Hof van Cleve in Belgium 3 Michelin stars

[paulbrussel]

Although the Michelin Guide 2004 for the Benelux will be published only on 30/1/2004, it has already been announced that the restaurant Hof van Cleve in the village Kruishoutem in Belgium will get it's third Michelin star.

Furthermore, the Guide GaultMillau 2004 announced yesterday that this restaurant will get 19.5 out of 20 (Belgium edition to be published early February, in which France is integrated as well).

For several years now, Hof van Cleve is considered to be one of the best, if not the best restaurant in Belgium.

The chef Peter Goossens is one of those young, innovative cuisiniers.

19.5 out of 20 by GM must be considered very high as well of course, given that only Marc Veyrat was given more than 19 out of 20 last year. Only in former years, GM used to give 19.5 out of 20.

The other restaurants with three Michelin stars in Belgium are:

Comme chez soi (Pierre Wynants), Brussels

Bruneau (Jean-Pierre Bruneau père), Brussels

De Karmeliet (Geert Van Hecke), Brugge

Some people consider the restaurant Clos St Denis in Vliermaal also worth a third star (as I do), but it sill has only two Michelin stars.

[paulbrussel]

The rumours were not correct: Hof van Cleve did not get it's third star!

However: the 19.5/20 in GaultMillau is correct.

And the (bad) news about Belgium is that the chef Jean-Pierre Bruneau lost it's third star.

Nevertheless, I dined there last evening and there was no significant change and it still remains for me one of the best, more modern kitchens in Belgium.

[paulbrussel]

Finally, today in the Michelin Guide Benelux, chef Peter Goossens of restaurant Hof van Cleve got its thirs star!

[paulbrussel]

Belgium

Kruishoutem, Hof van Cleve: ***

De Panne, Le Fox **

(7 new one star restaurants)

Netherlands

Giethoorn, De Lindenhof **

Schipluiden, De Zwetheul **

(9 new one star restaurants)

Luxemburg

Luxemburg-Grund, Mosconi **

[paulbrussel]

Another scandal about the credibility of Michelin broke out after the presentation of the Michelin Guide Benelux 2005 in Maastricht last Monday.

It became known that the restaurant Ostend Queen got a bib gourmand, although it opened only on 7 January 2005, whilst the guide came from the printer already in December 2004.

This implied that Michelin gave a bib gourmand to a restaurant which could not have been visited by the staff / inspectors of Michelin.

First the director made a bagatelle of the problem. But the press suggested that since the chef had worked at a two star restaurant, but over more, since the supervising chef is the best known chef of Belgium (Pierre Wynants of Brussels three starred restaurant Comme chez soi), Michelin gave already for their reputation the bib gourmand, after Wynants had contacted the guide.

However, Michelin states in all the guides that no restaurant will appear in the guides when it has not been visited. Now, even an important award as a bib gourmand is, was given to a non-existing restaurant...

Today, Michelin made public that all 60.000 Benelux guides will be returned and taken out of sale; the corrected version of the Benelux guide should be published before the first of March.

Damage already has affected Michelin again, I am afraid.

Edited January 27, 2005 by paulbrussel (log)

[Bux]

Reactions to the award of a Bib Gourmand to an unopened restaurant and the recall of the Benelux guide from both the press and members are the topic of a thread in the Food Media & News Forum. Please join the discussion there.

This subject has also been brought up in the Chat with Derek Bulmer the head of the Michelin Guilde in the UK.