The story
Neon at Barbara-Vettersplein 4 in Lier is a seasonal, vegetable-led kitchen run by chef Nils Proost and Annelies Tersago, rated 15 by Gault&Millau in 2026. The restaurant fills the old refectory of the École Normale de Lierre, and the entrance is on Berlaarsestraat 31.
Proost works under the motto "Waste is just an opinion." Peels, trimmings and stale bread crusts become ingredients in their own right. One Le Fooding visit described tender cod with morels in a sauce made from fermented asparagus peelings from the previous year, plus the first wild garlic of the season. Vegetables and fruit lead the menu, while North Sea fish and local meat play a supporting part. The kitchen calls the balance between them its end goal.
The year is split into seasons, with an Indian Summer in September and October. The Summer '26 menu opens with bouillon, crudités, charcuterie and a dip. It continues with pointed pepper with strawberry and goat's yoghurt, then crayfish with rose and raspberry. Grilled mussels with artichoke and veal sweetbread with apricot and XO girolles follow. Dessert pairs chocolate with kriek cherry and summer herbs. Dinner is seven courses and lunch is four, each with a wine or juice pairing. Vegetarian menus are available.
Lawrence Auwerx of dhulst' architect studio gave the room its Scandi-chic look. The entrance desk belonged to Tersago's great-grandfather, the chairs come from the old math department, and the cutlery trolley has a terrazzo finish by Studio Beton. Proost and Tersago ran Petit Cuistot for ten years before opening here.
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'Waste is just an opinion.' Under that sustainability motto, chef Nils Proost transforms peels, trimmings, and stale bread crusts into surprisingly flavorful ingredients. They belong perfectly in his labor-intensive and visually high-sta...
Forget lunch boxes with sad looking sandwiches… The old school refectory of the École Normale de Lierre has been transformed into a much more tempting canteen, thanks to Nils Proost and Annelies Tersago – classy AF. After 10 years running their restaurant, Petit Cuistot, the pair wanted something new with Scandi-chic vibes, brought to life by Lawrence Auwerx from dhulst’ architect studio. Here, old school becomes cool: the vintage desk sitting in the entrance belonged to Annelies’ great-grandfather, Louis Dos, the chairs come from the math department and the cutlery trolley has been glossed in terrazzo by Studio Beton in Heist Op Den Berg. After a few appetizers (sublime asparagus from Lierse Asperges, sliced and served with smoked egg custard and parsley oil), tender cod with morel mushrooms doused in a sauce made from last year’s (fermented) asparagus peelings and the first wild garlic shoots of the season; and for dessert, a rhubarb and beet jam with magnolia granita. // Kiko Zushi
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