On October 9, the doors open at Nif in Bilzen. Chef Radu Iliescu, back in his home region after years in the kitchen of Faim Fatale in Ghent, cooks over charcoal there. A short menu, four starters, four main courses, and two desserts, which changes weekly with what the season brings.
His kitchen operates from head to tail and from leaf to root. Vegetables come from the Goutte farm in Riemst, barely 11 km away. The beef comes from Slagerij Kuusters in Margraten, where the animals are raised and slaughtered in one place. The trout is from Commanderie 7, one of the oldest fish farms in Belgium. Poultry and game come from France, free-range, and at least 84 days old. At the table, there is no bottled water, but rather his own filtered sparkling water, with more emphasis on craft beers and cider than on wine.