Bistro Biggles is unique in its location on the first floor of the airport, with windows that encircle the round dining room, giving ultimate visibility onto the terrace (on warmer days), runway and landing strip. The name refers to the comic strip hero Biggles, a fictional fighter pilot in the Second World War.

Our party of three is initially impressed by several things: the overall classy atmosphere, vintage aviation memorabilia, leather place settings, open kitchen and smartly dressed servers. It’s enough to make us order an aperitif, a habit I usually reserve for special occasions only. Our lemon squash and gin & tonics come with olives and fresh crusty bread with high-quality olive oil. Then we’re treated to a refreshing teaser of salmon sashimi with radish, onion and seaweed.

We unanimously decide on the menu suggestion on the chalkboard (€55 with paired wines or €39.50 without) and are immediately blown away by the first course. A single scallop rests atop a bed of sautéed leeks, hand-peeled North Sea shrimp and diced tomatoes in a lemony, buttery sauce. What the scallop lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, as it’s of good size, lightly browned and soft and juicy inside.

Seasonally appropriate, the main dish is venison fillet with wild mushrooms, chasseur sauce and savoy cabbage puree. The thick slices are expertly cooked to a rare, deep-red centre and have a subtle gamey flavour, greatly enhanced by the meaty sauce. The accompanying savoy puree is silky smooth and wonderfully earthy, as are the mushrooms.

Chef Nic Vanderbeeken and headwaiter Stefaan Vanrenterghem call their version of French cuisine “the better bistro cuisine”. That’s an understatement, I conclude, after tasting the dessert of fluffy homemade chocolate mousse topped with dehydrated strawberries and a dash of raspberry sauce. Another friend opts for a generous whipped cream-topped Irish coffee and doesn’t regret it.

Chef Nic’s number one priority is the use of top quality products such as Iberian pork and Belgian Blue-White beef. There are also a lot of intestines on the menu: brains, kidneys, sweetbreads, etc. All sauces are made fresh, and the fries are hand cut, as it should be. “My personal favourite dish on the menu is veal cheeks with risotto, wild mushrooms and salsify,” Nic says. "That’s the meal that got Biggles a mention in the Gault-Millau.”

Our bill ends up at about €57 apiece. If you come during the day, Biggles also offers a very reasonably priced two-course lunch menu at €16. And you don’t have to dine to enjoy the view; in the afternoon, you can go there just for a drink and a spot of plane watching.

www.bistrobiggles.be

Luchthavenstraat 1, Wevelgem-Kortrijk; 056.37.33.00
Thurs-Mon 12.00-14.00 & 19.00-22.00; Tue 12.00-14.00
Mains: €15-€25
Classy restaurant inside an airport terminal with refined dishes and a panoramic view