The story
Rebelle is a modern French restaurant at Rekkemsestraat 226 in Marke, just outside Kortrijk, and it holds one Michelin star (2026). Martijn Defauw and Tessa D'haene have run the restaurant since October 2017, in a house that was once the oldest in Marke.
Defauw cooks with a clear focus on the product, sourcing fresh ingredients from local producers. Soft textures and contrasting temperatures run through the menu. Gault&Millau awarded the restaurant 16 points (2026), praising the detail and balance in his dishes.
Le Fooding singled out a langoustine dish, lightly fried and served with fermented tomato beurre blanc and XO sauce. The menu also lists North Sea sole with eel and asparagus, and Iberian presa with aubergine and romesco. Strawberry, rhubarb and rose closes the meal, and the langoustine XO course can be added to the seven-course version.
The dining room is minimalist, with earthy tones and natural materials. The building was an old workers' house that underwent a thorough renovation before the restaurant reopened in its current form. Guests can book lunch or dinner, sit at the counter, or reserve the private room.
The sommeliers offer wine pairings for the tasting menu, and they also pour wines and non-alcoholic drinks by the glass. The pairings are chosen to keep the flavors in balance from one course to the next.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
High quality cooking
Trying to get a table at Rebelle is like waiting at the doctor’s office when you haven’t got an appointment. Don’t worry, that’s totally normal. Ever since opening in 2017, its popularity has shot through the roof, as Martijn Defauw and Tessa D’haene (both of whom used to work at Hôtel Damier) continue to hit Kortrijk darlings with gastro-seismic shocks – softening the blow with a dining room that’s cozier than ever with its total cream-colored look. Among an array of knockout dishes, the €155 tasting menu featured: some dynamite ceviche revisited with scallop, daikon and a grapefruit and Ají Amarillo chili vinaigrette; perfectly cooked cod doused in a smoked eel jus and sherry beurre blanc, all dotted with tiny pumpkin balls; the signature langoustine dish in all its splendor (for an extra €35) – lightly fried and served with a sweet and juicy fermented tomato beurre blanc and XO sauce, which Martijn prepares a little less spicy than the way he remembers it from his time in China; or the dashing roast pigeon that was delicious as hell with its soubise sauce made with Cévennes onions, shaved winter truffle, vadouvan (an Indian spice mix) oil, a cheesy Flandrien Grand Cru cream and parsnip purée, paired with a ragu-filled fritter and grated cured pigeon heart. Quite possibly our favorite meal of the year – and it’s only January 10th! // Casimir
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