Michelin awarded a third restaurant three stars in the new 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg Hotels and Restaurants red guide.
The Michelin 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg Hotels & Restaurants Guide sees a new three-star restaurant near Bruges, an increase in two and one-star restaurants and many new Bib Gourmand value for money restaurants. The Belgique / België & Luxembourg red guide reviews 1,840 establishments including 718 hotels and 1,122 restaurants. The Belgium red guide is on sale from November 24, 2011 in Belgium for around €20 and slightly later in the rest of Europe.
New Three-Star Restaurant in the Michelin 2012 Belgium Red Guide
Michelin awarded a third star to Hertog Jan (chef Gert de Mangeleer) in Sint-Michiels near Bruges. Hertog Jan previously held two stars.
Belgium now has three Michelin three-star restaurants – all in Flemish regions of the country. The other two three-star restaurants that preserved their ratings are De Karmeliet (Geert van Hecke) in Bruges and Hof van Cleve (Peter Goossens) in Kruishoutem.
New Michelin Star Restaurants in the 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg Red Guide
Michelin also increased the number of two and one-star restaurants in Belgium for the 2012 Hotels & Restaurants guide.
Belgium now has 15 Michelin two-star restaurants, of which three are new. De Jonkman in Sint-Kruis near Bruges and Le Chalet de la Forêt in Uccle-Brussels were upgraded from single to two-star restaurants for 2012. ‘t Zilte, which moved from Mol to the Antwerp in 2012 managed to keep its two-star rating. ‘t Zilte is now in the Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS), which offers visitors to Belgium’s most visited museum a welcome gourmet dining option.
Michelin awarded 99 restaurants with a single star for the 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg red guide – 14 new. Belgium now has 89 one-star restaurants while Luxembourg’s total was reduced to a still very creditable 10. Luxembourg has one new one-star restaurant (La Distillerie in Bourglinster) but three others were deleted.
Value for Money Bib Gourmand Restaurants and Hotels in Belgium 2012 Red Guide
Michelin increased the number of Bib Gourmand restaurants in the 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg guide to 140 with 22 new additions. Michelin bestow the Bib Gourmand label to restaurants that serves good three-course meals for less than €35. Michelin also noted 94 restaurants serving a good menu for less than €26.
As before, the Brussels (Bruxelles) region is a great place for dining with 25 Bib Gourmand restaurants and 13 one-star restaurants. Antwerp (Anvers), Liege, Knokke-Heist, and Bruges (Brugge) also have a wide range of gourmet restaurants.
Michelin reviewed 718 hotels for the 2012 Belgium and Luxembourg Hotels & Restaurants red guide, of which 10% are considered to be particularly pleasant establishments for the given comfort category. Michelin identified 77 Bib Hotels offering value for money for €90 per night for two including breakfast. Michelin considered 54 hotels wellness areas (day spas) worthy of inclusion in the guide.
The Michelin 2012 Belgique / België & Luxembourg Hotels & Restaurants red guide is written in French and Flemish (Dutch) with the standard pictograms and English introduction notes familiar from other red guides.
The Michelin 2012 Belgium guide retails for around €20 from Amazon Deutschland or France, while British diners can obtain it for £12 from Amazon UK. Amazon.com sells the guide for around $16 in the USA.
