A wind of enthusiasm heralds Thijs Vervloet’s return to Tongerlo. This former doctor’s home has been entirely refurbished with alfresco dining in the garden and five deluxe guestrooms. Luxury is the bedrock of the high-end establishment from its Gallic poise and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the interior in light to the cosily intimate drapes and made-to-measure porcelain tableware by Pieter Stockmans! A champion of the ingredient, Vervloet’s culinary signature seeks to place his classical background and training at the service of a demanding score underpinned by sensitivity and know-how. Everything is prepared on the spot, so, when he presents his emblematic dish of no less than four different versions of langoustine (including a shellfish consommé to die for!), you know that you are in for a festival of flavour. His melt-in-the-mouth suckling lamb with proper crackling and a creamy-crunchy gratin dauphinois, crisp green peas and a punchy gravy is in exactly the same delicious vein. This banquet ends on a similar high note, as your coffee is escorted by a trolley piled high with wickedly enticing sweet titbits. The variety of the à la carte menu is eminently noteworthy, as are the insightful wine-food pairings, and Lore’s attentive service. Maison Colette has clearly puzzled and pondered over every tiny detail.