De Jonkman

Filip Claeys is mad about fish. The grandson of a fisherman, he founded NorthSeaChefs, which endeavours to encourage consumers to eat lesser known and accidentally caught fish. Equally at home with red meat and top-drawer ingredients like langoustine, he loves wowing diners with dogfish. The menu always indicates the origin of the boats that supply the fish. Claeys’ style is inventive and unconventional, as delicate sauces and vinaigrettes showcase his classical training, whilst allowing his personality to shine through as he adapts to today’s trends. For example, he crafts flawlessly fresh North Sea crab in a court bouillon, adding pumpkin and then pairing it with three knockout sauces: crab and roe sauce, a walnut and fresh cream sauce and a seaweed oil sauce. Each sauce is designed to reveal and unveil a different facet of the crab without smothering its delicate taste in a bid to highlight its essence. The friendly, home-from-home vibe that reigns throughout the stylish establishment makes it feel as if you’re enjoying a meal with friends. Let the sommelier guide you in choosing just the right wine to pair with your food. Heaven for foodies, this elegant restaurant sports a designer interior dotted with wooden fixtures and fittings.

• Passion for Lesser-Known Fish and Transparency of Origin: Chef Filip Claeys, grandson of a fisherman, focuses on promoting lesser-known and accidentally caught fish, such as dogfish, and always indicates the origin of the boats supplying the fish on the menu. This dedication to underutilized seafood is rare and highlights sustainability and traceability in fine dining.

• Innovative Multi-Sauce Presentation: De Jonkman’s signature dish of North Sea crab is served with three distinct sauces—crab and roe, walnut and fresh cream, and seaweed oil—each designed to reveal different facets of the crab’s flavor without overwhelming it. This layered approach to taste is unconventional and showcases the chef’s inventive style.

• Personalized Cheese Board Experience with Beer Pairing: Instead of a traditional dessert or wine pairing, De Jonkman offers a personalized cheese board tailored to guests’ preferences through a short quiz, featuring cheeses from various regions including local farms. This is paired with an Oude Gueuze beer, whose sour and sherry-like sweetness complements the cheese, reflecting a unique Belgian flavor focus and a creative departure from classic wine pairings.

The most honored or signature ingredients at the Michelin-starred restaurant De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis are:

• North Sea crab: Featured in a signature dish where the crab is cooked in a court bouillon with pumpkin and served with three distinct sauces (crab and roe sauce, walnut and fresh cream sauce, seaweed oil sauce). These sauces are crafted to highlight different facets of the crab's delicate flavor without overpowering it.

• Grey shrimp (North Sea shrimp): Central to a signature dish called "message in a bottle," which includes various preparations of grey shrimp—deep-fried, fresh, jelly, and pan-fried—served with a light hollandaise sauce and pickled celeriac. This dish celebrates the uniqueness of local Flemish grey shrimp and emphasizes pride in local cuisine.

• Langoustine: Used in a dish with smoky barbecue flavors, paired with light tomato stock, broad beans, peas, and pea puree, showcasing the chef's inventive style and focus on seafood.

These ingredients reflect the restaurant's commitment to local, high-quality seafood, especially from the North Sea, and the chef Filip Claeys' roots as the grandson of a fisherman. The dishes are inventive, with delicate sauces and accompaniments designed to enhance the natural flavors of these prized seafood items.