The Hof van Cleve in Kruishoutem (East Flanders) and the Karmeliet in Bruges (West Flanders) are still the only Belgian restaurants with three stars.

The new Michelin Guide 2010 for Belgium and Luxembourg is hot off the press. Belgium has two three star restaurants.

There are 14 restaurants in Belgium with two stars, including 4 new restaurants: the Slagmolen in Opglabeek, Château du Mylord in Ellezelles, Hertog Jan in Bruges and L'eau Vive in Profondeville. Château du Mylord lost a star three years ago, which it has now recovered.

Among the 98 one star restaurants in Belgium there are 15 new restaurants. One of the new restaurants, Nuance in Duffel (Antwerp), looks so promising according to culinary experts that it is expected to get a second star next year.

In the 2010 Michelin Guide Bruneau in Ganshoren loses one of its two stars. 4 restaurants, 3 of them in Flanders, lose their one star: Gin-Fish (Antwerp), Kasteel Withof (Brasschaat) and Manoir Stuivenberg (Varsenare).

Restaurant Fleur sur L'eau in Dendermonde also got a star for the first time. Despite the good news, the restaurant is closing down tomorrow for private and health reasons. The Michelin editors only heard of the closure yesterday.

The attribution of stars is still in accordance with 5 criteria: product quality, cooking techniques and flavours, the personality of the head chef, the price/quality relation, and the consistency of the dishes.

Dining at a moderate price
The new guide also includes 125 so-called 'Bib Gourmand' restaurants. These restaurants offer a complete menu for €35. By offering this list of restaurants Michelin clearly wants to make sure that good dining is affordable by all. In difficult economic times, these restaurants are even more important and sought after by a broader public, reason the guide's publishers.

New names in this category include & Yin (Antwerp), Assiette Blanche and Refter (both in Bruges), De Kristalijn (Genk), Potiron (Kasterlee), Bienvenue (Maaseik), Villa Maritza (Ostend), De Refugie(Tienen), Lo Zio(Turnhout) and Vin Perdu (Oud-Turnhout).

The guide also contains 80 addresses for 'Bib Hotels' where one can find lodging for a reasonable price.

The 2010 Michelin Guide for Belgium and Luxembourg will be in the shops from November 26.
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