Dell'arte

A cozy and stylishly furnished living-room restaurant, located in the former family home of owner-chef Robbert Dellaert. As soon as you step into the bright entrance, you are warmly welcomed by hostess and sommelier Julie, Robbert's wife. The menu features dishes based on seasonal and local produce, with a clear preference for fish. Guests can choose from à la carte, a lunch menu, or a dinner menu. The clientele is predominantly somewhat older, and everyone is smartly dressed for an evening of fine dining. Pre-marinated salmon accompanied by various preparations of leek: sweet-and-sour, boiled and then roasted, along with a leek-based sauce featuring a foamy champagne beurre blanc. Topped with a small biscuit and a fresh yuzu gel. Visually stunning in its presentation, with flavors that are beautifully balanced. The accompanying wine is an Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Liebenberg Smaragd 2019, poured using a Coravin system. It is a rich and powerful wine with plenty of freshness and minerality, resulting in a crisp yet complex finish. The main course features a generous portion of steamed sea bass topped with meltingly soft lardo di Colonnata. Served alongside a light purée and cooked celeriac. Two large morel mushrooms stuffed with mushroom duxelles and slices of polenta complete the dish. The cheese plate offers five unconventional selections, with the creamy goat cheese De Swarte Toer from Friesland earning high marks. A fine and high-quality establishment.

For some time now, owner-chef Robbert Dellaert and his wife, hostess and sommelier Julie, have been running this pleasant restaurant in Cadzand as a duo. Extra help is available on weekends. The dining room is located in Robbert’s former family home, and the living-room-like setting is intimate, bright, and stylishly furnished. Robbert prepares a flavorful cuisine inspired by French traditions, making generous use of local ingredients. Guests can choose between a multi-course menu and a modest à la carte selection. The starter of gently cooked belly pork with pickle elements like sorbet and cream not only looks cheerful but also tastes fantastic. The vegetables in the pickles retain their bite and are decidedly not sour, but rather aromatic. The pairing with the tender belly pork featuring a seared top is highly appealing, both in color and texture. Cod is served as the main course, a substantial portion accompanied by mushroom duxelles and a ravioli stuffed with veal cheek. Aromatic and packed with flavor. The vin jaune-based sauce complements it perfectly, just as the celeriac preparations do; purée and grilled slices. We accompany it with a glass of Main Divide by the Donaldson Family. A full-bodied New Zealand Chardonnay aged for five months in oak barrels. This yields a rich aroma, notably citrus, along with subtle notes of smoke and almond. On the cheese board, among other selections, is a Chanteraine—a light and creamy white-mold cheese made from raw cow’s milk from Île-de-France—and a truly delightful Blu '61, an Italian blue cheese washed with Italian dessert wine and topped with cranberries. This is followed by a pistachio and yogurt crèmeux. Its soft green hue pairs beautifully with the various blueberry preparations, including gel, sauce, fresh berries, and crispy white chocolate alongside homemade vanilla ice cream. It’s impressive how this charming couple manages to cater to every guest’s tastes. This is evident in the warm greetings exchanged with returning patrons. No wonder, as it is an outstanding destination.

A chic yet accessible home-style restaurant in the center of Cadzand. Formerly the chef’s family home, it is now a sought-after spot for regulars and passersby alike. For years, Robbert and Julie Dellaert have consistently delivered quality in both the dishes and their refined approach to guests. The bright ambiance offers comfortable seating, with linen-covered tables, beautifully thin glassware, and high-quality cutlery. The focal point is the large wine climate cabinet. Robbert cooks French cuisine based on seasonal produce, full of flavor and with great attention to detail. A new menu is served weekly. After three excellent amuse-bouches, including a particularly delicious turbot mousse with spinach cream, champagne mousseline, and herring roe, we begin with kingfish served in two preparations. Tartare rolled in a thin slice of radish alongside a lightly seared piece. Accompanied by smoked eel, eggplant purée with miso, and a foamy dashi sauce. A beautifully presented plate bursting with flavor. In the glass, a perfectly matching 2021 Der Kleine Bär from winemaker Oliver Zeter. A charming detail: the playful wine label featuring a little bear holding a glass was drawn by an artist from the Palatinate region, who dedicated it to Walter Bär, Oliver’s great-grandfather. Monkfish from the pièce arrives on the plate in two expertly roasted portions, served with mushroom jus, celery root sweet-and-sour, various artichoke preparations, confit potato cubes, mousseline, and a light vin jaune sauce. We completely understand why Dell’arte boasts such a devoted following of highly satisfied guests. They are right on the threshold of the Top 100.

This cozy, living-room-style restaurant was formerly the family home of owner-chef Robert Dellaert. The beautiful historic building from 1878 is located in the heart of Cadzand village, and both locals and tourists find their way there effortlessly. In his open kitchen, Robert bases his cooking on French cuisine, ideally using seasonal regional produce. His (guest) wife and sommelier, Julie Dellaert, gladly curates matching wines for each dish. Alongside several set menus, there is also a daily special. The wine list is extensive, offering a wide selection of French and Italian labels. For the starter, the langoustine is served à la carpaccio with slices of kohlrabi, mousse, diced green apple, and a slightly tart yuzu sorbet, accompanied by a flavorful frothy bisque. The main course is generously portioned, featuring no fewer than four roasted turbot fillets, paired two by two and stuffed with a layer of risotto and seasoned with Parmesan cheese. It’s a delightful combination, beautifully complemented by lamb ears and corn asparagus. The Colle Stefano Verdicchio di Matelica 2019 from Marche, Italy, tastes salty and fresh, proving to be a perfect pairing. Though quite full, we still make room for dessert: paper-thin mille-feuille filled with crème pâtissière, white chocolate cream, raspberries, and lemongrass foam. Served alongside is a cocktail glass containing raspberry jus, ice cream, and walnut crumble. A delicious finale!

