Willem Hiele

Lou Stejskal

10 years ago

Close to the North Sea in Western Belgium is a charming fisherman’s house that’s been transformed into a restaurant called Willem Hiele. A lot of the produce used is grown on site and there are even chickens, ducks and roosters roaming freely in their own big space. There is also a swing set on the property. But this isn’t just any swing set. It’s the same swing set that the owner/chef Willem Hiele used when he was a little boy. Willem Hiele restaurant is the house he grew up in, completely transformed into a warm, cozy restaurant serving upscale Belgian food. The apple trees from his youth are still bearing fruit today and now he shares his passion for cooking and his childhood memories combining them into a pleasant dining experience.

For those who enjoy locally sourced, elevated dining, Willem Hiele is a special restaurant where the chef might even point to the yard and show you exactly where the ingredients on your plate are from.

Small World

Just a few days after returning home, I saw a friend’s live Facebook video by Eric Kleinberg, food photographer formerly from Chicago, now in Europe. The video took place on a fishing boat and they were on the way to dinner at Kadeau Bornholm. I recognized two of the people and amazingly, it was Willem Hiele and coincidentally the chef I met the day before. The group is called Tripping Chefs. Chefs, chocolatiers, bartenders and sommeliers go on culinary expeditions to discover exceptional places around the world.

Arrival and Tour

Shannah Zeebroek is Willem’s wife and is Front of House as well as a sommelier at Willem Hiele restaurant. When I arrived, she was standing at the head of the driveway to direct me in and greeted me with a warm, welcoming smile.

Willem showed me around the property so I could see all the produce growing at the restaurant. He had stories from his childhood and told me which plants and trees were there when he was young, and it was then that I realized this was his former home.

Willem showed me the food grown on site for the restaurant.

He adjusts his menus daily according to what’s available in the gardens.

These will be used in one of my dishes today.

There are seven kinds of apple trees on the property.

This is the spacious area where the chickens and other birds roam freely.

The swing set from when Willem was a young boy.

The Restaurant

This is the house Willem grew up in. Upstairs through that door was where they slept.

Lunch

We headed back outside so I could start my lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day so I sat outside.

The Meal

Mussels Beignet, beer sepia, fennel, sweet pea and Moroccan pea cream with sumac. Polenta Corn Cracker, chicken, hummus, avocado.

Mussels Beignet, beer sepia, fennel, sweet pea and Moroccan pea cream with sumac.

Polenta Corn Cracker, chicken, hummus, avocado.

Razor Clam Tartare, Belgian caviar, bergamot, crithmum (sea fennel) cream, quinoa

Gillardeau oyster, horseradish, pickled red onion

Sea bass marinated in fermented onion juice, lime and coconut. Ceviche, sea bass, corn, beets, calamansi, cashews, coriander cream

These brown shrimp (crangon crangon) are from the North Sea. They have a very distinct but delicate flavor, and are tender, juicy and delectable. They are time consuming to peel because they are so small. First you twist the head to detach it and pull off half the shell. Then the other half is removed when you pull the tail.

This smooth custard seafood dish was accented with the gentle quinoa pops. Crème brulee, cauliflower, North Sea shrimp, quinoa, leeks, vervain

Crème brulee, cauliflower, North Sea shrimp, quinoa, leeks, vervain

Willem’s updated take on his family’s third-generation recipe. Bisque, North Sea shrimp, coffee

Roebuck Loin, fermented golden beets, whiskey sauce with dates, orange, cardamom, venison and plum demi-glace

I was full after the venison so I passed on the rest of the meal but an example of one of Willem’s desserts is ‘Gariguette’ strawberry, consomme of rhubarb, pomegranate sorbet, lemon, berries, meringue.