All the cooking classes in the world won't teach you this: It takes an amazingly sensitive palate and a creative mind. How else could one know that the little grains of mustard and miniature pickle in an appetiser of Gentse kop help to bring out the fruity aromas in a 12-year- old Tomatin? Or that the scallop starter, elegantly arranged on a dark grey slate with asparagus, radish, spring onion, thinly sliced cucumber roll-ups, rocket salad and some vinegar-and-sugar marinated mushrooms, makes the ideal companion for Aged Oak Tullibardine.
Granted it's the first time I drank whisky with a meal, usually reserving the spirit for late nights by the fire or an after- dinner tipple in a jazz club. This describes whisky's traditional reputation but one that is changing rapidly, thanks in part to De Cluysenaer and its unique marriage of Flemish cuisine and Scottish malt whisky.
Husband-and-wife duo Stef and Krien have always had a sort of love affair with Scotland and its national drink, and they visit the country every year. That's why, after their restaurant opened 11 years ago in East Flanders, clients began coming to them for travel advice. It didn't take long before they decided to combine passions, making their whisky collection (an impressive 800 bottles) part of the business. They sell it, pair it with food and incorporate it in their cooking - a concept that is apparently well received, as the restaurant is often fully booked.
Next up is a cup of rich, velvety white asparagus soup with bits of the seasonal veg and shrimp bobbing about, topped with a handful of fresh coriander. What's this? A little pipette makes an attempt at being inconspicuous, but we pick it up straight away. It's filled with whisky, the same one we're drinking: a full- bodied 1994 anCnoc from the Eastern Highlands. Mixed in with the soup, the whisky loses its intensity and gives the creamy asparagus a nice turfy touch.
This is followed by braised breast of pigeon resting on a bed of plump red beet and onions marinated in...wait for it... coca-cola. The cola comes across as quite natural, contributing some sweetness to offset the sharp onion. On top of the moist pigeon is a circle of smooth foie gras. As for the whisky, Stef is spot-on again with his pairing of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, a 12-year-old Highland with a ruby port cask finish. We're far from finished, but not one person is feeling drunk or woozy.
Our mains arrive with a copper-coloured glass of Glengoyne Sherry Cask. The nose is sweet and luxurious, calling to mind raisins and toffee, and the first sip is loaded with flavours of honey and oak - my favourite by far. It's paired with a juicy slice of Ibérico ham, the very best Spanish pork from acorn-fed pigs, plus witloof, soft clouds of puree - lightly fried on the outside - and a sauce made with the same Glengoyne. Dessert offers welcome refreshment in the form of sweet cuberdon ice cream (see page 11) and cold and creamy panna cotta. There's another pipette, this time filled with a strawberry-whisky coulis.
It tastes slightly medicinal, so I prefer to sample this whisky straight out of the glass. The 10-year-old Bowmore Tempest Batch 1 is smoky and spicy, just the right way to round off a most pleasurable experience.
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