In the center of Cadzand-dorp sits this cozy living-room-style restaurant by Robert and Julie Dellaert. This distinctive building from 1878 was once Robert’s family home. The interior is bright, featuring wooden floors, comfortable chairs arranged tone-on-tone in a cohesive color scheme, and an open kitchen. It’s completely full during our visit, yet the acoustics remain excellent. Robert cooks French cuisine using seasonal local products. The starter of tuna with crispy bread, watermelon, and curry is elegantly composed. The crispy bread is flat and wavy. Between the waves lie rolls of marinated tuna, a curry cream, an avocado cream, slices of watermelon topped with avugra caviar, all served in a langoustine jus. Pepper berries and edible flowers complete the dish. Especially the combination of salty caviar with the fresh, sweet watermelon... delicious. The main course is braised monkfish with Antibes-style vegetables, polenta cakes, ratatouille, and a bouillabaisse sauce. The portions aren’t excessively large, but everything is ample and well-balanced. And the overall flavor is superb. The cheese board is well and clearly explained. Julie’s clear voice is a breath of fresh air compared to the mumbled descriptions we often hear. Robert in the kitchen, Julie in the dining room. We say: keep it up!

A charming, cozy restaurant in Cadzand-Dorp. Owner-chef Robbert Dellaert transformed his family home, a distinctive property dating back to 1878, in 2018. It is now a bright and atmospheric dining room featuring tables dressed in linen, crisp white porcelain, comfortable upholstered chairs, a beautiful glass wine cabinet, and ambient wall lighting. Large windows offer views of the modest but beautifully landscaped garden, and on sultry summer days, guests can enjoy a relaxed lunch or an extensive dinner on the courtyard. Dellaert cooks with the seasons; the menu changes quite frequently. The dishes reflect Robbert’s love for Zeeland-Flanders and the sea. The cheerful hostess-sommelier Julie Verbiest gladly recommends lovely wines by the bottle or by the glass. At Dell’arte, you can escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And speaking of convenience, there is private parking—which in popular Cadzand is an absolute blessing.

How special it must be for owner-chef Robbert Dellaert to run a restaurant in his parents' house. Since August 2018, the house has been transformed into a bright and atmospheric space featuring linen-covered tables, comfortable chairs, and as a focal point, a stunning sleek glass wine cabinet. From the conservatory, we have a view of a modest but beautifully landscaped garden. Dellaert cooks seasonally, so the menu changes frequently. The charming hostess-sommelier Julie Verbiest expertly recommends beautiful wines to pair with them. Paired with a glass of Chilean Los Paraguas Chardonnay, we are served promising amuse-bouches, such as a cannelloni roll stuffed with Florence goat cheese from Belgian Limburg, accompanied by kumquat gel droplets, and crispy fried chicken skin bites served with garam masala cream for dipping. A terrine of halibut and smoked eel is beautifully flaky and is served with cucumber prepared in three ways: pickled in sweet-and-sour, lightly roasted, and dressed in vinaigrette. Crispy potato shards accompany it, and the dish is garnished with an edible flower. The lamb fillet also earns its share of applause. Cooked to perfection, the lamb jus is enriched with (once again) garam masala. The accompaniments include a confit potato with goat cheese, carrot purée, panko-crusted carrots, and slightly charred spring onions. Truly excellent. We pair it with an Australian Shiraz, Barossa Valley Section 72 by Rolf Binder from winery J.J. Hahn. The dessert is refreshing: lemon meringue, sorbet, and mousse, followed by a sorbet paired with a white chocolate, bergamot, and lemon bavarois. Another great feature: Dell’arte has its own parking lot, which is a real blessing in busy Cadzand.

Dell'arte has moved from Sluis to Cadzand-dorp and is now located in the house where owner-chef Robbert Dellaert grew up. The interior is bright. The ceiling and walls are a crisp white, complemented by a beautiful wooden floor. The comfortable chairs are beige, with black accents completing the look. The warm hospitality of hostess and sommelier Julie Verbiest remains unchanged, and every guest soon feels right at home in this new location. They still offer an excellent three-course daily menu at a fixed price (except on Sunday lunch). The alcohol-free aperitif made from calamansi juice topped with a froth of ginger, lemongrass, and verbena powder is delightful. Robbert prepares French cuisine using local ingredients, drawing out the very best through what appear to be simple preparations. We are instantly smitten with the baby lobster served with Iberico ham, alongside various preparations of tomato and basil cream. It is refined elegance, allowing the distinct flavors of the various tomato varieties to truly shine. The wine recommended by Julie, a 2016 dry Riesling from South Germany by Weingut Winter, harmonizes beautifully. The grouper with braised veal shank, celeriac, light beurre blanc, and summer truffle also earns high marks. To finish, poached pineapple accompanied by coconut mousse and crèmeux, piña colada ice cream, and lemongrass foam. Cadzand is now richer by one culinary gem!