Every year Brussels Airlines partners with a chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant to create a three-course menu based on Belgian recipes and ingredients.
The flag carrier has unveiled the 14th chef to join the roster: Michael Vrijmoed of the two-Michelin-starred Ghent restaurant Vrijmoed, which is well-known for its focus on vegetables.
From 1 October, business class travellers on long-haul flights will be served a three-course meal, with a choice between a fish, meat or vegetarian dish for both the starter and main course.
The menu will showcase Belgian vegetables and rotate every three months “to make the most of seasonal produce”.
Starters include the chef’s speciality – beetroot with Doyenné du Comice pear, mustard seed and horseradish sauce – while main courses include:
- Celeriac variation with soil-grown chicory and crispy Jerusalem artichoke
- Pheasant with soil-grown chicory, wild mushrooms, cranberries, pearl onions, Jerusalem artichoke, fine champagne sauce and Jerusalem artichoke purée
- Eel in Green with herb salad and chateau potatoes.
The dessert course includes the option between a Belgian cheese platter or hazelnut chocolate cake with a vanilla-coffee sauce.
The menu will be accompanied by regional beers such as Steenuilke, Liefmans Goudenband and Adriaen Brouwer Oaked, brewed by traditional Belgian breweries, as well as Belgian wines selected by Master of Wine, Jan De Clercq.
Vrijmoed commented:
“As a Michelin-starred chef, it is a privilege to be allowed to cook for the business class travelers of Brussels Airlines. I am following in the footsteps of Peter Goossens, one of my tutors.
“He served as a star chef for the airline in 2015. Through my creations for Brussels Airlines, I will introduce the world amongst others to tasty Belgian vegetables, accompanied by some East Flemish regional beers and cheeses from cheese refiner Van Tricht.”
Vrijmoed is taking over from East Flanders-based chef Mario Elias, who previously owned Le Cor de Chasse in Barvaux-sur-Outhe.
The Belgian Star Chefs menu launched in 2013 with gourmet menus by chef Geert Van Hecke.
For more information on famous chef partnerships, see our feature:
Smart traveller: Our guide to famous chef partnerships in the air
