Bite - De Heeren van Liedekercke

But according to Tom and Joost De Four, the brothers behind the business, De Heeren will remain what it’s always been: a mecca for beer lovers.

Tom is running the kitchen, so it’s Joost you’re likely to meet. He’s also the one you want to talk to about the 300-odd beers gracing the menu. He helps me to focus on a smaller, seasonal menu that lists about 40 holiday and winter beers.

I choose a Chapeau Christmas gueuze from nearby Brewery De Troch. The bottle is served in its own little wicker basket and with half the beer still inside, allowing me to pour the rest myself. While it makes for a nice aperitif in general, it contains added sugar, resulting in a rather cloying effect I am not fond of.

The dining room is slowly starting to fill up with a good mix of beer tourists and locals. From our corner table, my dining companion and I enjoy a view over the cosy room with its floor, ceiling and walls made entirely of wood, not to mention the tables and chairs. We see friends playing a board game, a group of Americans dabbling in the beer menu and a family with kids sitting down for dinner.

Inside the playful, albeit chaotic menu that would take hours to fully comprehend, I am pleased to find that there is a suggested brew for each dish. The paired beer listed next to my pork fillet is Urchon, a dark reddish-brown ale that features a hedgehog on its label (in reference, or perhaps reverence, to the Walloon town of Ath, where the brewery is located). Its fluffy beige head and malty, caramel character indeed make it a good match for the pork.

The fillet is smothered in a red Chimay and tarragon mustard sauce and served with sides of gratin potatoes with Chimay cheese and thyme and turnips soaked in Chimay tripel. My dining companion also orders fillet of pork, but in a slightly different version. His comes with a daring, yet successful, dark chocolate sauce made with the house Heerenbier.

Both dishes are generous and tasty, fine examples of hearty Flemish fare. Followed by coffee, the meal comes to a very reasonable €55.

The De Four brothers’ recent accolades are well deserved. There should be more restaurants like this that honour good old-fashioned recipes and exalt the rich beer culture in Flanders. `

www.heerenvanliedekercke.be

Kasteelstraat 33, Denderleeuw; 053.68.08.88
Thurs 11.30-23.00; Fri & Sat 11.30-1.00; Sun 12.30-23.00; Mon 11.30-14.30
(closed every last Sunday of the month during the winter)
Mains: €10-€20
Cosy pub and restaurant with an extensive beer menu and traditional beer cuisine