The story
Le Cirque, at Nieuwe Baan 88b in Belsele (Sint-Niklaas), serves a modern kitchen with classical touches and appears in the Michelin Guide as Recommended for 2026.
Nicky Van Goethem builds his creative cooking on fresh daily produce, adds Eastern accents and likes a technical flourish. The result is light rather than heavy. Gault&Millau gives the restaurant 12 points in 2026 and describes an accessible style with pared-back combinations.
The Menu Le Cirque changes with the seasons and runs to three, four or five courses. A spring version paired gravad lax with Moroccan couscous salad and guacamole, and served sea bass on the skin with asparagus and fregola sarda. Slow-cooked guinea fowl came with patatas bravas and shiitake. The summer edition lists langoustine with pulpo and bouillabaisse jus, and Presa Iberico with a bitterbal made from the cheeks. Dessert might be mango with white chocolate, or a cheese selection from Inge Schoonvliet for a supplement.
On Monday evenings the kitchen puts the menu aside and sends out Crazy Monday, an eight-part surprise menu at €59 per person. Examples include trout with sea vegetable, lobster with smoked goose liver, and scallop with asparagus. Sunday has its own all-in formula, with aperitif, wines matched through the main course, and coffee.
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