“ Entropy restaurant in Brussels, a real plant-based experience"

In the heart of Brussels, Entropy offers a plant-based experience full of promise...

Enter Entropy through the pretty courtyard of an 18th-century coaching inn, and you'll find the beginnings of an urban garden. Gooseberries, agastache, sweet woodruff... these are just some of the products that may find their way onto the vegetable plates of chef Elliott Van de Velde who, with his partner Adeline Barras, who is in charge of the restaurant's various projects, has created a small sustainable oasis on Place Saint-Géry, in the heart of Brussels.

A self-taught chef full of ideas

Elliott Van de Velde didn't go to typical hospitality school. He entered the world of cuisine via the events business. “One day, Yves Mattagne was going to do a charity event and he asked me to join his brigade. But I already had my own catering company, my clients... Then, one thing leading to another, I set up other projects”, recounts the young man, who went on to open Entropy with his other half in April 2022.

At first, they chose not to serve meat (only local trout), but a year and a half ago, they switched to an almost entirely plant-based menu, with a little butter and cheese. I don't want to be extreme, but I've always been inspired by vegetables. So I contacted Nicolas Decloedt from Humus x Hortense to work with his market gardener Dries Delanote, in Ypres”, explains the Brussels-based chef, who is also looking to offer an interactive experience to his customers.

“We try to forge a bond, create a conversation. We give them literature on seasonal herbs, let them taste a fermentation... We want to integrate them into our work.”

A virtuous kitchen

Entropy aims to be as sustainable as possible. “We're 80% food recovery. We do fermentations, like miso, koji... We also do blackening. In general, we do this for black garlic, which we put at 60 degrees for 60 days. But we do it with squash, for example. It extends the shelf life of products,” explains Elliott Van de Velde.

The chef also transforms surplus bread (from Khobz) into kvass (a drink) or flour, to make ice creams without cream or eggs. We were blown away by this appetizer, where Jerusalem artichokes are served dehydrated in ice cream, with a chicory caramel. Or a potato coated in wax. A variation on cabbage takes us to the Maghreb, with a spicy skewer, to Korea with a red cabbage kimchi roll, and a third variant combines Savoy cabbage and citrus-flavored Belgian quinoa risotto. What wonderful creations!

A project rooted in social values

Elliott Van de Velde and Adeline Barras launched Hearth Project in December 2019. “At the end of 2017, I had to do a charity event to feed the homeless in Maximilen Park. At the same time, I was on a Dinner in the Sky, where I met people from Metro... So, when I went to pick up my merchandise at Metro, I saw a pallet of unsold goods and was able to pick it up. That's how it all started. We ended up with 700 kilos of unsold food and were able to prepare 750 meals at Maximilen Park. It was an emotional shock for me. I realized that I could feed a whole lot of people with unsold food. It was also the trigger for all our future projects...”, explains Elliott Van de Velde.

Today, the chef continues to prepare 150 meals a week for the Ralliement des fourchettes and Secours populaire, using unsold produce he recovers - for example, he transforms speculoos from Dandoy and pasteis de nata from Forcado into cheesecake - or from the market gardeners he works with at Entropy. The restaurant is also a non-profit organization, donating all its profits to Hearth Project, which has received support from Brussels Environment and the King Baudouin Foundation.

22 place Saint-Géry, Brussels. Open Wednesday to Saturday evenings (menus €105 and €135), and Friday lunchtimes (menus €60 and €75). Alcoholic pairings from €50, non-alcoholic from €42. www.entropyrestaurant