François-Xavier Lambory is Gault & Millau's Young Brussels Chef of the Year

François-Xavier Lambory, from the Stirwen restaurant in the European quarter, has been named Young Brussels Chef of the Year in the new Gault & Millau restaurant guide.

"I'm absolutely delighted with this award," said the 36-year-old, who seven years ago was given the difficult task of filling the shoes of the restaurant’s legendary chef, the late Alain Troubat. "After the difficult corona period, this is really inspirational, and it is a motivation to continue with the same enthusiasm."

The famous restaurant guide specifically praised Lambory for his foie gras wrapped in seaweed and cooked under a salt crust, "with a buttery soft taste and intense texture as a result."

The latest edition contains reviews of 177 restaurants with Bon Bon, situated on Avenue de Tervueren, sharing top spot with Peter Goossens’ Hof van Cleve in Kruisem. Both have a score of 19.5 out of 20 in the culinary bible. Other Brussels restaurants rated highly are Comme Chez Soi, La Paix and La Villa in the Sky. The highest placed newcomer is the renowned gastronomic address Villa Lorraine in Uccle with a rating of 16.5 out of 20

Elsewhere in the guide, there is very little movement in the ratings with only 39 of the 177 restaurants reviewed seeing any change in their score, and only marginally so with a half or maybe one point difference to last year’s results.