Arabelle Meirlaen

Arabelle Meirlaen crafts a highly personal version of healthy food, guided by her intuition and a desire to shine the spotlight on veggies and spices. In fact, a large proportion of the fresh produce comes from her own garden (which boasts an exquisite terrace come summertime). Meirlaen merges intuition with elegance and is unafraid of the odd bold touch, whilst steering clear of the trap of surprising us at all costs. You can expect an unusual lineup of light dishes, depicted by full-bodied generous flavours. Floral aromas are something of her hallmark. In addition to a vegetarian menu, she provides an “intuitive menu” in which she elegantly crafts meat and/or fish, while her fragrant signature desserts are to die for! How about thin slices of watermelon, marinated in rice vinegar and then poached at a low temperature? All of which is served on a seaweed salad with a creamy goat’s cheese, sesame seeds and uda pepper. This knock-out recipe embodies the chef’s culinary delicacy. The excellent wines of the owner-sommelier, who enjoys working around themes, bring an added dimension to the meal. To finish, take the time to explore the pretty country village of Marchin before or after (or both) your meal. The bright interior of the splendid restaurant provides the perfect foil to the natural instinctive character and cooking of this master chef!