The undersigned was allowed to participate in the semi-finals for the title last week San Pellegrino Young Chef 2018. Ten chefs from the Benelux competed against each other and whoever remained will represent the Benelux in 2018 during the final in Milan. Reason enough to clearly list these chefs and, above all, where you should go if you want to pick up a plate from these gentlemen. Culinary delights everywhere, trust us.

By the way, all this took place in Central Park (no, not New York) in Voorburg (right, near The Hague). Beautiful place and concept (and also boutique hotel) from Ron Blaauw, with chef Gijs Verbeek in the kitchen. His kitchen produces many dishes that are inspired by the dishes from Ron Gastrobar in Amsterdam, aha. All dishes are €15 (ok, you'll want a side dish of €5 in addition), including octopus with asparagus or burrata with roasted avocado and more. And the furnishings. Man, man, man, so classy. Zebra on your wall, anyone? Central Park.

Anyway, first those chefs and our 10 top favorites from the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2018 competition:

Antonio Malerba – Little Tokyo, Brussels
Japanese delicacies in a hip neighborhood of Brussels, with the specialty being homemade gyozas, a kind of Japanese ravioli. Or go for the ramen or one of the other special Asian dishes that sous chef Antonio prepares for you. And on Sundays there is brunch. Do you want. littletokyo

Eric Ivanidis – Oak, Ghent
This restaurant serves a fixed 5- (or 6-) course menu (counts 2 desserts, yes!). Under the leadership of a chef with Brazilian-Italian blood and a preference for Asian cuisine - this chef's name is Marcelo Ballardin - the Greek sous chef Eric puts various dishes on the table for you. It is probably not surprising, with all those nationalities in the house, that this is a colorful and expressive whole. 3-course lunch is also possible. And there is also a decent terrace, for when the weather permits. Oak Gent

Frederic Chastro – Sōma, Antwerp
Winner of the ten participating chefs and therefore the best young chef of the Benelux 2018, that is Frederic Chastro from restaurant Sōma in Antwerp. He cooks in his own restaurant, which is housed in a very stylish building that he runs together with his girlfriend. A new menu every season, predominantly French dishes with influences from its Greek-Belgian and French-Colombian origins. Soma: soma.restaurant

Jeffrey Laarberg – Inter Scaldes, Kruiningen
Ha! The only Dutchman among the 10 chefs from the Benelux. Sous chef in restaurant Inter Scaldes in Kruiningen, in the kitchen of chef Jannis Brevet. Two Michelin stars, and part of a beautiful hotel in the polders of Zeeland. On the menu? Fish! It is not without reason that you are between Zeeland waters. http://interscaldes.nl/

Matteo Vannini – Da Mimmo, Brussels
Italian gastronomic dining, including Michelin star. We can't make it any clearer. Da Mimmo: da-mimmo

Loucas Mengal – L'Eveil des Sens, Montigny-Le-Tilleul (Belgium)
Sous chef Loucas cooks in a restaurant which, with good reason, means “awakening the senses”. Gastronomic surprises, for example, we spotted Breton lobster tagine and caramelized veal with ginger and argan oil on the menu. L'Eveil des Sens: l-eveildessens.be

Sebastian Sandor – Restaurant de Pastorale, Reet (Belgium)
The German Sebastian cooks four to nine course menus in the Pastorale with lettuce, herbs, vegetables and more from his own garden. Impressive prices, but also impressive dishes. Two Michelin stars, led by chef Bart de Pooter. And in an old parsonage house, but you probably already knew that. The Pastoral: depastorale.be

Pasquale Carfora – Gran Café Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam
Hey, we know that place! No, no Dutch chef here, but a chef with Italian blood one to watch. Fun fact: being signature dishes before the competition was called “Passeggiata a Rotterdam”, or the road to Rotterdam. Every day at 18:00 PM at the Krasnapolsky, the bell rings for the hors d'oeuvre hour and you can order all kinds of small snacks. Furthermore, classic dishes with a modern twist. Gran Café Krasnapolsky: grandcafekrasnapolsky

Kai Gozo – Restaurant Wannee, Leeuwarden
Kai's roots are in Zimbabwe, but he is currently sous chef at Wannee restaurant where he cooks according to the philosophy of Dutch Cuisine (5 principles: culture, healthy nature, quality, value - do you know that again). And from morning to evening, from an extensive breakfast buffet to a 6-course dinner. When: restaurantwhen

Tomek Mroszczak – De Ganzerik, Ghent
Chef Tomek works with top quality local products and serves all kinds of top dishes in the Ghent café De Ganzerik. From risotto with smoked trout to a special penne arrabiata. And plenty of specialty beers on the menu. Fun fact: Tomek entered the competition with a comfort food dish (glazed pork belly with cauliflower) that cost barely €3 in ingredients. Achievement in itself. The Ganzerik: goosey-gander

♥ Marloes