The 'We're Smart' culinary guide revealed its annual ranking of the 100 best 'vegetable restaurants' in the world on Wednesday and Brussels restaurant Menssa made its grand entrance into the guide, La Capitale reports.
At an awards ceremony held at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Brussels on 25 October, the prestigious 'We're Smart' culinary guide awarded the 37th place in its ranking of the 100 best 'vegetable restaurants' in the world to chef Christophe Hardiquest's Menssa restaurant in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
The 'We're Smart' Culinary Guide is renowned for recognising and rewarding restaurants that give pride of place to fruit and vegetables in their cooking. Unlike the traditional Michelin stars, 'We're Smart' awards radishes to distinguish the excellence of these establishments.
Menssa not only made it into the top 100 vegetable restaurants in the world (alongside 15 other Belgian establishments), but also received the guide's most prestigious distinction – the '5 radishes' – testifying to its commitment to promoting vegetable products and its excellence in using them.
Hardiquest's creativity and dedication were praised by chef Frank Fol, co-founder of 'We're Smart', who said: "The chef of the former Bon Bon is clearly no blank sheet of paper. He already fully embraces the philosophy of putting fruit and vegetables in the spotlight, and he does so brilliantly in his new restaurant."
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Hardiquest announced the closure of his emblematic two-star restaurant Bon Bon at the height of his fame in June 2022, saying that he needed a change. "I was no longer in tune with what I was becoming. With the pandemic and a divorce that obviously played a part, I no longer felt aligned," the chef told Le Soir.
The renowned chef first expanded internationally, notably as chef for the emblematic Michelin-starred restaurant La Mère Germaine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the south of France, as well as for the brasserie at the Hotel Chetzeron in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. "I'm very pro-European when it comes to products, but my roots are Belgian."
Hardiquest then established Menssa in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, an intimate setting with high, velvet, vibrant green chairs and a wooden tree whose branches stretch across the ceiling. Fire, water, earth and air inspired Menssa's menu, through which the chef is trying to instil a different vision of food – one that is more natural and healthier.
This respect for plants, but also for animals, is achieved by working on every part of the dish, so as not to neglect anything that nature has to offer.
When asked if he would like his two stars back, Hardiquest replied: "I've lived my passion for 20 years. I don't work for the guides and the stars, I work for myself. I'm grateful to the guides and journalists, but I'm 47 years old and I want to enjoy the next 15 years and continue to create non-stop."
This fine recognition from 'We're Smart' nevertheless strengthens Menssa's position as an ambassador for plant-based gastronomy in Belgium, helping to raise Belgium's culinary profile internationally.
