Superfoods are those thought to have exceptional nutritional value. Here are ten that you should definitely think about adding to your shopping bag. In recent years, there has been a surge in the popularity of ‘superfoods’. These powerhouse ingredients offer a bounty of benefits for overall health and vitality. As we look towards 2024, a new wave of superfoods is emerging. These foods offer a diverse range of health benefits. While some of the properties can be found in supplements, it is usually easier for your body to absorb nutrients from food.  Turmeric – Reducing inflammation Turmeri ..read more

Catherine Feore visits the award winning Italian restaurant which has recently been revitalized. The residents of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert will not be strangers to Da Mimmo, for many years it has been a discreet presence on the corner of Avenue du Roi Chevalier and Avenue de Couronnement. It was swept up by the Litvine family in 2018 when its future looked uncertain. Chef Gerardo Metta took the helm in the kitchen, maintaining its illustrious Michelin star.  Since September 2022, chef Louis Verstrepen has become the owner and he is already making his mark and raising the bar; Gault & Mill ..read more

Together visited this legendary institute that paved the way for so many others For more than 30 years, Patrick D’hane has been one of Belgium’s greatest authorities on beer. He opened the Bier Circus in 1993, on rue de l’Enseignement when there weren’t so many bars specializing in Belgian artisanal beer. It’s hard to believe now, but at the time it was very rare to open a bar uniquely dedicated to Belgian beers; nevertheless, he decided to stick his neck out and work with small breweries and celebrate their craft. “There are ever more breweries and more beers” Belgium has more than 1,500 ty ..read more

Catherine Feore visited this unique restaurant in a unique location When Olivier De Vreindt originally moved to Rizom, it was at the request of Sang Hoon Degeimbre – the renowned chef and owner behind the two-Michelin starred L’air du temps, near Namur. De Vreindt had worked with Degeimbre for five years and accepted the offer. He tells me that once he arrived, “it was love at first sight”. In the last two years he has become the owner and made it his own. “It was love at first sight” Originally from Brussels he was won over by the warmth of the “amazing” people of Mons. Just as rhizomes bec ..read more

We are still in the twelve days of Christmas and -hopefully – you can still experience Pierre Marcolini’s latest collection.  Catherine Feore gives a warm welcome to the great chocolatier’s frosty collection. When Marcolini started his business in 1995 he was determined to do things differently. He wanted subtle infusions, deep spicy notes and chocolates that were no larger than 15-20g in size. He is a pioneer of the bean-to-bar movement, mastering the entire process of manufacturing chocolate from the bean onwards.  “There are as many differences between cocoa beans as there are be ..read more

A year after it opened its doors Catherine Feore visits a restaurant with a lot of swagger When the news hit the street that the Litvine Society had taken over Callen’s Café, we knew that transformation was in store. Lily’s, which opened in November 2022, is part of the family’s ever growing empire of  restaurants including Villa Lorraine (**), La Villa in the Sky (*), Da Mimmo, Odette en Ville, Lola, Le Variétés and Voltaire. The project to reinvigorate the space was achieved under the gaze of the Litvine children: Vladimir, Tatiana and Sasha. While the group came up with the concept of ..read more

Christmas is upon us, the countdown is well and truly underway. Carols and traditional Christmas songs are ringing out in the shops, the lights on the trees are twinkling. Gift ideas abound, but the most important thing is to spend time with the people we love; our families and friends. There is no better way to do this than over a good dinner. To get in the mood, we take you with us to Restaurant Brugmann. This unmissable house in the Brussels landscape has pulled out all the stops for the occasion. [See image gallery at togethermag.eu] It is at the Chef’s table (Matthias Van Eenoo) that we i ..read more

We’re not sure if a “World Pasta Day” is needed, but 25 October has been given this designation. Still, why not celebrate this wonderful stable of the Italian kitchen. We asked four chefs for their valuable advice on reproducing their flagship recipes at home.  Osteria Romana Filippo La Vecchia’s pasta alla carbonara: “The perfect carbonara depends on the chemical balance in the sauce, which must be dense enough not to be watery, not too compact to become grainy like an omelette. To achieve this, take the yolks and beat them with a whisk to denature the egg proteins. Add pecorino, pepper ..read more

Catherine Feore meets a couple of Belgian food heroes  While reading the Gault&Millau guide to Belgian wine, I was wondering why I hadn’t come across many Belgian wines in the wild. The guide came to the rescue as it also contains a list of restaurants that have a focus on Belgian wines. They are rated with little chefs toques and De Jonkman, just outside Brugge (Sint Kruis) has four reflecting the fact that it has no fewer than 18 Belgian wines on its menu. De Jonkman has two Michelin Stars, but one feels that the Michelin Green Star, signifying sustainable practices, is the one that ..read more

Gault&Millau present their first guide to Belgian wine. Belgium is no longer just the home of the world’s greatest beers – we now have some pretty fine wines to choose from as well. Gault&Millau (G&M) presented its very first Belgian wine guide this year. In order to assess the wines G&M assembled a jury of 30 nationally and internationally renowned sommeliers for several blind tastings, it wasn’t an easy task!  The wine sector is booming in Belgium, there are more than 250 registered winegrowers, cultivating more than 800 hectares of vineyards. That may seem modest compar ..read more