You pay for each dish with tokens, priced at €1 each. To give you an idea of what’s on offer and how much they cost, I’ve put together a sample stroll through Taste of Antwerp. All restaurants mentioned are participating, and their menu items are confirmed. But these are just the tip of the iceberg; see the website for the full list.
First, stop for a thirst-quencher at the Bolleke stand on site. Bolleke is local dialect for De Koninck beer, and Taste of Antwerp shares the spotlight this weekend with the annual Bollekesfeest beer festival.
Take your beer with you as you go in search of the perfect starter. The Cuisine Serge stand beckons. Chef Serge Lhoest is a caterer and seafood specialist, so I make my appetisers oysters (2 tokens) and tuna Carpaccio (4).
Moving right along, Grand Café Patrasche grabs my attention with its gastronomic beer and food pairings. I plump for their homemade cheese croquette with Fleur d’Ardenne ham and Liefmans Goudenband beer (8 tokens).
At this point I’m in the mood for something more substantial. So I make my way to the Petrus stand where beef specialist and personal chef Petrus Eggers is serving up a steak known as The Massacre, with smoked witloof, beef marrow, thyme, shallots and a truffle sauce (15 tokens). Or try a plate combining three different Petrus steak creations (19 tokens).
Patisserie Manus is a regular at Taste of Antwerp and commands one of the biggest stands; you can’t miss it. Let pastry chef Herman Janssens spoil you for choice, be it Profiteroles (soesjes) with crème anglaise, coffee crumble, vanilla marshmallow and chocolate powder engulfed in warm chocolate sauce (8 tokens) or Tiramisu made with coffee panna cotta, crushed speculoos, mascarpone mousse, milk foam and a tiramisu macaroon (also 8).
New this year, for real foodies, Taste of Antwerp also features a central platform where star chefs prepare multi-course menus before your eyes at specially reserved tables (register online for this three-hour royal treatment: Premium or Platinum arrangement, €99 or €124 respectively). Leading restaurant guide GaultMillau bagged five Antwerp chefs for this event: Viki Geunes of ’t Zilte (located on the ninth floor of the new MAS Museum), Johan Segers of ’t Fornuis, Olivier de Vinck of Kommilfoo, Jo Bussels of Radis Noir and Roger van Damme of Het Gebaar.
And, as anybody who’s ever been to a summer festival in Belgium can attest, there’s more to Taste of Antwerp than just eating and drinking. A festive atmosphere is guaranteed with music by top DJs and cooking demonstrations by TV celebrities such as Lesley-Ann Poppe, Johan Engelen and Piet Huysentruyt.
Waalse Kaai and Vlaamse Kaai
Thurs 18 AUG 18.00-00.00, Fri 19 AUG 16.00-00.00, Sat 20 AUG: 13.00-00.00 and Sun 21 AUG 10.00-23.00
Thirty Antwerp restaurants in one place
Contact Bite at flandersbite@gmail.com
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