My Jong Keukengeweld experience

I hope most of you have seen and tried the special “Jong Keukengeweld “event? This was an initiative from ‘Vlaanderen Lekkerland’ that selected 48 young chefs, both new upcoming (as Stephanie Wouters, Michel Timmermans, etc…) as set talent like 2 Michelin start chef Gert De Mangeleer (Hertog Jan), were young people between age of 18 and 30 could eat a 3 course menu for 45 euro’s including wine and water. So Basically By and For young people, something that I really encourage!! So obviously I also wanted to go to one of these restaurants as I’m still not 30 years old (lucky me). The choice wasn’t easy, because they ALL looked great and inviting, but out of the 48, I made a list 6 from which I made my choice… The restaurant I picked was Pand 19 . Located in the heart of the Flemish Ardennes in a place well known by all you cyclists out there Geraardsbergen (from Wall of Geraardsbergen).

Anyhow, back to the food. What I didn’t know before I went to this restaurant, is that chef Ann De Roy is actually the sister of Kris De Roy chef of ‘Hofke van Bazel’ (a very renowned restaurant near Antwerp).

I have to admit that the location of the restaurant was really superb, with a view over the hills and valleys of Geraardsbergen . I really like that a lot, it calms me 🙂 (ZEN)

It was a beautiful day, but too bad it was too cold that night to sit outside 😦

When we entered the restaurant, I really fell in love with the interior, it was really nice, this was actually a color we wanted to use in our home.

One thing I must really say, Pieter, Ann’s husband really looks a lot like our former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt ! I wanted to take a picture, but that would have been awkward 🙂 , nevertheless the whole staff was friendly, it was pretty busy, so they couldn’t give us their full attention (but that’s very understandable). My start was already wonderful, we started with a nice glass of Champagne.

And man I really had the best view ever, basically the best of two worlds. At my front left and right I had the kitchen (so I could see everything) and right in front of me my beloved girlfriend.

But ofcourse I didn’t come to this restaurant to see, but to eat 🙂

The ‘Jong Keukengeweld’ menu was first some Tuna Tartare with fine vegetables and pickles (a yellow mayonnaise-based sauce with turmeric, mustard and crunchy vegetable chunks) mayonnaise . Served with a German Silvaner Trocken Weingut Sander wine. Our main course was Wilde duck with chicory, madras curry and appel/potatoe puffs, this dish got accompanied by an Italian wine from the Piemonte region (as if they knew) “La Luna del Rospo, Silente (Barbera doc). The dessert they gave us were pancakes (thin ones, not the American kind) with cinnamon, apples and calvados icecream. Overall a very nice dinner, only the dessert didn’t really convince me(but that’s a matter of taste)