy sauce pearls; a trompe-l’oeil of smoky cabbage stuffed with pas-de-rouge cheese – enough to render Cédric Grolet, the star pastry chef at Le Meurice, speechless; a joyful orgy of pâté, ragout and beet juice, with a lustful cured egg yolk also getting in on the action; sublime monkfish cured in charcoal butter and a huge bunch of dill, moistened with a creamy fish bone broth, met grilled asparagus and a fermented jus; scrumptious herby mashed potatoes with lardo di Colonnata, pushing the vice even further with a buttermilk foam and Imperial Heritage Belgian caviar, chased by a shot of Dada Chapel vodka and nutmeg; zero-waste lamb kebab with pickled cime di rapa and shallots on a mini yogurt flatbread – and a hearty dusting of grated dried lamb’s heart as an added bonus; lamb chop dry-aged for two weeks, adorned with wild garlic béarnaise, salsify and olive powder; before a Conference pear tartare served with a comforting oatmeal ice cream. Sounds a bit pretentious, right? Wrong! The disco-house playlist and sincerely attentive staff quickly loosen you up – the important thing is that you get your kicks! // Rosa Poulsard

Behind the facade of a villa on the green fringe of Ghent lies Commotie, where fire and seasonal ingredients take center stage. Chef Thomas Gellynck cooks inventively with wild foraging and fermentation. At the dining counter by the open fire, a Japanese ge&i... is served.