The story
In the quiet Belgian countryside of Liernu, near Aische-en-Refail, L'air du temps has earned its place among the country's finest dining destinations. The restaurant is recognized with two Michelin stars, a testament to the "excellent cooking" that defines the experience here.
The team describes itself as a collective, where each person contributes a stone to a constantly evolving structure. It is a place built on encounters, dialogue, and a shared dynamic. This philosophy of collaboration and continuous improvement is reflected in every aspect of the restaurant, from the kitchen to the service.
The cuisine is modern, drawing on the freshest seasonal ingredients. The restaurant's own gardens are open for guests to explore before or after their meal, offering a direct connection to the land that supplies the kitchen. Menus are designed as a single, unified experience for the entire table, with a choice between the Signature menu and the Suprématie menu, which adds extra preparations to the same dishes.
The setting is a restored farmhouse, blending rustic charm with contemporary elegance. The atmosphere is refined yet welcoming, with a dress code of city attire requested. The restaurant is accessible for guests with reduced mobility, and the team is attentive to dietary needs, adapting menus for allergies or pregnancy when notified at the time of booking. A vast gravel parking lot leads directly to the entrance, and the wine list is notably interesting, complementing the modern cuisine perfectly.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Excellent cooking
Five hectares of gardens, more than 400 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and plants grown by banker-turned-gardener Benoit Blairvacq, and a gastronomic restaurant pioneering the farm-to-table movement in Belgium: And to whom do we owe the stunning fruits of this labor? Chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre, Korean-born but Belgian by adoption, and Carine Nosal. After first opening in an old chip shop in 1997, Air du Temps is now located a few kilometers out, its feet firmly in the Walloon terroir, which you can admire as far as the eye can see from the restaurant’s two dining rooms (the main one, and a private one) that are windowed floor to ceiling. That lunchtime, the menu joyfully drew from the chef’s Korean roots, starting with an amuse-bouche quartet to whet the appetite: a thin potato crisp that you decorate yourself with gochujang and cucumber cream; mini-gimbap (sushi) with crunchy garden vegetables; beef tartare with sesame and daikon; and Petits-Gris de Namur snail ravioli in a radish broth. After a tour of the kitchens, where we pinched a bouquet of herbs slathered in creamy butter: peppery radish pimped out in various guises – diced with an incredibly tender raw langoustine in fermented radish juice, thin rounds in an anchovy mayo, and the tops sautéed with grilled sesame; white asparagus tops and tails flavored with lime blossom and dotted with Belgian caviar by the chef himself in the dining room; samgyetang (chicken stuffed with rice and poached in a ginger broth) and a perfect bite of crispy chicken skin; a lovely plate of cheese from Pascal Fauville, served as they are, alongside other inventive preparations (like the sweet little camembert du Bouconnais coated in puffed quinoa); ending with a less memorable honey and milk dessert. // Juliette Delmas
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