To fans of creative cuisine chef Danny Vanderhoven will certainly be no stranger. He exchanged his restaurant in Rekem for another one in a new building about two years ago. And one with class, that is the least you can say, as the beautiful location of the Terhills hotel in Maasmechelen matches perfectly with the style and richness of Danny’s kitchen. That’s our conclusion after a nice, relaxing lunch in the restaurant. The perfect way to start a weekend away.
Restaurant Danny, Maasmechelen
Maasmechelen: tourism in style
People who love style will be very happy in Maasmechelen, for “shop until you drop” is something you can do to your heart’s content in Maasmechelen Village or at Fashion Point. The Terhills hotel is the perfect spot to relax in a classy setting. You can read more about that in a separate article we have written about the hotel. We chose to travel in style this time, in a car with standing: The Jaguar F-Pace, which of course deserves a separate item on our website. Wnat to know more? Just click here for the full story. Solid sneakers replaced the fancy high heels the day after, as we went to stretch our legs during a hike to the most beautiful panorama of Limburg: Connecterra, before returning home in our nice car. You will of course get hungry after so many fun activities and fortunately restaurant Danny has the perfect answer to that!
Chef Danny Vanderhoven’s creative kitchen
The fact that chef Danny Vanderhoven of the eponymous restaurant did not follow a traditional course is a given. His passion and talent got this man, with an accountant background, quickly to the culinary top in Limburg. After gaining experience in restaurants like Vivendum, Aan Tafel bij Luc Bellings and La Source, it was time to open his own place in Rekem-Lanaken in 2011. In 2015, the restaurant moved to the current location of the Terhills hotel in Maasmechelen.
It has already been quite a while since we tasted the culinary ideas of chef Danny Vanderhoven, so we were quite curious to see if his cooking style is still as creative and kind of daring. The fact that the chef could bring his Michelin star to his renewed restaurant was already a good sign. His inspiration still comes from the surroundings in which local ingredients are combined with creative ideas, like the typical mining context.
Ineke Dols, host and Danny’s partner, is an artist and she has made the plates on which the creations are served, giving everything that little bit extra if you ask us. The unique plates suit the special dishes perfectly and they give the dining experience an extra dimension.
To start off well, we let ourselves be seduced immediately by one of the latest creations of the chef: the Black Mountains Gin. This gin has been aged in barrels under the towers of the mine shafts that lie next to the building. The ginger, lime and chili flavors are quite powerful, perfectly fitting the tough presentation in the matching mug. A bottle of Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic brings softening and balance.
We start with “coal slack”, a mysterious black bite to warm up our taste buds. This dish consists of a crumble of nuts and a creme of cave mushrooms from just across the border.
After that we are immediately put to work with a dish composed of several elements that you need assemble yourself. We can taste egg yolk cream, truffle with homemade brioche, king crab salad, pickled onions and herring caviar.
The breads looks and tastes great as well.
The starter is made up out of two components. First there is a yellowfin tuna tartare, Norwegian lobster, curry mayonnaise and homemade foie gras ice cream.
A Tom Ka Kai soup with coconut, coriander oil, mussels, clams and squid is served in a coconut half on the side.
After that we eat Holstein with curry, apricot and paprika cream and a soya sauce.
We finish with mignardises and tea with a straw, something quite special, although it is all perhaps a little more about the presentation than the tea in itself. 🙂
In short
We have enjoyed delicious food in a beautiful, elegant setting. Anyone looking for tasty, creative dishes in a warm, stylish setting, should definitely stop by restaurant Danny in Maasmechelen.
Practical information
Restaurant Danny, Zetellaan 68, 3630 Maasmechelen, Belgium | +32 89 24 05 26 | info@restaurantdanny.be | www.restaurantdanny.be | facebook.com/Differenthotels | instagram.com/differenthotels/ | twitter.com/DifferentHotels
